Alabama Property Records: How to Find Out Who Owns a Property (2026)

Alabama has no statewide recorder of deeds. Every one of its 67 counties records deeds, mortgages, and liens through the elected Judge of Probate's office, so finding out who owns a property in Alabama starts with knowing which county's Probate Court holds the record.

Information last verified on 2026-07-16. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This guide covers how to search property records by state specifically for Alabama, including where deeds are actually filed, how to find an owner for free, and what a certified copy costs.

How Property Records Work in Alabama

Alabama is one of a handful of states that never created a separate Recorder of Deeds. Instead, the elected Judge of Probate in each county doubles as the county's land-records official, receiving and indexing every deed, mortgage, lien, and plat filed there. Because the function sits inside the probate court rather than a standalone recorder's office, newcomers to Alabama property research sometimes look for an office that does not exist under that name.

There is also no statewide government database that lets you search all 67 counties' land records at once. Each Probate Court's Land Records or Recording division maintains its own system, and most of them run on one of two vendor platforms, Ingenuity (branded as ingprobate.com or altags.com in different counties) or GovOS Landmark Web, the latter used by Jefferson and Mobile counties. Mobile County's Probate Court, for example, offers a public records search directly on its own site. Madison County likewise publishes recorded documents through its Probate Judge's office. Because county systems are run by different vendors under different branding, it helps to start from your specific county's official probate or county government website rather than guessing at a generic statewide URL.

Be aware that a few commercial sites, such as alabamaofficialrecords.com, republish county recording data under names that sound like official state portals. They are private aggregators, not government sites, and the Alabama Department of Revenue's own county-by-county directory of appraisal and assessment offices is a more reliable starting point for locating the correct official source for a given county.

How to Find Out Who Owns a Property in Alabama

The realistic path to finding a property's owner in Alabama runs through three offices, roughly in order of speed.

Start with the county tax assessor's or revenue commissioner's website, since most Alabama counties run a free GIS parcel viewer searchable by owner name, situs address, or parcel number (sometimes called a PPIN). Shelby County's Parcel Viewer and Autauga County's parcel viewer are representative examples, both letting you click a parcel to see the owner of record, assessed value, and basic deed information at no cost. Keep in mind that a very recent sale can show up in the Probate Court's recording index before the assessor's ownership field catches up, so if timing matters, check both sources.

If the assessor's tool does not answer your question, or you need the underlying legal document rather than just a name, go to the Judge of Probate's Land Records division in the county where the property sits. Most mid-size and urban counties, including Jefferson, Mobile, Madison, Baldwin, Shelby, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa, offer a free online grantor-grantee name index, and document images are often viewable there too once you are in the system. Smaller, more rural counties may only offer an index in person or by phone, so it is worth calling ahead if the county you need is not one of the larger ones.

To get a certified copy of an actual recorded deed, which is what you generally need for legal proceedings or a lost-deed replacement, you have to request it directly from that county's Probate Court. The amounts are largely fixed by state statute rather than set county by county. Ala. Code § 12-19-90(b) lays out a statewide schedule of probate-office fees that puts a copy of an instrument at $1.00 per page, each certificate with seal at $3.00, and filing and recording at $3.00 per page. Baldwin County's published recording fees track that schedule exactly, at $1.00 per page for a copy plus a $3.00 charge for certification. Local variation is possible but limited: subsection (d) preserves any local law or general law of local application that prescribes different probate fees, and subsection (e) exempts Category 2 counties and Cullman County from the increases Act 2000-108 made to the schedule. Confirm the current amount with the specific county before you request a copy.

The Judge of Probate Quirk

Alabama's use of an elected judicial officer, the Judge of Probate, as the de facto land-records office in every county is unusual nationally; most states use a dedicated Recorder of Deeds, Register of Deeds, or County Clerk instead. Because there is no unified statewide system behind that office, the actual recording software varies by county, split mainly between the Ingenuity/Landmark platform and GovOS Landmark Web. That patchwork is also why private, commercially-run sites with official-sounding names like alabamaofficialrecords.com have found room to operate: they repackage the same county-level data those vendor platforms already publish, often for a fee, when the underlying county records may be free to search directly.

