What to Do If You Have a Warrant in Alabama

If you have a warrant in Alabama, it will not expire and it will not go away on its own. Arrest warrants under Alabama Code § 15-7-3 require probable cause. Bench warrants under § 15-10-60 issue when someone fails to appear in court. Officers may execute either type any day, at any time, at any location under § 15-10-2.

All inquiries are 100% confidential. Our team is here to defend your constitutional rights at every step of your case.

What Are the Different Types of Warrants in Alabama?

Alabama uses four types of warrants. Understanding which type you are dealing with determines what options are available to resolve it.

Felony bench warrants in Alabama never expire. Misdemeanor bench warrants may be valid for 180 days to one year, but courts can renew them. Arrest warrants do not expire. A warrant from 10 years ago is still active and enforceable today.

Arrest warrants are issued under § 15-7-4 when a judge or magistrate finds probable cause that a crime was committed and that the defendant committed it. The warrant must state the offense by name, designate the defendant’s name if known, and be signed by the judge. It is directed to “any lawful officer of the state” and is valid when executed by any officer with authority to do so.

Bench warrants issue directly from the judge’s bench under § 15-10-60. They are most commonly issued when a defendant fails to appear for a scheduled court hearing, fails to pay court-ordered fines, or violates the conditions of probation. Unlike arrest warrants, which arise from new criminal allegations, bench warrants arise from conduct within a pending case.

Capias warrants issue under the court’s general authority under § 12-1-7 to compel obedience to its orders. They are most common in failure-to-pay situations, such as unpaid child support or unpaid court fines, and when defendants fail to complete court-ordered programs such as drug treatment or community service.

Search warrants are different in kind from the others. They authorize law enforcement to search a specific place for specific items. Under § 15-5-12, search warrants expire after 10 days. They do not authorize an arrest on their own, though an arrest may result from what officers find during the search.

How Does Alabama Law Enforcement Execute a Warrant?

Under § 15-10-2, officers in Alabama may execute an arrest or bench warrant on any day, at any time. There is no restriction on when a warrant can be served. Officers can arrest you at a traffic stop, at your home, at your workplace, at a court appearance for an unrelated matter, or anywhere else you are found. The warrant is entered into LETS - the Law Enforcement Tactical System - which is accessible to all law enforcement agencies in Alabama. Any officer who runs your name or plate and finds an active warrant is authorized to make the arrest immediately.

You do not need to be doing anything wrong at the moment of arrest. A routine traffic stop for a broken tail light can result in an immediate arrest if a warrant comes back on your name. Officers are not required to give you advance notice that a warrant has been issued.

How Can You Check If You Have a Warrant in Alabama?

Alabama uses a decentralized court system, meaning warrants are entered at the county level rather than through a single statewide database accessible to the public. There is no single official public website where you can search all Alabama warrants. The most reliable methods are:

•       Contact the circuit or district court clerk in any county where you have a pending case or missed a court date and ask directly

•       Contact the county sheriff’s office or the municipal court in the relevant city

•       Have a defense attorney run your name through LETS, which provides complete and real-time warrant information

•       Third-party warrant search sites may return results, but these are not official and may be incomplete or outdated

The safest and most accurate way to check is through a defense attorney, who can access official records, confirm whether a warrant exists and in which court, and begin addressing it immediately without exposing you to arrest in the process of checking 

What Happens If You Are Arrested on a Warrant?

If law enforcement executes the warrant and arrests you, you will be taken to the county jail and processed. For a bench warrant arising from a missed court date, you will typically be held until you can appear before the judge who issued the warrant. For an arrest warrant on new criminal charges, you will be booked on those charges and held pending a bail hearing.

For felony warrants, Alabama’s bail statute and the provisions of Aniah’s Law affect whether bail is available and at what amount. For certain violent felonies, bail may be denied entirely. For misdemeanor warrants, you will generally be released on bond after processing, though the bond amount may be higher than it would have been had you appeared voluntarily.

You have the right to remain silent from the moment of arrest. Do not make statements to law enforcement about the underlying charge, why you missed court, or anything else before speaking to a defense attorney. Statements made at booking are admissible. For more on what happens after an arrest, see our Plea Deals vs. Trial explainer.

What Are Your Options for Resolving a Warrant in Alabama?

A warrant has three ways to be resolved: you are arrested, you surrender voluntarily, or the court recalls it. Avoiding the warrant is not a resolution. It remains active and continues to carry consequences for your driving record, employment background checks, professional licenses, and any future encounter with law enforcement.

