Alabama Public Records
Introduction to Alabama Public Records
One of the most advantageous part of America's culture is the idea that certain government records should be made public. The hope is that greater transparency will lead to a freer society. It is with that in mind that many states have created their own public records laws. Alabama public records law is fairly straight forward, and designed to improve the data made public by the government.
Who Keeps Records?
Any public official - which is defined by law as anyone that works for the government - is required to maintain and keep public records. It is the responsibility of each individual to make sure that Alabama public records are consistently growing, with no documents hidden unless required by law. Tampering with or destroying Alabama public records is considered a violation of the law.
Who is Allowed to Make Requests?
Alabama public records requests can be made by any citizen of the country, you are allowed to view any public record and make copies to most records to take with you. All you need to do is fill out request forms or orally request the forms and you can receive any public records that you want. You can request these documents for any reason and you do not need to justify your reasoning to the government.
Alabama Birth Records
If you are looking for Alabama Birth Records then hopefully you don’t need any before 1908. Alabama did not require birth or death records to be kept until after this year and any births before 1908 were not recorded with the State. The Center for Health Statistics is in charge of all vital records in the State of Alabama. They have a system in place, called ViSION, where all Alabama Birth Records can be found and issued through any health department, in any county. Alabama Birth Records can also be obtained through the mail, typically in seven business days. Whether you need an Alabama Birth Record for yourself, your child, research or genealogy purposes, the State has done what it can to make it easy for you to find what you need without the hassle of driving to the county of your birth. But know the State’s law! Alabama is a little strict when it comes to their birth records. An Alabama Birth Record does have restrictions. For 125 years after a birth, the records are restricted to the person named on the certificate, the mother, father or legal guardian, spouse, child, sibling or another legal representative of said person on the certificate.
Alabama Death Records
Settling an estate after a loved one passes requires proof of death. This proof of death comes in the form of an Alabama Death Record (sometimes called registers) and includes the name of the deceased, the time and place of death and the attending physician. In some cases it also includes the place of burial, which is especially helpful for those doing genealogy research.
Alabama death records became a law in 1908. Prior to that year, some records were recorded at the County level rather than the State level. The State of Alabama has microfilmed many of these earlier records which can back as far as 1880.
Alabama death records do not become public records until after twenty five years of the death. Before that time period is up, the only ones who can have access to the record on file is the parent of the named, the spouse of the named, a child or grandchild of the named or a legal representative of the named. Once a record becomes open to the public, anybody can obtain it for a small fee.
Search Alabama Public Records By County
Additional Alabama Resources
The links listed below lead to government agencies that provide free online access to public record information.
- Alabama - UCC
- Alabama - Business Entity Filings
- Alabama - State Archives
- Alabama - Unclaimed Property
- Alabama - Incarceration Records - Inmates, Offenders
- Alabama - Securities Administrative Actions
- Alabama - Transcripts of Tax Delinquent Property
- Alabama - Lobbyist List
- Alabama - Trademarks
- Alabama - Sex Offender Registry
- Alabama - Fugitives
- Alabama - Corporate Officers Excluded From Workers Comp
- Alabama Online Searches
- Alabama Court Records