1. Start with the office that created the record
An Alabama search works best when you identify the event before choosing a database. A criminal prosecution produces a court file, an arrest can produce a police report and jail entry, and a prison sentence produces a Department of Corrections record. Those systems describe different stages of the same person's history. None is a substitute for all the others, and a missing search result does not establish that an event never happened.
The Alabama Administrative Office of Courts provides access routes for circuit and district court cases. The Alabama Judicial System supplies appellate information, court rules and other judicial resources. Statewide criminal-history records belong to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, or ALEA. The Department of Public Health's Center for Health Statistics issues state vital records, while the Secretary of State maintains business filings.
County offices remain essential. Probate judges record deeds and mortgages and handle probate matters; revenue commissioners or the applicable local tax offices maintain assessments and property-tax information. Sheriffs operate county jails and maintain local law-enforcement records. A city police department may hold the incident report even when the person was booked into a county jail.
Start with the narrowest known identifier: a case number, parcel number, business entity number, professional license number or inmate AIS number. If you have only a name, compare additional details before treating a result as a match. Record the county and date as you go, because those details determine where to request the underlying document.
2. Alabama's public-records law, response periods and charges
Alabama's access law begins with Code of Alabama § 36-12-40. The statutory right applies to Alabama residents, subject to confidentiality laws and recognized exceptions. An agency may voluntarily answer someone outside Alabama, but a nonresident should not assume the same enforceable right. A custodian may require reasonable evidence of residency and compliance with its published request procedure.
The procedures in § 36-12-44 distinguish standard requests from time-intensive requests. Under § 36-12-43, a standard request is clearly identified, needs minimal clarification and requires less than eight staff hours to identify, retrieve and redact. A time-intensive request requires more than eight hours. Narrow dates, named files and selected offices can therefore affect both the cost and the response track.
A proper request must be acknowledged within 10 business days. A standard request ordinarily receives a substantive response within 15 business days after acknowledgment. The custodian may extend that period in 15-business-day increments with written notice. These are response rules, not a promise that every requested document will arrive within 15 days of the original email.
For a time-intensive request, the custodian has 15 business days after acknowledgment to identify that classification, estimate fees and let the requester withdraw or narrow the request. If the requester elects to proceed, the substantive-response period is 45 business days from that election, with written extensions in 45-business-day increments. Clarification and payment requirements can affect the timetable. Keep the acknowledgment, estimate and your written election together.
Reasonable fees can cover the agency's work to locate, process and provide records, and prepayment may be required. There is no single statewide per-page price for every custodian. Request an estimate and a spending limit before authorizing a large search. The Public Service Commission's published procedure illustrates how an agency handles acknowledgment, classification and payment; another agency may publish a different fee schedule or faster service target.
The statute also establishes presumptions of denial after specified periods, with exceptions for circumstances such as partial production, agreed schedules and continuing communications. For standard requests, the relevant outer period is the earlier of 30 business days or 60 calendar days after acknowledgment; for time-intensive requests it is the earlier of 180 business days or 270 calendar days after the election to proceed. Separate provisions address failure to produce after payment. Do not treat those numbers as unconditional delivery deadlines.
Sections 36-12-43 through 36-12-45 exclude the judicial branch and offices established by Article VI from their procedures. Court-file requests therefore need the court's own access rules. For an agency denial, ask for its written legal basis and for any portions that can be released. Alabama does not provide a general statewide records commission with binding appeal authority; unresolved access disputes can require judicial relief.
3. Court cases: paid statewide searches and local files
For occasional circuit or district court searches, Alacourt's Just One Look service offers access without the recurring subscription used by frequent researchers. A name search costs $9.99 and includes one case detail. Additional case details cost $9.99 each. A case-number search also costs $9.99 and includes one case detail. A search that finds nothing still incurs the search charge, so confirm spelling and jurisdiction first.
Document images are a separate purchase: $5 for the first 20 pages and $0.50 for each additional page. The service covers categories including civil, criminal, domestic-relations, child-support, small-claims and state traffic cases. An online index may establish that a case exists without supplying every filing, attachment or certified order you need.
Use a case number whenever possible. With a name search, check the county, filing date, party role and case type before buying another result. A person named as a plaintiff is not a criminal defendant, and a charge in an early docket entry does not establish the final disposition. Read the latest judgment or dismissal order when the outcome matters.
AlaFile is an electronic filing system, not a promise of free public access to every court record. For a certified judgment, an older paper file or a document absent from the online system, contact the clerk of the court where the case was filed. Municipal prosecutions and county probate proceedings may require their own local systems. Ask the clerk about retrieval, copying and certification charges before ordering.