Voluntary surrender is almost always the better outcome compared to being arrested. When you surrender through an attorney, your attorney contacts the court in advance, arranges the surrender at a time and place that minimizes the arrest process, and in many cases negotiates a bond amount before you walk in. This gives you control over the circumstances of the arrest and demonstrates good faith to the judge who will handle the underlying matter.

Motion to recall or quash the warrant is available in certain circumstances. If the warrant was issued in error, if the underlying charge has been resolved, or if there is a legal basis to challenge the warrant’s validity, a defense attorney can file a motion with the court to have it recalled. Courts have the discretion to recall warrants under their general authority under § 12-1-7 when there is good cause.

Addressing the underlying issue is required in addition to resolving the warrant itself. If the warrant arose from a missed court date, the court will want to know why and what has changed. If it arose from a probation violation, the probation violation hearing will follow the warrant resolution. The warrant is the immediate problem. The underlying case is the long-term problem. Both require attention.

Why Should You Contact a Defense Attorney Before Doing Anything Else?

The most common mistake people make when they discover they have a warrant is either doing nothing, hoping it will go away, or going directly to the courthouse or a police station without legal representation. Both are avoidable mistakes.

Doing nothing means the warrant remains active. Every traffic stop, every court appearance for any reason, every background check, and every encounter with law enforcement carries the risk of immediate arrest. Felony warrants never expire. Drug crime warrants, DUI warrants, domestic violence warrants, and violent crime warrants are all active indefinitely.

Going directly to a courthouse or police station without an attorney means you have no control over the process. You may be held on a higher bond than necessary. You may make statements that harm the underlying case. You may not know the full scope of what you are walking into.

Contacting a defense attorney first means you know exactly what the warrant is for, what court issued it, what the likely bond will be, what your rights are, and how to address it in a way that protects both the immediate warrant situation and the underlying case. At JB Brown Criminal Trial Practice, we handle warrant situations regularly and can move quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions About Warrants in Alabama

Here are the questions we receive most often from people who have discovered they have an outstanding warrant.

Do warrants expire in Alabama?

Arrest warrants and felony bench warrants do not expire in Alabama. They remain active until you are arrested, surrender voluntarily, or the court recalls the warrant. Misdemeanor bench warrants may be valid for 180 days to one year, but courts can renew them. A warrant from years ago is still valid and enforceable today.

What is the difference between an arrest warrant and a bench warrant?

An arrest warrant under § 15-7-4 is issued by a judge when there is probable cause that a person committed a crime. It arises from a new criminal allegation. A bench warrant under § 15-10-60 is issued by a judge when someone fails to appear in court, fails to pay fines, or violates a court order. It arises from conduct in a pending case, not a new crime.

Can police arrest me at home if I have a warrant?

Yes. Under § 15-10-2, officers may execute a warrant on any day, at any time, at any location, including your home, workplace, or anywhere else you are found. There is no restriction on when or where a warrant can be served.

How do I find out if I have a warrant in Alabama?

Alabama uses a decentralized court system with no single public warrant database. The most reliable options are to contact the court clerk or sheriff’s office in the county where a case is pending, or to have a defense attorney run your name through LETS, the Law Enforcement Tactical System, which provides real-time, official warrant information.

Is it better to turn myself in or wait to be arrested?

Voluntary surrender through a defense attorney is almost always the better outcome. It allows your attorney to negotiate bond in advance, arrange the surrender at a controlled time and place, and demonstrate good faith to the court. Being arrested unexpectedly at a traffic stop or elsewhere gives you no control over the process and may result in a higher bond or worse first impression with the judge.

Choose JB Brown Criminal Trial Practice

If you have a warrant in Alabama, contact JB Brown Criminal Trial Practice immediately at 205-583-7996. All consultations are completely confidential. The earlier you contact us, the more options you have for addressing the warrant on your terms rather than law enforcement’s.

Real Results. Real Victories.

Felony Drug Case Exposed as Government Overreach

Client charged with felony offense carrying mandatory minimum prison time. Our investigation exposed flaws in the government’s evidence and challenged the legality of the search. Result: all charges dismissed.

Result: All Charges Dismissed

First-Time Offender Avoids Prison on Serious Charge

Client facing significant prison time on first criminal offense. Through strategic negotiation and presentation of mitigating circumstances, we secured a probationary sentence with no incarceration.

Result: Probation, No Prison Time