Alabama Vital Statistics
Birth, Death, Marriage/Civil Union Certificates and Marriage/Civil Union License Applications are all part of Alabama Vital Statistics.
Alabama Vital Statistics Quick Facts
[supsystic-tables id=10]Alabama Department of Public Health Records
Alabama Department of Public Health issues, documents, and stores certified copies of vital records including Birth Certificates, Marriage Licences, Divorce Decrees and Death Certificates for occurrences that took place in Alabama.
Some county courthouses may have kept some records, but the best source is the Vital County Records on Microfilm at Alabama Department of Archives and History.
The Alabama Department of Public Health is located in the The RSA Tower, 201 Monroe Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36104.
Alabama County Health Department Records
Certified copies of birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates may be obtained from county health departments.
Address Roster of County Health Departments, Health Officers, and Administrators includes addresses, phone numbers and contact names for all Alabama county health departments.
Alabama Birth Certificates
An act of 1881 provided that all births were to be registered with a county health officer.
Some probate court records do include information on births that took place in Alabama before 1881. Birth information could be included in documents like wills, guardianship papers, apprenticeship papers, and related documents.
However, those birth records are not complete and may be few and far between.
Later Alabama required that birth registrations be made within the first 5 days after the birth and required that the county health officer's registry books be deposited with the county probate judge.
A certified birth certificate that can typically be used for travel, passport, proof of citizenship, social security, driver's license, school registration, personal identification and other legal purposes.
Today, early Alabama birth records, if they survived at all, are found in the county probate court where the birth occured.
Mandatory state-level registration of birth certificates in Alabama is January 1, 1908.
The Alabama Department of Public Health now has all original birth certificates on file. Alabama Vital Statistics may be contacted for certified birth certificate copies.
- Restrictions - By Alabama law, birth certificates are confidential records with restricted access for 125 years from the date of birth.
- Identification Requirements - Identification will be required to obtain a restricted birth certificate. View ID Requirements for more information.
Search Online Birth Records in Alabama
You may find the following online resources helpful in your search of Alabama birth certificates and records.
FamilySearch.org has a few collections available online for free to the public including:
- Alabama, Birth Records and Christenings, 1881-1930: Name index to birth, baptism and christening records from the state of Alabama. A few records may be earlier or later. Currently contains over 6,800 Christenings and Birth Records.
How to Order Alabama Birth Certificates
The Alabama Center for Health Statistics has birth certificates from 1908 for persons born in Alabama.
Birth Certificate Cost
- $15.00 - The fee to search for a birth certificate in Alabama, which includes one certified copy of the birth record or a "Certificate of Failure to Find."
- $6.00 - for each additional copies of the samebirth certificate ordered at the same time.
- $15.00 - additional fee to expedite a birth certificate request.
Make check or money order payable to "State Board of Health". Please do not send cash. Fees are not refundable. To verify current fees or for information on how to expedite a birth certificate, call (334) 206-5418.
- Order Birth Certificate by Mail - Download and fill out the Alabama Birth Certificate Application. Send completed application and the correct fees to Alabama Vital Records, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5625.
- Order Birth Certificate by In Person - You may go to any county health department in Alabama to obtain a certified copy of an Alabama birth certificate. Most birth certificates can be issued while you wait.
- Order Birth Certificate Online - You may order birth certificates through a service provider using a credit card. Note that there are additional fees for using this service. Order a Birth Certificate Online
Alabama Death Certificates
An act of 1881 provided that all deaths were to be registered with a county health officer.
Later it required that death registrations be made within the first 5 days after the death and required that the county health officer's registry books be deposited with the county probate judge.
Some probate court records do include information on deaths that took place in Alabama before 1881. Death information could be included in documents like wills, guardianship papers, apprenticeship papers, and related documents.
However, those death records are not complete and may be few and far between.
A certified copy of a death record that can typically be used to obtain death benefits, claim insurance proceeds, notify social security and other legal purposes.
Mandatory state-level registration of death certificates in Alabama is January 1, 1908.
The Alabama Department of Public Health now has all original death certificates on file. Alabama Vital Statistics may be contacted for certified death certificate copies.
U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 currently contains over 94 million records. The database is created from Social Security Administration records of deceased persons possessing social security numbers and whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration.