Federal cases use PACER, including proceedings in Alabama's Northern, Middle and Southern federal districts. PACER generally charges $0.10 per page, subject to its billing rules and a quarterly waiver when charges total $30 or less. State court subscriptions do not include federal files. The Alabama court-records directory helps separate statewide, county and federal access routes before you pay for a search.
4. Criminal histories and the $25 personal record review
ALEA's Alabama Background Check information describes two different channels: a restricted system for qualifying employers and the process for reviewing your own Alabama criminal-history record. It is not an unrestricted public name-search service for investigating anyone. A court search can reveal public prosecutions, but it is not an ALEA repository report.
For your own record, complete ALEA's criminal-history review application. The packet requires acceptable photo identification, a classifiable set of fingerprints and a $25 money order or cashier's check. Additional copies ordered with the request cost $5 each. Personal and business checks are not accepted. The application must be signed with two witnesses or notarized as the form directs.
Have fingerprints taken by an authorized law-enforcement agency using the required fingerprint card or an accepted equivalent. The agency taking the prints may charge separately; that local charge is not included in ALEA's $25 review fee. Poor prints, missing identification or an incomplete signature can delay the request, so inspect the packet before mailing it.
Mail the completed request to ALEA, Criminal Records and Identification Unit, ATTN: Background Checks, P.O. Box 1511, Montgomery, AL 36102-1511. ALEA also identifies an in-person submission location at 301 South Ripley Street in Montgomery, on the Adams Avenue side. The application advises allowing at least four to five weeks from receipt for a record review; a correction challenge can take longer.
If the report is inaccurate, follow the challenge instructions and identify the exact arrest, charge or disposition. Supporting court or agency documents are more useful than a general statement that the report is wrong. A challenge within one year can proceed under the original review request; after that period, a new review request is required. Correcting a reporting error and obtaining an expungement are separate processes. The criminal-records directory supplies additional court and law-enforcement routes when the document you need is outside ALEA's personal-review process.
5. Arrest reports, jail custody, prison records and warrants
For a recent arrest, begin with the arresting department and the jail that received the person. A county booking entry describes custody and listed charges at a particular time. It does not establish guilt, and release from that jail does not necessarily end the court case. Confirm identity and consult the court file for the outcome.
The City of Madison's police reports are a useful example of a limited local publication. Incident and arrest reports are updated weekly, and arrest reports are automatically removed from the website after three months. The department also warns that later changes to allegations may not appear in its initial incident reports. The disappearance of an online entry is therefore not proof of dismissal or expungement.
For Mobile County custody, use the sheriff's Who's in Jail page. Elsewhere, use the sheriff linked from the relevant county page. A municipal police report, a county jail booking and a state prison entry may all concern the same person but must be requested from different custodians.
The Alabama Department of Corrections inmate search covers people currently incarcerated in its system, not a complete historical incarceration record. Search by name or the six-digit Alabama Institutional Serial number, known as the AIS number. The department states that its public search excludes people sentenced under the Youthful Offender Act. A person absent from this search may be in a county jail, federal custody, released, or outside the database's public scope.
The Board of Pardons and Paroles publishes scheduled parole and pardon hearings. A hearing listing establishes that a matter is scheduled; it does not establish that parole was granted. Consult the resulting board information and the institution before making plans based on an expected release.
ALEA's felony-fugitive search and local wanted lists are limited publications, not a statewide certificate that no warrant exists. The Alabama warrants directory routes searches to the appropriate agencies. For a specific warrant question, verify the issuing jurisdiction and current status directly with the responsible court or law-enforcement office.
6. Birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates
Alabama's Center for Health Statistics can issue certificates for events recorded anywhere in the state through county health departments. You do not have to visit the county where the event happened. Most county health departments can issue a certificate while you wait when the record is available and your application meets the requirements. This convenience does not remove restrictions on who may obtain a protected record.
The state's birth-certificate instructions cover births beginning in 1908. Birth records remain restricted for 125 years. Eligible applicants include the person named, specified family members, a legal guardian and an authorized legal representative, with identification and any required proof of authority. A $15 nonrefundable search includes one certified copy if found or a certificate of failure to find. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time cost $6 each.
The death-certificate service also covers records beginning in 1908. Death records are restricted for 25 years; after that period anyone may obtain a copy by providing sufficient information and paying the fee. During the restricted period, the applicant must qualify under the department's family, representative or other entitlement rules. The same $15 search and $6 additional-copy charges apply.
