Mobile Bench Warrants

Mobile bench warrants are issued when someone misses a court date or fails to follow a court order. Mobile Municipal Court handles city ordinance violations and issues warrants for those cases. Mobile County has an online warrant search at mobileso.com where you can check for active warrants. For felony and misdemeanor warrants, contact the Mobile County Circuit Court or Sheriff.

What Is a Bench Warrant?

A bench warrant is a court order for your arrest. The judge issues it from the bench. It commands police to find you and bring you to court. This is not like an arrest warrant for a new crime. A bench warrant is for not following court rules. If you missed court in Mobile, you may have one now.

Under Code of Alabama Section 15-10-60, bench warrants direct law enforcement to arrest and bring a person before the court. Once a judge signs it, police can act on it anytime. They do not need to wait. Mobile Police can arrest you at home, at work, or during a traffic stop.

Mobile bench warrants are issued for:

• Failure to appear in court
• Failure to pay fines
• Failure to pay court costs
• Failure to complete probation
• Contempt of court
• Violation of court orders

Felony bench warrants never expire in Alabama. They stay active for life. Misdemeanor warrants can last 180 days to one year but judges often renew them. A bench warrant in Mobile will not go away if you ignore it. Deal with it before police deal with you.

Mobile Municipal Court Bench Warrants

Mobile Municipal Court issues bench warrants for city violations only. These are not state crimes. The court handles traffic tickets within city limits, city code violations, and local ordinance cases. If you got a ticket from Mobile Police and missed court, the judge likely issued a bench warrant.

Municipal court does not handle felonies. It does not handle most misdemeanors either. The court covers things like speeding, parking violations, noise complaints, and code enforcement. These stay at the city level unless a state crime is also involved. Mobile has a separate municipal records search at municipalrecordsearch.com/mobileal.

Call the court at (251) 208-7055 to check for municipal warrants. Give your name and date of birth. The clerk can tell you if you have an active warrant. They can also explain your options for clearing it. Do not wait. The longer you have a warrant, the worse it gets.

Mobile County Online Warrant Search

Mobile County has an online warrant search. This is rare in Alabama. Most counties make you call or visit. Mobile County Sheriff posts active warrants on their website. You can search for free without creating an account. This covers county-level warrants, not municipal court warrants.

Go to mobileso.com/warrant-search/ to search. Enter a name and click search. The system shows active warrants on file with the sheriff. This is updated regularly but may not include very recent warrants. For the most current info, call the sheriff at (251) 574-2423.

The online search shows:

• Defendant name
• Warrant type
• Charge or offense
• Bond amount if set

This is one of the best warrant search tools in Alabama. Use it to check your status or look up someone else. The sheriff also has a mobile app called MCSO Mugshots that shows recent arrests. This can help you see if someone was picked up on a warrant.

Municipal vs County Bench Warrants

Mobile has two court systems. Each issues its own bench warrants. You need to know which court your warrant came from. The process to clear it depends on the court. Here is how they differ.

Mobile Municipal Court handles:

• City traffic tickets
• City ordinance violations
• Code enforcement cases
• Parking violations

Mobile County Circuit and District Courts handle:

• Felony charges
• Misdemeanor crimes
• Drug offenses
• Theft and assault
• DUI cases

A city warrant stays with municipal court. A county warrant is in the state system. Both lead to arrest. Both show up in police computers. The sheriff serves county warrants. Mobile Police can arrest on either type. Know which court issued yours before you try to clear it.

The online search at mobileso.com shows county warrants. For municipal warrants, call (251) 208-7055. You may have warrants in both systems if you had cases in both courts. Check each one separately to be sure.

How to Search Mobile Bench Warrants

Mobile is one of the few Alabama cities with good online warrant access. You have several ways to check. Here are the options for searching bench warrants in Mobile.

Online Sheriff Search: Go to mobileso.com/warrant-search/ to search county warrants for free. Enter a name and see results. This does not require registration. It covers circuit and district court warrants.

Call Municipal Court: Phone (251) 208-7055 for city warrant checks. Give your full name and date of birth. The clerk can tell you if you have a municipal warrant. This is free and covers city violations only.

Call Circuit Clerk: Phone (251) 574-8806 for circuit court records. Staff can look up your case and tell you about any warrants. This covers felony and civil cases.

