Alabama Background Checks

The Alabama Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, has certified copies of birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates available for $15 for the first copy and $6 for additional copies of the same certificate. It’s important to remember when doing Alabama background checks that the fee is for the search. If a certificate is found, it’s included, but if it’s not, the fee still applies. A “Failure to Find” certificate will be sent in these cases.

By Alabama law, birth certificate requests are restricted to the person named on the document or his or her sibling, child, parent or legal guardian. A legal representative for one of these persons is also typically authorized to request a vital record. After 125 years, anyone can request a birth certificate for another person. For death certificates, such as those wanted for Alabama background checks, the time is lowered to 25 years. Marriage and divorce certificates don’t have time restrictions and can be requested by anyone.

When ordering a vital record certificate from the Center for Health Statistics, include as much information to help avoid a “Failure to Find” result on your Alabama background checks. The subject’s full name and date of birth are especially important. The sex, race, social security number and county where the event took place are other helpful pieces of information. Mail orders paid by check or money order, made payable to the State Board of Health, typically take 7-10 business days of processing time after the request is received.

Alabama Department of Public Health
Center for Health Statistics
PO Box 5625
Montgomery, AL 36103-5625
Phone: (334) 206-5418

The Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) allows you to review your own criminal history. Conducting Alabama criminal background checks on yourself is crucial so that you know what other authorized persons are seeing about you. It’s also important to do this so you can verify the accuracy of your record. By Alabama law, you have the right to challenge anything on your criminal record, but you must also supply the correct information. Fingerprint checks apply to challenged records.

Depending on whether you wish to review, challenge or appeal your criminal record, you’ll need to obtain the correct form from the ACJIC, complete it and mail it with the current fee, which at the time of this writing is $25. Only a certified check or money order payable to the State of Alabama is accepted. Cash, credit cards, business checks and personal checks are not accepted. The ACJC offers no walk-in criminal Alabama background checks at this time.

Checking another person’s criminal history isn’t permitted unless it’s authorized for criminal justice purposes. Criminal records for law enforcement agencies who subscribed to the Alabama Background Check (ABC) system are provided in accordance with the law. People must include the written permission from the local residents who are the subjects of Alabama criminal background checks.

Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC)
Attention: Director
PO Box 300660
Montgomery, AL 36130-0660