How are public records organized in Alabama?

Alabama keeps public records at three levels: federal (FBI, federal courts via PACER), state (court of last resort, state police, department of health, secretary of state), and county-level (sheriffs, clerks, recorders, assessors). Each county maintains its own court, criminal-justice, property, and vital-records offices linked from the county pages below.

Where do I start an Alabama court-case search?

For statewide trial-court information, start at the Unified Judicial System: www.alacourt.gov. Alabama federal cases are searched through PACER. For local case dockets, see the Court Records tab and the county page for your area.

How do I get an official Alabama background check?

Alabama's official statewide criminal-history check is run by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) at www.alea.gov. Most state-level checks require fingerprints and a fee. A nationwide FBI Identity History Summary is available separately.

Where do I obtain Alabama birth, death, or marriage certificates?

Certified Alabama vital records are issued by the Official Alabama Vital Records at www.alabamapublichealth.gov. Recent local events (births, deaths, marriages) can often also be requested from the county clerk or local registrar where the event was filed.

What does it cost to access Alabama public records?

Most online record indexes in Alabama are free to search; fees apply for certified copies, fingerprint background checks, full document images at the recorder, and statewide bulk data. Each agency publishes its current fee schedule — for example the Unified Judicial System (courts), the Official Alabama Vital Records (vital records), the Official Alabama Voter Records (elections), and the Official Alabama Professional & Occupational Licenses (licenses).

Search Alabama Public Records - Free Government Databases

How to Search Alabama Public Records

Alabama's court, criminal, vital, property, voter, and licensing records are maintained across state agencies and the 67 counties listed below. Use the tabs to filter by record type, or jump directly to any source.

Courts: The Alabama Supreme Court sits at the top of the system; trial-court business is handled by the Circuit Courts (41 circuits) and District Courts (67). Most courts publish dockets and case lookups online.
Criminal history: Official background checks run through the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA); the Alabama criminal records page covers the current fee and request process.
Vital records: Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are issued by the Alabama Department of Public Health and may also be available locally.
Property & recorded documents: Maintained at the county level by the Assessor, Recorder, or Clerk's office.
Business filings: the Alabama Secretary of State operates the official business-entity search.

Population

5,108,468

Households

2,001,170

Median Income

$59,609

Median Home Value

$179,400

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Population Estimates Program; 2022 ACS 5-year)

Alabama Public Records at a Glance

Alabama routes almost everything through two systems. Court cases statewide are in Alacourt, the judiciary's index, though full access runs through a paid subscription — the free public option is the case-lookup described on our Alabama court records page. Official background checks go through the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which restricts most criminal history releases to the person of record and authorized employers. Certificates of birth, death, marriage, and divorce are issued by the Department of Public Health, and any county health office can print a certificate for an event that happened anywhere in the state — a convenience most states don't offer. Deeds and mortgages stay with the 67 county probate judges.

Official Databases

207

County Pages

Record Categories

Directory Since

1997

Figures reflect sources indexed in this directory and the latest official reports. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Alabama Guides

Step-by-step pages for the searches people actually run:

Inmate Search Background Checks Unclaimed Property Business Search Offender Registry Birth Certificates Arrest Records Records Law People Search Death Records

Statewide Databases

207 official Alabama government databases. Click a tab to filter by record type.

Court Records

Morgan County Court Records - Probate

Official Free

Enter User/PIN to Login. User Name I don't have a user name. I forgot my user name. PIN. Certified Dates. Real Property, 7/26/2022.

🌐 pjr.mc-ala.org

Baldwin County Probate Records

Official Free

Search Baldwin County, Alabama probate court records by case number, file number, name and/or activity dates to view information including case identification, parties, contact info, events and bills/receipts.

🌐 deltacomputersystems.com

Tuscaloosa County Probate Court

Official Free

Tuscaloosa County probate court records and court claims.

🌐 tuscco.com

Alabama Court Records | Alacourt

Official Free

Search Alabama circuit and district court case records online.

🌐 v2.alacourt.com

Alabama Court Records | AlaFile

Official Free

Alabama Administrative Office of Courts electronic filing and case search system.

🌐 alacourt.gov

Alabama Judicial System

Official Free

Official website of the Alabama Judicial System with court information and resources.

🌐 judicial.alabama.gov

Alabama Supreme Court Cases

Official Free

Supreme Court of Alabama cases by party name, text, or docket number.

🌐 caselaw.findlaw.com

Alabama Federal PACER U.S. District Court Records

Official Paid

Access Federal PACER civil, criminal, and civil court Records for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Alabama U.S. District Courts. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.

🌐 pacer.uscourts.gov