Search Online Death Records in Alabama
You may find the following online resources helpful in your search of Alabama death certificates and records.
Ancestry.com has a few collections of death records available including:
- Alabama Death Records, 1908-59 database is an index of death certificates recorded by the state of Alabama from 1908 to 1959. The index includes name of the deceased, county of death, date of death, and the state certificate number. Currently contains over 1,363,000 Alabama Death Records.
- Alabama Death Record of State Convicts, 1843-1951 who died while either a prisoner in custody or on parole are in this database. Currently contains over 3,800 Alabama Convict Death Records.
FamilySearch.org has a few collections of death records available to search online for free including:
- Alabama Death Records and Burials, 1881-1952: Name index to death and burial records from the state of Alabama. Contains 110,202 records. A few records may be earlier or later.
- Alabama, Death Records, 1908-1974: Name index to death certificates from the state of Alabama, 1908-1974
How to Order Alabama Death Certificates
The Alabama Center for Health Statistics has death certificates from 1908 for persons born in Alabama.
Death Certificate Cost
- $15.00 - The fee to search for a death certificate in Alabama, which includes one certified copy of the death record or a "Certificate of Failure to Find."
- $6.00 - for each additional copies of the same death certificate ordered at the same time.
- $15.00 - additional fee to expedite a death certificate request.
Make check or money order payable to "State Board of Health". Please do not send cash. Fees are not refundable. To verify current fees or for information on how to expedite a death certificate, call (334) 206-5418.
- Order Death Certificate by Mail - Download and fill out the Alabama Death Certificate Application. Send completed application and the correct fees to Alabama Vital Records, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5625.
- Order Death Certificate by In Person - You may go to any county health department in Alabama to obtain a certified copy of an Alabama death certificate. Most death certificates can be issued while you wait.
- Order Death Certificate Online - You may order death certificates through a service provider using a credit card. Note that there are additional fees for using this service. Order a Death Certificate Online
Alabama Marriage Certificates
A marriage license has been required since the territorial period in 1799. Marriage licenses were issued by the clerk of the county Orphans' Courts in which the bride resided.
After 1850 the orphans' court was superseded by the probate court, which is still charged with the issuance of marriage licenses.
In order to get married, a man had to be at least seventeen years of age and a woman had to be at least fourteen years of age. If the woman was under 18 and the man was under 21, parental consent (or guardian consent) was required.
After the marriage license was issues, the couple’s marriage could be officiated by a justice of the peace, county judge, ordained minister, state judge, or territorial judge, depending on the situation and the time period.
The official who officiated over the marriage ceremony then had to file the certificate of marriage with the county probate judge in the county where the couple was married.
The officiant, bondsman, bride, and groom were listed on marriage certificates that were issued prior to 1888. The marriage date and the license bond were also listed on the certificate.
Records from 1910 and onward may contain additional information, such as physical descriptions of the bride and groom, their ages, their occupations, and the names of their parents. Marriage Certificates may also list blood relationship between them, if there was one, as well as the number of times they were each married before, if any.
The county probate judge’s office in the county where the marriage certificate was originally recorded can provide a certified copy of that certificate. However, it may take 6 to 8 weeks for the office to reply to a request and the person making the request will have to pay a fee for the copy.
Search Online Marriage Records in Alabama
You may find the following resources helpful in your search of Alabama marriage certificates and records.
Ancestry.com has a few collections of marriage records available including:
- Alabama, County Marriage Records, 1805-1967 currently contains over 5,117,000 county marriage records from various counties in Alabama. Information may include name, age at marriage, marriage date, marriage place and parents' names.
- Alabama Marriage Indexes, 1816-1942 currently contains over 2,858,000 Alabama Marriage Records from various counties in Alabama. Information may include name, age at marriage, marriage date, marriage place and parents’ names.
- Alabama Marriage Records, 1800-1969 currently contains over 2,404,000 Alabama marriage indexes covering various years and counties. Information may include Name of bride and/or groom, Marriage date and Marriage county.
- Alabama, Marriage Indexes, 1814-1935 consists of an index to more than 500,000 marriages registered in Alabama. Information may include Full Name, Spouse's Full Name, Marriage Date and Marriage County.