Deed Scam Mailers and Property Fraud Alerts

Alabama homeowners, like homeowners nationwide, are targeted by mailers made to look like official government notices, offering to sell a "certified copy of your deed" or a "property assessment profile" for a price far above what the county actually charges. These mailers often use language like "official" or "certified," include real details about your property pulled from public records to look legitimate, and set a false deadline to respond. A certified copy from your county Probate Court costs a few dollars, generally $1.00 per page plus a $3.00 certificate fee under the state schedule, not the $80 to $95 these solicitations often charge. If you receive one, you are under no obligation to pay, and it is worth reporting to the Alabama Attorney General's consumer protection office or the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

A more serious risk is deed fraud, where someone files a forged deed to fraudulently transfer or borrow against a property, frequently targeting vacant land, rental property, or homes without a mortgage. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center issued a public service announcement in June 2026 warning that criminals impersonate real property owners using identity data pulled from public records or data brokers to divert sale or loan proceeds. The best free protection against this in Alabama is a recording notification service that emails or texts you the moment a document is recorded in your name. Ala. Code § 12-13-55 authorizes it directly: in cooperation with the Alabama Securities Commission, each judge of probate "may establish a real property owner notification service," and once established that service "shall be free and available to any property owner who owns real property in the county." Because the statute is permissive rather than mandatory, coverage is a county-by-county patchwork rather than statewide, which is why the service is live in counties including Jefferson, Mobile, Baldwin, Autauga, Montgomery, and Talladega but not yet in all 67. Jefferson County runs its version under the name Property Fraud Alert, and its enrollment page is a representative example of how signing up works. If your county does not yet offer it, ask your Probate Court's Land Records division whether one is planned.

Not a Substitute for a Title Search

A free assessor or Probate Court search is a genuinely useful tool for confirming an owner's name, researching a neighbor's property, or monitoring for fraud, but it is not the same thing as a professional title search. A title company or closing attorney searches deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, and court records together and evaluates them for risk in a way a self-directed lookup does not attempt to do. If you are buying property in Alabama, engage a licensed title company or real estate attorney rather than relying on a do-it-yourself records check to clear title.

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about how to locate publicly available property records in Alabama. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for a licensed title company's title search or title insurance before a real estate purchase. County offices, fees, and online tools change without notice; verify current details with the Probate Court in the county where the property is located. Consult a licensed Alabama attorney for advice about your specific situation.

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Last updated: 2026-07-16. Figures and program details reflect their in-force version as of 2026-07-16.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where are property records recorded in Alabama?

Through the Judge of Probate's office in the county where the property is located. Alabama has no separate Recorder of Deeds; all 67 counties use their Probate Court's Land Records division instead.

Is there a free way to search Alabama property records online?

Yes, in most counties. Larger counties like Jefferson, Mobile, Madison, Baldwin, and Shelby offer free online indexes through their Probate Court, and county tax assessor GIS parcel viewers are also free. Smaller counties may require an in-person or phone request.

What does it cost to get a certified copy of a deed in Alabama?

State law sets the default rather than each county. Ala. Code 12-19-90(b) fixes a copy of an instrument at $1.00 per page and each certificate with seal at $3.00, so a certified one-page deed generally runs about $4.00. Subsection (d) leaves any local fee law in place in the counties that have one, so confirm the current amount with the Probate Court where the deed is recorded.

Is there a statewide property records search in Alabama?

No. Alabama has no single statewide government database for recorded documents. Each of the 67 counties maintains its own index through its Judge of Probate, and the Alabama Department of Revenue only provides a directory of links to individual county sites.

How do I find out who owns a property in Alabama for free?

Start with the county tax assessor's or revenue commissioner's GIS parcel viewer, which is free in most counties and searchable by address, owner name, or parcel number. If you need more detail, the Probate Court's grantor-grantee index provides the recorded deed history.

Does Alabama have a property fraud alert program?

Some counties do. Ala. Code 12-13-55 lets each judge of probate establish a real property owner notification service, in cooperation with the Alabama Securities Commission, and requires that it be free to any property owner in the county once established. Because the statute is permissive, coverage varies: it is live in counties including Jefferson, Mobile, Baldwin, Autauga, Montgomery, and Talladega, but not all 67 counties offer it yet. Jefferson County runs its version as Property Fraud Alert.

Can I use a free property records search instead of a title search when buying a home?

No. A free county or assessor search is useful for general research, but a licensed title company's title search reviews deeds, liens, judgments, and court records together for risk in a way a self-directed lookup does not. Buyers should still engage a title company or real estate attorney.