Property records in Alabama are maintained at the county level. The Tax Assessor handles property valuations and assessment data. The Tax Collector handles tax bills and payments. These are separate offices with separate databases.
What this page covers: Alabama property assessment lookups, tax record searches, and parcel/ownership data. What it does not cover: Recorded documents like deeds and mortgages (those are on the Recorded Documents page) or property transfer history.
Where to start: For property values and tax assessments, start with the Tax Assessor. For tax payment history and bills, go to the Tax Collector. For ownership verification, you may need both the assessment records and the recorded documents.
Common mistake: Property assessment records (values and taxes) and recorded documents (deeds and liens) are maintained by different offices in Alabama. The Tax Assessor handles assessments; the Judge of Probate handles recordings. Search both if you need the full picture.
How Alabama Property Records Work — Deep Dive
Who records deeds in Alabama
Unlike Vermont or Connecticut, Alabama does not use town clerks for land records. Each of Alabama's 67 counties has a Probate Judge whose office serves as the recorder of deeds. The Probate Court is a constitutional office "established by the Alabama state legislature as the custodian of legal documents pertaining to real property," handling warranty deeds, mortgages, releases and powers of attorney [Jefferson County Probate Court]. Jefferson County (Birmingham/Bessemer divisions) and Madison County (Huntsville) publish their indexes online; the Madison County Probate Judge's recorded-documents portal goes back several decades [madisoncountyal.gov].
Property tax records and parcel data
Property is assessed annually by each county's Revenue Commissioner (or in some counties by a separate Tax Assessor). Most counties publish parcel maps, valuations and tax-bill data on a public GIS portal — see the Houston County GIS Mapping site for a representative example covering parcel, improvement, land, and building queries [houstoncountyal.gov]. Statewide property-tax administration, current-use rules, and exemption policy are set by the Alabama Department of Revenue Property Tax Division.
Searching by county
Mobile County (Probate Court) publishes a full public records search interface that covers deeds, mortgages and other recorded instruments [probate.mobilecountyal.gov]. Montgomery County's Probate Court "Records & Recording" division provides images of will books, marriage licenses and deed books online and onsite [montgomeryprobatecourtal.gov]. For counties without a public online index, deeds can be searched in person at the Probate Office during business hours. The Alabama Secretary of State maintains a directory of Probate Judges by county [sos.alabama.gov].
Frequently Asked Questions: Alabama Property Records
Are Alabama property records free to search?▼
Most counties (Jefferson, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery, Baldwin, Houston) publish free online deed-index and parcel-map searches through their Probate Court or Revenue Commissioner websites. Certified copies of deeds are issued for a per-page fee — Baldwin County's published schedule is $13 for the first page and $3 each additional page [baldwincountyal.gov].
Who keeps deed records in Alabama — town clerks or county recorders?▼
Alabama uses the elected Probate Judge of each county as recorder of deeds. There are no town clerks recording deeds in Alabama [sos.alabama.gov].
How do I find the parcel ID or PPIN for a property?▼
Each county Revenue Commissioner publishes a parcel search tool. Houston County's GIS portal lets you query by parcel, improvement, land, and building data [houstoncountyal.gov]. Mobile County's public records search includes parcel + deed cross-reference [mobilecountyal.gov].
Is there a statewide property-records search for Alabama?▼
No. Alabama does not operate a unified statewide deed or parcel database. Each of the 67 counties maintains its own Probate Court land-records system; statewide policy oversight is provided by the Alabama Department of Revenue [revenue.alabama.gov].
How do I record a deed in Alabama?▼
Take the executed and notarized deed to the Probate Office in the county where the property is located, pay the recording fee ($13 first page + $3 each additional page in most counties) and the document is indexed and returned. Procedures and electronic-recording options are published by the Baldwin County Probate Office [baldwincountyal.gov].
Property Records Databases
Official Alabama property records sources from county recorder/clerk offices, county appraisal districts/assessors, and statewide GIS portals.