Madison County arrest records and inmate search
Search a name across the Madison County Jail roster and Alabama prisons, plus federal custody. The county seat is Huntsville.
Madison County’s own roster: madisoncountysheriffal.org. Checking the registry instead? Madison County sex offender registry
Madison County inmate search: who is in the Madison County jail. One name search reaches the Madison County Jail roster and every other record type below.
Madison County is home to about 412,600 people (US Census Bureau, 2023 estimate), up 6.3% since the 2020 census: 8% of Alabama’s residents, the 2nd most populous of its 67 counties. People arrested here are booked into the Madison County Jail, and Madison County publishes who is held there on its own roster at madisoncountysheriffal.org. A search here checks that roster together with the records below, so one search answers whether a person is in the Madison County jail, in a Alabama state prison or in federal custody.
- Madison County jail bookingsThe Madison County Jail roster: who was booked, when, and on what charges
- Alabama warrantsthe statewide warrant system
- Alabama prison recordsthe Department of Corrections: people serving a state sentence
- Alabama sex offender registryregistration, offense and address; one of the 58 registries in the search
- Federal custodyFederal Bureau of Prisons inmates
Alabama has no statewide court source in the search, so how a Madison County case ended is confirmed with the Circuit Clerk for the Circuit Court.
Madison County jail roster: what a booking record shows.
A booking record is made when someone is taken into custody at the Madison County Jail. It is an arrest-stage record: it says the person was booked on a date, on the charges written down at booking, and whether bond was set. It never says the person was convicted.
Most official rosters list only the people held now, so an entry usually comes down after release. Madison County’s roster at madisoncountysheriffal.org is the place to confirm current custody.
What a Madison County booking record shows
Madison County arrest records: arrest, charge and outcome. Three records, three places.
Booking at the Madison County Jail
Shows that someone was arrested in Madison County and what they were booked on. Searchable here through the Madison County Jail roster.
Filed in the Circuit Court
Prosecutors decide what to charge. A felony goes to the Circuit Court; a misdemeanor to the District Court or a municipal court. The charge filed can differ from the charge at booking.
Disposition in the court file
Conviction, dismissal or acquittal is in the court record, kept by the Circuit Clerk. With no statewide court source in the search, confirm it with the clerk.
An arrest record alone never proves a crime. Read the guide to arrest records for how bookings, charges and dispositions differ, and why a dismissed charge can still appear.
Madison County arrest records by city. Huntsville and Madison.
Madison County has 2 cities and towns of 10,000 people or more. Someone arrested by a city police department in Huntsville or Madison is usually booked into the Madison County Jail, unless the city runs a jail of its own, so a search of the Madison County Jail roster covers arrests across the county.
City populations: US Census Bureau, 2023 estimates. Linked cities have a sex offender page with a map and a search by address.
Madison County court records: finding a case and its outcome.
In Alabama, felony cases from Madison County are heard in the Circuit Court, and misdemeanors in the District Court or a municipal court. The Circuit Clerk keeps the case files, which is where a disposition, a sentence and later sealing or expungement orders are recorded.
Alabama court records are not in our search, so a Madison County case outcome has to be confirmed with the clerk.
Finding a Madison County case yourself
- Get the full name and a date of birth; a case number, if you have one, is faster still.
- Ask the Circuit Clerk for Madison County, in Huntsville, by name and date of birth or by case number.
- For a certified copy of a judgment, ask the Circuit Clerk; certified copies usually carry a small fee.
Madison County warrant search: Alabama warrant lookup.
Alabama publishes a statewide warrant system, and a name search here includes it, so a warrant entered there for someone in Madison County shows with the person’s other records. Not every local warrant reaches a published list. A search that finds nothing is not proof that no warrant exists; to be certain, ask the Madison County sheriff’s office or the Circuit Clerk.
Madison County mugshots: where booking photos are published.
A booking photo is taken at the Madison County Jail when someone is booked. Where Madison County publishes it, it appears on the official roster at madisoncountysheriffal.org, usually only while the person is held.
OffenderSearch does not show or sell booking photos, and never charges to remove anything. A photo on a commercial mugshot site is not a conviction, and several states restrict sites that charge to take one down.
Madison County sex offender registry. About 453 on our index have an address in Madison County.
The registry is a separate public record from arrests and court cases: it lists people required to register after a sex offense conviction, usually with an address. The count near an address is free.
Sex offenders in Madison County cities
Madison County criminal background check: search by name.
- Type a first and last name, and add an age or date of birth so the right person rises to the top.
- Tick “Also check criminal records” on the look-up page to add criminal records to the registry check (it uses 2 searches).
- 25 searches are free with a personal account. No card.
Not a consumer report. Hiring or renting? Use an FCRA-regulated check; see what an employer’s check shows.
Madison County criminal records FAQ
How do I find out if someone is in the Madison County jail?
Madison County publishes its own jail roster at madisoncountysheriffal.org. To search the Madison County Jail together with Alabama prisons and federal custody in one step, search the person's name here; add an age or date of birth to tell people with the same name apart.
Where are Madison County court records kept?
Felony cases from Madison County are heard in the Circuit Court, and the Circuit Clerk keeps the case files. Misdemeanors go to the District Court or a municipal court.
Can I search Madison County warrants online?
Alabama publishes a statewide warrant system, and a name search here includes it. Not every local warrant reaches that system, so to be certain, ask the Madison County sheriff's office or the Circuit Clerk.
Is an arrest in Madison County the same as a conviction?
No. A booking at the Madison County Jail records an arrest and the charges at that moment. Whether the person was convicted is decided in the Circuit Court (for a misdemeanor, the District Court or a municipal court), and only the court record shows the outcome. Alabama has no statewide court source in our search, so confirm the outcome with the Circuit Clerk.
Does OffenderSearch show Madison County mugshots?
No. Booking photos are not shown or sold here. Where Madison County publishes a photo, it is on the official roster at madisoncountysheriffal.org. No law requires anyone to pay a website to remove a booking photo, and several states restrict sites that charge for it.
How many registered sex offenders live in Madison County?
About 453 on our index have an address in Madison County. The Madison County sex offender registry page has the count, a map and a search by address.
Can I use a Madison County criminal record search to hire someone or rent to them?
No. A search here is not a consumer report. A hiring, tenant, credit or insurance decision needs an FCRA-regulated report from a consumer reporting agency, with the person's written consent.