Alabama Public Records

Alabama's public records are well-organized and easily-accessible. Most commonly-sought records are available online; some can even be viewed online. And Alabama has logically consolidated many of its records, so they are generally pretty easy to find.

Vital Records

Alabama's vital records - including records of birth, death, marriage, and divorce - are administered by the Center for Health Statistics. The Center files, stores, and issues certified copies of vital records. Customers can easily order certificates by mail, in person, or online. To order records by mail, download the application form and send it to:

Alabama Vital Records
P.O. Box 5625
Montgomery, AL 36103-5625

In person, customers can obtain certified records from any county health department location in Alabama, thanks to the Vital Statistics Image Oriented Network, also known as ViSION. To request records online, or for more information about Alabama vital records, visit the Center's website.

The Center can also be reached by phone, at (334) 206-5418.

Criminal Records

The Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (the "ACJIC") maintains criminal histories via its computerized criminal history repository. The repository is designed to gather and consolidate criminal history information, including identification, arrest, case disposition, custody and supervision records. People can order their own criminal history records from the ACJIC by downloading the "Application to Review or Challenge Alabama Criminal History Record Information" and mailing it to:

Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center
P.O. Box 300660
Montgomery, Alabama 36130-0660
ATTN: Director

The application is available here.

Court Records

Court records in Alabama are organized and maintained by the Unified Judicial System. For a fee, it is possible to search based on name or case number. Criminal, civil, small claims, and traffic records are available, as well as family court and child support records. Customers interested in obtaining these records must register on the website before they can order. The website is here.

Business Records

The Alabama Secretary of State maintains a website with a searchable business database. From there, it is possible to obtain a number of public records. The business entity records will provide basic business information such as the name and file number of the business, the names of any officers or agents, as well as the date of formation. Trademark information can also be obtained from the Secretary of State. On the left side of the page, there is a menu of the records available.

The Alabama Secretary of State can be reached by phone at (334) 242-7200.

Property Records

Parcel and tax records are managed by at the county level, by the Tax Assessor's Office of the relevant county. It is this office that maintains geographic information system maps, real property records, and tax rates. Alabama county office contact information is consolidated at the website of the Alabama Department of Revenue.

Additionally, like business and trademark records, some property records are available from the Secretary of State. They are searchable by name, township range and section, or based on the volume and page of a hard-copy platting book. To search Alabama land records, start here.

The Alabama Secretary of State can be reached by phone at (334) 242-7200.

Driver Records

The Department of Public Safety administers driver records and crash reports in Alabama. The records are not available online, but they can be requested by mail or in person. to order by mail, download the appropriate form (list of available forms) and mail it in to:

Alabama Department of Public Safety
Driver License Division
P.O. Box 1471
Montgomery, AL 36102

To request a driver record in person, it is necessary to go to an Alabama Driver License Office. A list of the offices is available online. Note that only those offices listed with an asterisk will handle records requests.