How to Get a Death Certificate in Alabama & the Alabama Small Estate Limit
If someone close to you has died in Alabama, two pieces of paperwork come up again and again in the first weeks: certified copies of the death certificate, and the question of whether the estate is small enough to skip full probate. This page puts both Alabama answers in one place, with links to the official sources so you can check the current rules yourself.
How to get a death certificate in Alabama
Certified copies in Alabama come from Alabama Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statistics.
The search fee is $15, which includes one certified copy (or a certificate of failure to find). Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $6 each, and expediting a request costs another $15. Fees are not refundable.
You can walk into any county health department in Alabama, and most death certificates can be issued while you wait. Mail requests go to the Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103-5625, with a check or money order payable to "Center for Health Statistics".
Death records less than 25 years old are restricted: you need valid ID and must be immediate family or show a legal right to the record.
Order more copies than you think you need. Banks, life insurers, pension plans, brokerages and the DMV often want an original certified copy, while Social Security can usually be notified by the funeral home. Five to ten copies is common; our guide on how many death certificates you need walks through the list.
Alabama small estate procedure: Summary distribution (small estate) through the probate court
Alabama has no pure "affidavit to the bank" route. Instead, a surviving spouse or heir petitions the county probate judge for a summary distribution of personal property.
Since Act 2025-431 took effect on October 1, 2025, the small-estate limit is not a fixed number: it equals the combined maximum homestead allowance, exempt property and family allowance, which the state adjusts periodically under Ala. Code § 43-8-116. Ask your county probate office for the figure that applies to the date of death.
Summary distribution is for personal property only; if the person owned real estate in their own name, it cannot be handled this way. Funeral expenses and other claims must be paid or provided for, and there is a waiting period after notice is published before the judge orders distribution.
What counts toward the limit
The small estate limit in Alabama is measured against the probate estate, not everything the person owned. Accounts with a named beneficiary (life insurance, 401(k)s, IRAs), payable-on-death bank accounts, joint accounts with right of survivorship, and trust assets generally pass directly and are left out of the count. Read more in beneficiary designations override the will.
Step by step in Alabama
- Order certified death certificates from Alabama Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statistics (or through the funeral home).
- List every asset and note which ones have a beneficiary, a co-owner or a trust; those usually pass outside probate.
- Add up the remaining probate assets and compare them with the Alabama limit described above, using the official link to confirm the current figure.
- Check the waiting period and paperwork requirements, then prepare the Summary distribution (small estate) through the probate court using the official form or court instructions.
- Give the paperwork to each bank or holder (or file it with the court, if Alabama requires that), keep copies, and pay valid debts before distributing anything.
When the small estate route doesn't fit
The small estate route is not a fit for every family. If the probate assets are over the Alabama limit, if there is real estate the procedure does not cover, if heirs disagree, or if there are significant debts or a lawsuit, regular probate (often with an executor or administrator appointed by the court) is usually the safer path. An estate attorney or the court's self-help center in your county can tell you which procedure applies. Our executor checklist covers the full process.
Quick answers
How much does a death certificate cost in Alabama?
The search fee is $15, which includes one certified copy (or a certificate of failure to find). Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $6 each, and expediting a request costs another $15. Fees are not refundable. Always confirm the current figure with the official source linked below.
What is the small estate limit in Alabama?
Alabama has no pure "affidavit to the bank" route. Instead, a surviving spouse or heir petitions the county probate judge for a summary distribution of personal property. Always confirm the current figure with the official source linked below.
After that
Whichever route you take, you will still have to close accounts, notify Social Security and the credit bureaus, and keep track of every bill and payment. Helpful next reads: how to close a deceased person's accounts, Social Security and the credit bureaus, and whether you have to pay a parent's debt.
Keep it all in one place
The After-Loss Admin Kit is a calm, printable executor workbook: the first 48 hours through closing the estate, a who-to-notify list, 12 letter templates (including bank and agency letters) and an estate tracker spreadsheet for every asset and debt. It works with the Alabama steps above.
See the After-Loss Admin Kit — $19Loss & planning bundle (4 kits) — $34