State marriage certificates begin in August 1936, and divorce certificates begin in 1950. These records are not confidential: anyone with enough identifying information may request the state certificate for the applicable fee. Earlier marriages generally require the county probate office; earlier divorces require the circuit court where the divorce was granted.
A divorce certificate verifies the recorded event. It is not the full decree containing property, support or custody terms. Order the decree from the court clerk when an agency, attorney or financial institution needs those terms. Similarly, county marriage records can supplement the state certificate. The Mobile County Probate Court records search provides a county route, while Madison County's recorded-document resources help locate probate-office records within their stated coverage.
For mail orders, use the current application and send payment to the Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103-5625. Checks and money orders are payable to the Center for Health Statistics; do not send cash. Expedited handling adds $15. Online orders through the department's authorized VitalChek link add vendor and possible shipping charges. The Alabama vital-records directory connects state ordering instructions with local and historical resources.
7. Property ownership, deeds, assessments and tax payments
Alabama property research usually involves at least two offices. The probate office records deeds, mortgages, releases and other instruments. The revenue office maintains parcel assessments and tax information. A tax record can help locate property and identify an assessed owner, but it does not replace the recorded conveyance or establish that a title is free of liens.
Begin with the address or owner name in the property-records directory, then save the parcel number or PPIN. Use that identifier to compare the map, assessment, legal description and tax account. Check the tax year: an assessed value, estimated bill and paid receipt describe different things. An address search can fail when the mailing address differs from the property location or the parcel has recently been divided.
For recorded documents, use the county where the land lies. The Morgan County Probate Office is one county entry point for deeds and other probate-office records. Search the grantor and grantee names and follow the book-and-page or instrument references. A later mortgage release may be recorded separately from the original mortgage. Request a certified copy when the receiving institution requires certification, and ask about page and certification charges before ordering.
County systems differ. The Baldwin County Revenue Commission's appraisal guidance explains valuation notices and protests. Coffee County's Revenue Commissioner supplies local tax services, while the DeKalb County assessment search helps locate appraisal records. Houston County's GIS resources and Birmingham's GIS maps help connect a location with parcel information. A GIS boundary is a research aid, not a survey establishing an exact legal boundary.
For a disagreement with a value, use the notice and county appeal procedure rather than sending a generic public-records request and waiting for the appeal deadline to pass. For an ownership question, obtain the deed and related instruments through the recorded-documents directory. Mineral and drilling questions may also require the State Oil and Gas Board's records and its well-location maps; a well record does not by itself establish ownership of mineral rights.
8. Business filings and professional-license verification
The Secretary of State's business-entity records search accepts several routes into the filing system, including entity name or number and officer, agent or incorporator information. Use the exact legal name from the result when requesting documents. A registered agent receives legal process; that listing does not establish ownership of the company or identify every person with a financial interest.
A Certificate of Existence costs $25 through the Secretary of State's mail process. The online certificate service lists a $28 total for a non-subscriber, including its service charge. Online certificates remain available for download for 15 days and are not mailed. This certificate concerns the entity's existence in the Secretary of State's records; it is different from a Department of Revenue Certificate of Compliance concerning tax matters.
An active company filing is not a professional license. Use the Alabama licensing portal and the license directory to identify the regulator for the work involved. For construction, compare the general-contractor roster, home-builder search and Home Builders Licensure Board disciplinary actions. The home and EIFS inspector roster is maintained by the Division of Construction Management. Match the business and individual names, license classification and current status to the actual service being offered.
Health-care checks also require the right regulator. The Board of Medical Examiners license search and medical disciplinary actions answer different questions: current credentials and published enforcement. Use the Board of Nursing verification service for an individual nurse. Its separate discipline-data reports summarize disciplinary information and should not be treated as a substitute for checking a named nurse. Public Health's provider directory identifies regulated facilities; it is broader than a directory of reproductive-health providers.
Other clinical and care professions have distinct systems. The counselor license search, marriage and family therapist search, optometrist search and Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators serve different credentials. For social workers, compare the license search with published disciplinary actions. The Massage Therapy Licensing Board's disciplinary page is useful when you need an enforcement order rather than simply a name in a roster.
Financial and property services require similar distinctions. The Board of Public Accountancy provides firm-related resources, and its CPA licensing information supports individual verification. The Banking Department's Bureau of Loans licensee list covers its regulated businesses, while the Department of Insurance supplies insurance regulatory resources. Check real-estate credentials through the Real Estate Commission and appraiser information through the federal Appraisal Subcommittee registry. A license search should be matched to the exact license number when names are common.
