The search for Alabama death records can be a challenging one. Death records provide important information though. For most situations, they can answer some of the most important information about family members. You can learn things like the person's nearest relatives and the addresses of where he or she lived. This information is ideal when building a family history because it can create important links between various groups. However, gathering the information can take a bit of time.

One of the first places to start with Alabama death records is the local department of vital records. In Alabama, death records have been collected since 1908, so there is a significant amount of data on hand. More so, the state does have additional records available at the local level. For example, you may find some death records available through local county clerk offices as well as county public health facilities.

There are some limitations on obtaining these records. In the state, you are not able to obtain the death record of someone unless you are an immediate family member of the person who died (within the last 25 years.) If the person has been gone longer than 25 years, then most records will be available to the public.

If you are able to gain access to this information, you can obtain the records directly from the Alabama Vital Records Department. You can visit them locally or request a copy by mail. This is available at the following address:

Alabama Vital Records Office

PO Box 5625

Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5625

There is a fee to purchase records over 25 years of age. This fee, currently, is $12 and is considered an administrative fee. If you are looking for records that are older than this, on the other hand, you may need to pay an additional fee for a more exhaustive search. In Alabama, these records are also available at most public county health offices. You may need to request this information in advance.

Using these records for a family search or for other reasons, including the use of them to verify property ownership or ownership changes can be possible only when the record comes from an official source, such as the public vital records offices in the state. However, you may also wish to check with the local churches if you have family members who have used those facilities. In Alabama, religious organizations have been present and gathering data since the 1800's. This can be a good, though non-legal resource for building family histories.

Alabama death records are available to the public dating back to 1908, but do expect to wait for very old records. Still, if you are in the search for the death records of your loved one, consider contacting the Vital Records Office in Montgomery for more information and guidance. You may find that getting these certificates notarized and sent to you is no problem. For next of kin, though, you may need to show proof of your identification and relationship to the individual to receive this copy in hand.

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