Call the Sheriff: Phone (251) 574-2423 for the sheriff warrant division. Officers can check the system for your name. Be careful. If you have a warrant and go in person, you may be arrested.

Use AlacourtAccess: Go to pa.alacourt.com to search state court records for $9.99. This shows case info and pending matters. It may not show all active warrants but gives you case status.

Hire an Attorney: A lawyer can check all systems for you. They can also appear in court on your behalf in some cases. This is the safest option if you expect bad news.

How to Clear a Mobile Bench Warrant

A bench warrant will not go away on its own. You must take action. The longer you wait, the worse it gets. Here are ways to clear a bench warrant in Mobile.

Turn yourself in: Go to the court that issued the warrant. Bring your ID. The judge will address your case. You may post bond and get a new court date. You may have to stay in jail until a hearing. This is the direct approach.

Contact an attorney: A lawyer can file a motion to recall the warrant. They can negotiate with the prosecutor. In some cases, they can get a new court date set without you being arrested first. This costs money but keeps you in control.

Post bond: If your warrant has a bond amount, you can pay it. Check the online search or call the court for the amount. Once you pay, the warrant is lifted. You get a new court date. Bond can be paid at the jail or through a bondsman.

Call the court: For municipal warrants, call (251) 208-7055. Explain your situation. Ask about options. The clerk may set a new court date for you. They can tell you what the judge requires to clear the warrant.

Do not ignore the warrant. Do not hope it goes away. Any police contact can end with arrest. A traffic stop becomes a trip to jail. Deal with the warrant before police deal with you.

Mobile Bench Warrant Fees

A bench warrant adds costs to your case. You already owed fines or had pending charges. Now you owe more. Here are the fees you may face with a bench warrant in Mobile.

Bond amounts vary based on the charge and your record. Minor offenses may have $500 bonds. Serious charges can have bonds of $10,000 or more. Check the online warrant search or call the court for your specific bond amount.

If you cannot pay, ask about a payment plan. Courts in Mobile can set up monthly payments. Some judges allow community service instead of fines. You must ask. The court will not offer these options without a request from you.

Mobile Police Department

Mobile Police enforce all warrants in the city. Officers check for warrants during traffic stops and other contacts. If you have a bench warrant, any interaction with police can lead to arrest. The warrant shows up when they run your name.

Mobile Police work with the sheriff and other agencies. Warrant info is shared. If you drive to another city with a Mobile warrant, police there can see it too. Alabama warrants are in a statewide system. Serious warrants go into the national NCIC database.

Under Code of Alabama Section 15-10-2, officers can execute warrants any day and any time. There is no safe period. Police do not need to wait for business hours. They can come to your home, your job, or anywhere they find you.

Contact Mobile Police at their non-emergency line if you need to check records. Do not call 911 for warrant questions. The police cannot give legal advice, but they can tell you if you have an active warrant in their system.

Mobile County Circuit Court

Mobile County Circuit Court handles felony and serious misdemeanor cases. This includes bench warrants for those matters. The court is at 205 Government Street in downtown Mobile. The Circuit Clerk keeps all records and issues warrants ordered by judges.

Mobile County is part of the 13th Judicial Circuit. The Circuit Clerk is Sharla Knox. Her office handles civil, criminal, and domestic relations cases. For felony bench warrants, this is where your case lives. The sheriff serves warrants issued by the circuit court.

View Mobile County Bench Warrants

About Mobile

Mobile is Alabama's port city on the Gulf Coast. Over 201,000 people live here. The city is known as the home of America's original Mardi Gras, which started here in 1703 before New Orleans existed. The Port of Mobile is a major shipping hub. Austal USA builds ships here. Airbus has a manufacturing plant.

Mobile has French, Spanish, and Creole heritage. It was founded in 1702 and is one of the oldest cities in the Gulf region. The metro jail can hold about 1,500 people. With this many residents and a busy port, the courts stay busy. Warrants are common and the system to check them works well.

If you moved to Mobile from elsewhere, check for warrants in your old city too. A warrant from another state can still lead to arrest here. Serious warrants go into the NCIC database that police nationwide can access.

Nearby Cities

These Alabama cities are within driving distance of Mobile. Each has its own municipal court. If you had a case in one of these places, check there for warrants too.

• Birmingham - Jefferson County, 250 miles north
• Montgomery - State capital, 170 miles northeast