Several specialized searches are valuable before signing a contract. Consult the auctioneer roster alongside auctioneer disciplinary actions, the barber and cosmetology license-verification system, the registered interior designer search, registered forester search, certified lead-firm list and onsite wastewater professional search. The preneed certificate-holder and sales-agent search addresses funeral-related preneed authorization; it should not be described as a universal search of every funeral credential.
For less common filings, the Secretary of State provides athlete-agent and civil-law notary searches. The Ethics Commission's lobbyist and principal resources concern lobbying registrations and disclosures. Vehicle-dealer information is available through the state's motor-vehicle regulatory portal. Save the date of verification and read any attached order: a current license, a past suspension and a pending complaint are different findings, and a database's scope determines what it can actually establish.
9. Sex-offender registry searches
Start with ALEA's sex-offender information and follow its official registry link. Alabama's registration framework is the Alabama Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Act, including the qualifying offenses identified in § 15-20A-5. Local law-enforcement agencies perform registration work and provide information to the statewide system.
Search by the identifiers offered by the official registry, then open the individual record. Compare the name, photograph, identifying details, reported address and listed jurisdiction. A similar name alone is not a reliable match. If you are checking an address, review the search area and result details rather than assuming that a map pin represents an independently verified current location.
Registry information describes registration status and the information published under that system's rules. It is not a complete list of everyone charged with, or convicted of, every offense. A blank result should not be interpreted as a comprehensive background clearance. Court documents are the better source for the exact conviction and sentence.
Questions about an entry, an apparent address error or reporting obligations belong with the responsible sheriff, police department or ALEA. Use the agency's reporting channel for a concern about inaccurate information. When the purpose is to understand a specific conviction, record the case identifiers shown and request the corresponding judgment from the court rather than relying on a short registry description.
10. Unclaimed money and property
The Alabama State Treasury's unclaimed-property program holds property transferred by businesses and other holders when the owner could not be located. Its official search and claim portal is the starting point for a free search and a direct claim. A paid locator is not necessary to search the state's database yourself.
Search your current name, previous names and common spelling variations. Try a business's legal name as well as a familiar trading name, and compare the reported address with places where you previously lived or operated. A name match is only a lead; the holder and address can distinguish your property from someone else's.
The claim instructions depend on the record and claimant. Be prepared to show identity and a connection to the reported address or account. An heir, estate representative or business representative may need additional authority documents. Follow the portal's specific checklist instead of sending the same packet for every claim, and keep the claim number for follow-up.
Some property consists of tangible items rather than an account balance. The Treasury explains that such items may be auctioned after the applicable holding period, with proceeds retained for the owner. A result therefore does not guarantee that an original physical item remains available. Searching Alabama also does not search every other state's program; check the relevant states separately when your address or business history crosses state lines.
11. Driving records and voter information
ALEA's driver-record and crash-report page lists a motor-vehicle record at $5.75 and a crash report at $15. Both are available through its linked online service or an ALEA Driver License Office. A driving record and a crash report are different documents; select the one the requesting employer, insurer or other recipient actually requires.
Driver information is subject to access restrictions, including the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act. Knowing another person's name or license plate does not automatically authorize obtaining protected personal information. ALEA identifies Alabama Code § 32-10-7 as governing eligibility to buy crash reports. Confirm eligibility and the identifiers required before paying, especially when requesting a report involving someone else.
For your own election information, use Alabama's voter-information lookup to check the available registration and polling-place details. The Secretary of State's Alabama Votes resources supply broader election information, and its voter-registration instructions explain registration routes. A search result showing old information should be followed up with the appropriate election office; a search itself does not submit a registration change.
The voter-records directory keeps these official services together. Check current polling information for the election in question rather than relying on a location saved from an earlier election. A public registration or participation record does not reveal how an individual marked a secret ballot.
12. How to make a request that an office can process
Identify the custodian before writing. A county probate office cannot supply the state prison file, and ALEA cannot issue a certified divorce decree. Use the agency's published request form or instructions, including any residency requirement. For example, the Governor's Office records procedure explains requests to that office; it is not a central intake desk for every Alabama agency.
Describe existing records rather than asking the agency to answer a research question. A request for the final inspection report for a named address and date is easier to process than a request for everything about unsafe buildings. Specify the date range, office, event, case or account number, and document types. If you know an email's sender and approximate date, include those details.
State your preferred format and request an estimate before charges exceed a stated amount. Ask whether an existing electronic file can be provided instead of printed copies. If the request is classified as time-intensive, review the estimate and decide in writing whether to proceed, narrow the scope or withdraw. Silence can leave the office waiting for your decision or payment.
