Tuscaloosa Bench Warrant Lookup

Tuscaloosa bench warrants are issued when someone fails to appear in court or violates a court order. Tuscaloosa Municipal Court handles city ordinance cases and issues warrants for those matters. Tuscaloosa County has an online warrant list at tcsoal.org where you can check for county warrants. The county also maintains over 15,000 outstanding warrants, so many people in the area may have one without knowing.

What Is a Bench Warrant?

A bench warrant is a court order. A judge issues it from the bench. It commands police to arrest you and bring you to court. This is different from an arrest warrant for a new crime. A bench warrant is for failing to follow court rules. Miss a court date in Tuscaloosa? You may have one now.

Under Code of Alabama Section 15-10-60, a bench warrant tells law enforcement to arrest and bring a person before the court. Once the judge signs it, police can act on it any time. Tuscaloosa Police can pick you up at home, at work, at a game, or anywhere.

Common reasons for Tuscaloosa bench warrants:

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

Felony bench warrants never expire. They stay active until recalled or you are arrested. Misdemeanor warrants can last 180 days to one year but judges often renew them. A bench warrant in Tuscaloosa will not disappear. You must deal with it.

Tuscaloosa Municipal Court Bench Warrants

Tuscaloosa Municipal Court issues bench warrants for city violations only. The court handles traffic tickets from city police, code violations, and local ordinance cases. If you got a ticket from Tuscaloosa Police and missed your court date, the judge likely issued a bench warrant.

Municipal court does not handle felonies. It does not handle most state crimes. The court covers city traffic matters, parking tickets, noise complaints, and similar issues. These stay at the municipal level unless a state offense is also involved. The court is at the Alvin Dupont Court Building on Gary Fitts Street.

Call (205) 248-5330 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 what to do next. Do not wait. The warrant will not go away on its own.

Tuscaloosa County Online Warrant List

Tuscaloosa County Sheriff has an online warrant list. This is rare in Alabama. You can check it for free without an account. The list shows active warrants on file with the sheriff. It covers county-level warrants, not municipal court warrants.

Go to tcsoal.org/divisions/jail/warrants to view the list. The sheriff posts names of people with active warrants. This is updated but may not show very new warrants. For the most current info, call the warrant division at (205) 464-8672.

Tuscaloosa County maintains over 15,000 outstanding warrants. That is a lot for a county this size. Many are old. Many are for failure to appear or failure to pay. If you had a case years ago and never finished it, you may be on this list. Check to be sure.

The online list shows:

• Defendant name
• Warrant type
• Charge or offense

This is one of the better resources in Alabama. Use it to check your status. The sheriff also accepts anonymous tips on warrant locations if you know someone who is wanted.

Municipal vs County Bench Warrants

Tuscaloosa has two court systems. Each issues its own bench warrants. You must know which court yours came from. The steps to clear it depend on the court type.

Tuscaloosa Municipal Court handles:

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

Tuscaloosa County Circuit and District Courts handle:

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

A city bench warrant stays with municipal court. A county bench warrant is in the state court system. Both lead to arrest. Both show up when police run your name. The sheriff serves county warrants. Tuscaloosa Police can arrest on any warrant. Check both courts if you are not sure where your case is.

The online warrant list at tcsoal.org shows county warrants. For municipal warrants, call (205) 248-5330. You may have warrants in both systems. Check each one.

How to Search Tuscaloosa Bench Warrants

Tuscaloosa has better warrant search options than most Alabama cities. The county posts a warrant list online. Here are all the ways to search for bench warrants in Tuscaloosa.

County Warrant List: Go to tcsoal.org/divisions/jail/warrants to view active warrants. This is free and covers circuit and district court warrants. Look for your name on the list.

Call Municipal Court: Phone (205) 248-5330 and ask the clerk to check. 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 Sheriff Warrants Division: Phone (205) 464-8672 for warrant questions. Staff can check the system for your name. They handle county warrants and can tell you about bond amounts.

Call Circuit Clerk: Phone (205) 464-8259 for circuit court records. The clerk can look up your case. This covers felony and civil matters.

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

Hire an Attorney: A lawyer can check all systems for you. They can also work on your case without you being arrested first in some situations. This is the safest approach if you know you have a warrant.

How to Clear a Tuscaloosa Bench Warrant

A bench warrant will not go away on its own. You have to act. The longer you wait, the worse things get. Here is how to clear a bench warrant in Tuscaloosa.

Turn yourself in: Go to the court that issued the warrant. Bring your ID. The judge will either set a new date or handle your case. You may need to post bond. You may stay in jail until a hearing. This is the most direct way.

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

Post bond: If your warrant has a bond amount, you can pay it. Call the warrant division at (205) 464-8672 for the amount. Once paid, the warrant is lifted. You get a new court date. Bond can be paid at the jail or through a bondsman.

Call the clerk: For municipal warrants, call (205) 248-5330. Explain your situation. Ask about options. The clerk may set a new court date. They know what the judge requires.

Do not ignore the warrant. Do not travel with it. Any police contact can end with arrest. A traffic stop becomes a trip to jail. Deal with it before that happens.

Tuscaloosa Bench Warrant Fees

A bench warrant adds fees to your case. You already owed something. Now you owe more. Here are the fees you may face with a bench warrant in Tuscaloosa.

Bond amounts vary by charge and history. Minor cases may have bonds under $500. Serious charges can be $10,000 or more. The warrant list does not always show bond amounts. Call (205) 464-8672 for your specific amount.

If you cannot pay, ask about options. Courts can set up payment plans. Some judges allow community service. You have to ask. The court will not offer these without a request from you.

Tuscaloosa Police Department

Tuscaloosa Police enforce all warrants in the city. Officers run checks during traffic stops and other contacts. If you have a bench warrant, it shows up when they run your name. Any police contact can lead to arrest.

Contact Tuscaloosa Police non-emergency at (205) 349-2121 or call 311. The police share warrant info with other agencies. The state LETS system connects all departments. If you travel with a Tuscaloosa warrant, police elsewhere can see it.

Tuscaloosa has a large student population. The University of Alabama brings over 38,000 students. On game days, police presence increases. Extra checkpoints and patrols mean more chances to get caught if you have a warrant. Clear it before football season.

Under Code of Alabama Section 15-10-2, officers can serve warrants any day at any time. There is no safe period. Police do not wait for business hours.

Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court

Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court handles felonies, misdemeanors, and civil cases. The courthouse is at 714 Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa. The Circuit Clerk keeps records and issues warrants ordered by judges. The county has its own online warrant list through the sheriff.

Tuscaloosa County is part of the 6th Judicial Circuit. The Circuit Clerk is Magaria H. Bobo. The county maintains over 15,000 outstanding warrants. That number shows how many people have cases they never finished. If you are one of them, deal with it now.

View Tuscaloosa County Bench Warrants

About Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa is home to the University of Alabama. Over 114,000 people live here. The city is called the Druid City for its oak trees. It was the state capital from 1826 to 1846. Today the city is known for Crimson Tide football and Mercedes-Benz manufacturing nearby.

The university brings major events. Game days fill the city with fans. Graduation weeks bring thousands of families. More people means more police and more chances to get picked up on a warrant. If you have one, football season is not the time to be out and about.

In April 2011, a devastating EF4 tornado hit Tuscaloosa. The city rebuilt, but some court records from that time may have been affected. If you had an old case and cannot find records, explain this to the clerk. They dealt with record recovery after the storm.

Nearby Cities

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

• Birmingham - Jefferson County, 55 miles northeast
• Hoover - Jefferson County, 40 miles east