- Alabama Marriages, 1802-1825 currently contains over 12,000 names. Each entry includes groom, bride, marriage date, county, and state.
- Alabama Marriages from Selected Counties, 1809-1920 consists of 150,000 marriage records and the names of nearly 300,000 men and women from various counties in Alabama.
See a list of all Alabama Marriage records at Ancestry.com.
FamilySearch.org has a few collections of marriage records available to search online for free including:
- Alabama, County Marriage Records, 1809-1950: The browse records are grouped by film number/digital film number (DGS). Each film is arranged by county, volume and date.
- Alabama, Marriages, 1816-1957: Name index to marriage records from the state of Alabama. A few records may be earlier or later.
How to Order Alabama Marriage Certificates
The Alabama Center for Health Statistics has marriage certificates from 1936 for persons married in Alabama. For marriages Certificates prior to August 1936, contact the Probate Clerk in county where license was issued. The fee for the copy varies.
Marriage Certificate Cost
- $15.00 - The fee to search for a marriage certificate in Alabama, which includes one certified copy of the marriage record or a "Certificate of Failure to Find."
- $6.00 - for each additional copies of the same marriage certificate ordered at the same time.
- $15.00 - additional fee to expedite a marriage certificate request.
Make check or money order payable to "State Board of Health". Please do not send cash. Fees are not refundable. To verify current fees or for information on how to expedite a marriage certificate, call (334) 206-5418.
- Order Marriage Certificate by Mail - Download and fill out the Alabama Marriage Certificate Application. Send completed application and the correct fees to Alabama Vital Records, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5625.
- Order Marriage Certificate by In Person - You may go to any county health department in Alabama to obtain a certified copy of an Alabama marriage certificate. Most marriage certificates can be issued while you wait.
- Order Marriage Certificate Online - You may order marriage certificates through a service provider using a credit card. Note that there are additional fees for using this service. Order a Marriage Certificate Online
Alabama Divorce Certificates
Up until 1865, the county chancery tried divorce cases. However, all divorce decrees had to be finalized by the state legislature. Therefore, those early divorce decrees are listed in the legislative records. They are contained in the Senate and House Journals publication.
The power to finalize divorce decrees was given to the county chancery court in 1865. Then, in 1917, the chancery court became part of the county circuit court system. Therefore the county circuit court equity records in the county where the divorce was filed should contain that divorce record, if the divorce occurred after 1819.
Some county clerks also maintained separate divorce records, but it was not a legal requirement for them to do so. Researchers may inquire at the county circuit court clerk’s office for copies of divorce certificates. However, there is usually a wait time of 6 to 8 weeks and a fee associated with such requests.
- Restrictions -By Alabama law, divorce certificates are unrestricted.
Search Online Divorce Records in Alabama
You may find the following resources helpful in your search of Alabama divorce certificates and records.
Ancestry.com has a few collections of divorce records available including:
- Alabama Divorce Index, 1950-1959 consists of 105,000 divorce records and the names of nearly 211,000 men and women in Alabama. Information may include Husband's name, Wife's name, Divorce date and Divorce county.
How to Order Alabama Divorce Certificates
The Alabama Center for Health Statistics has divorce certificates from 1950 for persons married in Alabama. For divorce records prior to 1950, contact Clerk of Circuit Court in county where divorce was granted.
Divorce Certificate Cost
- $15.00 - The fee to search for a divorce certificate in Alabama, which includes one certified copy of the divorce record or a "Certificate of Failure to Find."
- $6.00 - for each additional copies of the same divorce certificate ordered at the same time.
- $15.00 - additional fee to expedite a divorce certificate request.
Make check or money order payable to "State Board of Health". Please do not send cash. Fees are not refundable. To verify current fees or for information on how to expedite a divorce certificate, call (334) 206-5418.
- Order Divorce Certificate by Mail - Download and fill out the Alabama Divorce Certificate Application. Send completed application and the correct fees to Alabama Vital Records, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5625.
- Order Divorce Certificate by In Person - You may go to any county health department in Alabama to obtain a certified copy of an Alabama divorce certificate. Most divorce certificates can be issued while you wait.
- Order Divorce Certificate Online - You may order divorce certificates through a service provider using a credit card. Note that there are additional fees for using this service. Order a Divorce Certificate Online