Alabama Death Records: Are They Public + How to Get One

Alabama is a closed-record state for death certificates. By law, a death certificate is a confidential, restricted record for 25 years after the date of death, so only immediate family, a legal representative, or someone with a documented legal right may buy a certified copy during that window. After 25 years, the record becomes a public record that anyone may request.

Are Death Records Public in Alabama?

No, Alabama death records are not fully public for the first 25 years. Alabama is a closed-record state, which means death certificates are confidential and access is restricted by law.

Under Alabama Code Section 22-9A-21, a death certificate stays restricted for 25 years from the date of death. During that period the state will only release a certified copy to people who qualify under the eligibility rules.

Once 25 years have passed, the situation flips. The statute states that the record becomes a "nonrestricted public record" and "any person may obtain copies of the records upon submission of an application containing sufficient information to locate the record and payment of the required fee."

This two-track system is common across the United States. There is no national death-records database. The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics confirms that vital records are created and held by each state, so Alabama controls who can access an Alabama death certificate.

Who Can Request an Alabama Death Record?

For a restricted record (less than 25 years old), only a limited group of people may request a certified copy. The Alabama Department of Public Health lists eligible requesters that include the following.

• The deceased person's spouse
• A parent, child, sibling, or grandchild who can demonstrate a direct relationship
• The informant named on the death certificate
• A legal representative or attorney acting for an eligible family member
• A person who can establish a direct and tangible legal interest, such as settling an estate or an insurance claim

If you are not in that group, you generally cannot buy a recent certified copy. Once the record is more than 25 years old, anyone may request it, since it has become a public record.

Valid identification is required for any restricted record. The applicant must submit one form of ID from the state's Primary ID list, or two different forms of secondary identification if a primary ID is not available.

How to Get an Alabama Death Certificate

Death certificates in Alabama are issued by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) Center for Health Statistics in Montgomery. You have three main ways to order.

Order by mail

Send a completed application, a copy of your ID, and the fee to: Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5625. Mail requests take longer to process, so plan ahead if you need the copy by a deadline.

Order in person

You may go to any county health department in Alabama to request a certified copy of a death certificate. In-person service at a county office is usually the fastest route for a certificate you need quickly.

Order online

ADPH partners with the independent vendor VitalChek for online and phone orders. You can place an order through VitalChek or by calling 1-888-279-9888. The vendor charges an additional processing fee on top of the state fee.

Fees

The search fee is $15.00, which includes one certified copy of the record or a "Certificate of Failure to Find" if no record exists. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $6.00. Expedited service costs an extra $15.00. Fees are set by the state and can change, so confirm the current amount with ADPH before you send payment.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Alabama?

The cause of death is printed on the standard certified death certificate, and it is released to anyone who is eligible to receive the record. It is not separately published or posted online while the record is restricted.

So during the 25-year restricted period, the cause of death is only available to qualified family members, legal representatives, and others with a documented right to the record. After 25 years, the cause of death is part of the public record that anyone may request.

This is different from some states that issue a stripped-down "informational" copy without the cause of death. Alabama issues one certified certificate that includes the medical cause-of-death information to eligible requesters.

For a broader look at how states handle this medical information, see Are Cause of Death Records Public? and Are Autopsies Public Records?.

How Far Back Do Alabama Death Records Go?

The Alabama Center for Health Statistics began filing statewide death certificates in 1908. Any death recorded with the state from 1908 forward should be in the ADPH system.

Because of the 25-year rule, deaths recorded before roughly the year 2000 are now nonrestricted public records that anyone may request from ADPH. More recent deaths remain restricted to eligible requesters.

For deaths that predate 1908 or that were not filed with the state, researchers often turn to county probate records, cemetery records, and church records. ADPH also maintains older vital record indexes that can help locate a filing.

On a national level, the Social Security Administration publishes a Death Master File, but its public version excludes deaths within the most recent three calendar years under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. That means the SSA public file is not a substitute for a certified Alabama certificate, especially for recent deaths.

To compare another commonly requested record, see Are Birth Certificates Public Records?, and browse the full Death Records by State directory for other states.

Alabama Death Records: Quick Facts

Disclaimer: This page provides general legal information about how to access public records in Alabama, not legal advice. Eligibility rules, fees, and processing times can change. Always confirm the current requirements directly with the Alabama Department of Public Health before submitting a request.

Sources

This article is based on official guidance from the Alabama Department of Public Health, the Alabama vital statistics law, and federal vital-records authorities, listed below.