Privacy Laws for Vital Records by State - Part 1 - Alabama

Birth Certificates

A Map of Alabama Counties
Public-domain image courtesy of WPClipart

Registrations of Births began in 1908 in the state of Alabama. However, the state has very restrictive privacy laws and the records are not available to the public until 125 years after the date of birth. An Index of Births for 1917-1919 can be searched on microfilm at the Family History Library or at a local Family History Center near you. You can contact the individual county Heath Department office for the county you are researching to request birth certificates for a fee of $15.00. I would call before ordering online or by mail to make sure the record is even available per their privacy laws. 

Familysearch.org offers an index entitled Alabama Births and Christenings, 1881-1930. There are only four records listed for between 1900 and 1930 in this database due to privacy laws. The database has less than 6,500 records in total.

Marriage Certificates

There are no privacy restrictions for marriage records in the state of Alabama. The only requirement is that the researcher must provide enough information to easily find the record in question. The best thing to do would be to first search one of several indexes that are available online then contact the local courthouse for the county in question for marriages that took place before 1936. The Alabama Center for Health Statistics has all marriage records for marriages that have taken place within the state since 1936 on file. Each marriage certificate requested requires a copy fee of $15.00 to be made payable to the State Board of Health. Certificates can be ordered online via vitalcheck.com or by mail by contacting the Alabama Department of Public Health website.

Here are a few of the online databases that could aid your search:

Familysearch,org (Free)
Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950
Alabama, Marriages, 1816-1957

Ancestry.com ($)
Alabama Marriage Collection, 1800-1969
Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties)
Alabama Marriages to 1825
DeKalb County, Alabama Marriage Index, 1836-1916

Divorce Certificates

There are no privacy restrictions for divorce records in the state of Alabama. The only requirement is that the researcher must provide enough information to easily find the record in question. Ancestry.com has an index of divorce record for 1950-1959 which contains just over 100,000 records. This database index can be searched at Alabama Divorce Index, 1950-1959.  Information for divorces prior to 1950 must be obtained from the circuit court in the county where the divorce was granted.  The Alabama Center for Health Statistics has all divorce records that have been filed within the state since 1950. Each divorce record requested requires a copy fee of $15.00 to be made payable to the State Board of Health. Certificates can be ordered online via vitalcheck.com or by mail by contacting the Alabama Department of Public Health website. 

Death Certificates

State wide registration of deaths in Alabama began in 1908. However, many counties have records that start as early as 1881 and are held at the local county level. Due to privacy laws in the state of Alabama, death certificates are available for deaths that have occurred no less that 25 years prior to the current date. So if your ancestor died between 1908 and 1990 you can order their death certificate for a fee of $15.00.  Death certificates less than 25 years old may be obtained only by the following persons, upon payment of the proper fee ($15.00):

• mother or father of person named on certificate
• husband or wife of person named on certificate
• son or daughter of person named on certificate
• sister or brother of person named on certificate
• grandchild of person named on certificate when demonstrating entitlement
• legal representative of family or estate
• informant listed on death certificate as providing information

For copies of Alabama death records after 1908, contact:

Center for Health Statistics
State Dept. of Public Health
P.O. Box 5625
Montgomery, AL 36103-5625
Tel: 202-242-5033
Alabama Department of Public Health website

Familysearch.org offers an index to death certificates entitled Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974. There are a few records that fall outside of the stated death range. There are a total of 1,905,672 records in this index. What you may found on records in this index include the following:

• Name of deceased
• Death date and place
• Last residence
• Burial date and place
• Birth date and place
• Names of parents
• Name of spouse

Ancestry.com offers an index entitled Alabama Deaths, 1908-59 which contains about 1,363,539 names. They also offer an index entitled Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 which contains 1,962,795 records. 

Sources: 

Alabama Department of Public Health Website at http://adph.org/vitalrecords/.

"Alabama Births and Christenings, 1881-1930." Index. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2015. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.

"Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974." Index. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2015. Department of Health, Montgomery.

Alabama Deaths, 1908-59 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.

Alabama Divorce Index, 1950-1959 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.