Keep a dated copy of the submission, acknowledgment and subsequent messages. If the office requests clarification, respond specifically and preserve that exchange because clarification can affect the statutory clock. If a record is withheld, ask which exemption applies and whether a redacted portion can be released. A denial, a notice that no responsive records exist and a referral to another custodian are different responses and call for different follow-up.
13. Ten focused Alabama search guides
Use the Alabama arrest-records guide to trace an arrest from the local agency to the documents that may record its later outcome.
The background-check guide explains how to choose between a personal ALEA review and an authorized employer process.
The birth-certificate guide helps applicants assemble identification and eligibility information before ordering a protected record.
The business-search guide walks through entity and people-based filing searches and the certificate-ordering options.
The death-records guide separates recent restricted certificates from older records available to any requester.
The inmate-search guide connects current custody information with practical questions about the institution and contact procedures.
The people-search guide shows how to compare lawful public-record sources without confusing a shared name with a confirmed identity.
The public-records-law guide provides a closer look at request classification, fees and agency response procedures.
The sex-offender-registry guide explains the registration system and the limits of using its public results.
The unclaimed-property guide follows the process from a possible owner match through the evidence needed for a claim.
14. County records across Alabama
Use the county where the property lies, the case was filed or the arrest occurred. Those can be different counties from the person's current residence. Each county page brings together local custodians so you can move from a statewide lead to the office holding the document.
Start with Jefferson County for Birmingham-area county records, Mobile County for its probate, property and sheriff resources, and Madison County for Huntsville-area county systems. Check the issuing city separately when the record originated with a municipal department.
The Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Shelby and Baldwin County pages connect other heavily used local systems. County probate and revenue offices remain separate destinations even when both searches begin from the same county page.
For additional locations, use Lee, Morgan, Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount and Bullock County. Before ordering an older file, ask about the online index's date coverage and whether archived documents require a separate request. A county's use of a commercial software host does not change which public office is responsible for its records.
15. Changes to account for in 2026
Alabama's General Contractors Board announced licensing exemptions effective October 1, 2026, under Act 2026-396 and changes to § 34-8-7. The announcement identifies residential swimming-pool construction and repair and certain routine maintenance, repair, cleaning and facility-support services. The Board advises asking about a particular project when the exemption is uncertain. An absent general-contractor license result therefore needs to be evaluated against the work and current requirements.
Prison correspondence also changed. Under ADOC's digital-mail instructions, personal mail sent directly to facilities is no longer delivered after November 10, 2025. Personal letters should go to ALDOC Inmate Mail Processing, the inmate's name and AIS number, P.O. Box 17339, San Antonio, TX 78217. Include the sender's full name and physical return address. Packages and legal mail still go to the correctional facility, not the scanning center.
Baldwin County's 2026 valuation guidance distinguishes the valuation notice from the tax bill and identifies the county's protest process. Its posted 2026 notice and appeal dates concern that year's cycle; they should not be reused as a permanent statewide deadline. Read the notice for the parcel and tax year you are investigating before deciding whether a protest is still timely.
16. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there one free website that searches all Alabama public records? A: No. Courts, ALEA, Public Health, the Secretary of State and county offices maintain separate systems. Many indexes and license searches are free, but statewide court searches, official background reports, certificates and document images can carry charges.
Q: How much is a statewide Alabama court search? A: Just One Look charges $9.99 for a name search with one case detail or a case-number search with one case detail. Additional case details and document images cost extra. A search with no result still carries the search fee.
Q: Can I buy anyone's ALEA criminal history by entering a name? A: ALEA does not offer that unrestricted public service. Its personal-review route requires your fingerprints, identification, application and $25 payment. Qualifying employers use a separate authorized process. Public court files are available through the relevant court systems.
Q: Must I order a birth certificate in the county of birth? A: No. County health departments can issue Alabama state certificates for events recorded elsewhere in Alabama. You still must meet the birth-record eligibility and identification requirements. The $15 search includes one certified copy if the record is found; extra copies ordered together cost $6 each.
Q: How quickly must an Alabama agency answer a records request? A: The statutory procedure generally requires acknowledgment within 10 business days and a substantive response to a standard request within 15 business days after acknowledgment, with permitted extensions. Time-intensive requests use a different process and a 45-business-day response period after the requester elects to proceed. Court records follow separate judicial procedures.
Q: Does an online property record prove ownership or clear title? A: An assessment or tax account is a starting point. Obtain the recorded deed and relevant mortgages, releases and other instruments from the county probate office. Compare the legal description and recording references; a tax database or GIS map alone is not a complete title examination.