Guidelines For Obtaining
A Worthless Check Warrant

1) The transaction, either in person or by mail, of the worthless check must have taken place in Cullman County.

2) A worthless check must be processed within one year of the date on which it was written. The Check Unit requests that you obtain a warrant within 45 days of the date on the check.

3) A worthless check must be stamped either NSF, INSUFFICIENT FUNDS or ACCOUNT CLOSED by a financial institution to be eligible to be processed by the Check Unit. The Check Unit cannot process a warrant on checks stamped STOP PAYMENT, UNCOLLECTED FUNDS, REFER TO MAKER, NO ACCOUNT AS SIGNED or SIGNATURE DOES NOT AGREE WITH ONE ON FILE.

4) The worthless check writer must be eighteen years of age on or before the day the worthless check was written.

5) A 10-day notice must be sent to the worthless check writer by certified mail, return receipt requested. The worthless check must be given the full ten days from the date of the notice to make the check good. If the certified letter is returned, unclaimed, or undelivered, no waiting period is required. A sample copy of a ten-day notice is included on this website.

6) The Check Unit cannot process a worthless check warrant unless the following two items have been provided: (a) the original check , and (b) the return receipt card (green card) or the unclaimed letter with the card still attached.

7) Please note that the Check Unit must have valid identification information to process a worthless check warrant. Necessary information includes social security number, driver's license number, sex, race, and date of birth. Be sure that the person handing you a check is the same person photographed on the driver's license presented to you for identification purposes. Also note that this form calls for an actual street address, which is necessary for serving warrants.

8) After a worthless check has been turned over to the Check Unit for prosecution, charges cannot be dismissed without the approval of the district attorney. Alabama State law requires that a merchant or individual withdrawing a warrant must pay $30.00, thirty dollars, for each warrant withdrawn.

9) The Check Unit cannot process a worthless check for which a victim has accepted partial or full payment of restitution and service fees from a worthless check writer. After a worthless check has been processed by the Check Unit, all payments of restitution and service fees must be made through the Check Unit or the Clerk's Office. If payment of restitution is accepted by the victim, the warrant must be withdrawn and a $30.00 , thirty dollar, service fee must be paid by the victim.

10) The Check Unit cannot process worthless checks known to be forgeries. Victims should refer those cases to their municipal police department or the Cullman County Sheriff's Department.

11) The Check Unit cannot process checks held at the request of the checkwriter for a period of time prior to cashing.

12) The Check Unit cannot process checks taken as payment on a loan or account.