Alabama property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Alabama's differ from its neighbours in ways that decide whether your document records or comes back. Here is the whole picture: which deeds exist here, how they have to be signed, what the recorder wants on the page, and what it costs.
- Recording office
- Office of the Judge of Probate
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- $0.50 per $500 of value
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$17 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
Deeds Alabama recognizes
| Deed | What it does | Available? |
|---|---|---|
| Quitclaim deed | Transfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title. | Yes |
| General warranty deed | Transfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows. | Yes |
| Special warranty deed | Transfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it. | Yes |
| Transfer-on-death deed | Names who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive. | No |
| Lady bird deed | An enhanced life estate deed: you keep total control for life, and the property passes automatically at death. | No |
| Life estate deed | You keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you. | Yes, less common |
| Gift deed | Transfers property to someone as an outright gift, for no payment. | Yes, less common |
Alabama does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds and lady bird deeds. Recording one here wouldn't achieve what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Alabama
Alabama requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public. No witnesses are required.
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Notarization | Required for every signature |
| Witnesses | None |
| Preparer statement | Customary, not required |
| Grantee address on the deed | Required |
| Prior deed reference | Optional |
| Spousal joinder | A non-owner spouse must join in the conveyance of a homestead (Ala. Code § 6-10-3). |
Alabama document formatting rules
Probate offices in Alabama expect 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch top margin on the first page and 1-inch margins elsewhere. Type must be at least 10 point. That top margin is the recorder's stamp area. Writing into it is the most common formatting rejection there is.
Alabama transfer tax and recording fees
Alabama charges Deed tax (documentary stamps) at $0.50 per $500 of value, or fraction thereof. Customarily paid by the grantor. Alabama requires a Real Estate Sales Validation Form (RT-1) with most recorded deeds.
Common exemptions: transfers between spouses, transfers where no consideration is paid (gifts), and transfers into or out of a revocable trust for the grantor's benefit.
Recording fees run about $17 for the first page plus roughly $3 per additional page. Typical figure. Counties set their own fees. Confirm with your recorder before mailing.
How to hold title in Alabama
- Sole ownership. One person owns everything.
- Tenancy in common. Separate, divisible shares with no survivorship. A deceased owner's share goes to their heirs.
- Joint tenancy with right of survivorship. Equal shares; the survivor takes the whole property automatically.
Where to record a deed in Alabama
Deeds are recorded with the Office of the Judge of Probate in the county where the property is located. Alabama has 67 counties. Most offices accept e-recording through a submitting service, which is usually same-day.
Jefferson · Mobile · Madison · Baldwin · Montgomery · Tuscaloosa · Shelby. all Alabama recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Alabama
- Alabama records deeds in the county Probate Office, not a recorder's office. The Judge of Probate is the recording official.
- A Real Estate Sales Validation Form (RT-1) must accompany most deeds; a deed can be rejected without it.
- Alabama abolished tenancy by the entirety. Married couples who want survivorship use a joint tenancy with express survivorship language.
- Survivorship is never implied. Without the words, co-owners hold as tenants in common.
From $39. Every Alabama rule above is applied automatically, and you read the finished document before you pay.
Common questions
You sign a deed, have it notarized, and record it with the Office of the Judge of Probate in the county where the property sits. Which deed depends on what you're doing: a quitclaim for family transfers and adding or removing a name, a warranty deed for a sale, and a living trust for probate avoidance.
No. Alabama does not require an attorney to prepare or record a deed. Use one when ownership is disputed, when the owner has died and the estate has not been probated, when the estate is large enough to owe tax, or when Medicaid planning is involved.
About $17 for the first page plus roughly $3 per additional page. Alabama also charges deed tax (documentary stamps) at $0.50 per $500 of value, or fraction thereof.
No. Alabama is not among the 32 states plus DC that authorise a transfer-on-death deed. The usual alternatives here are a revocable living trust or survivorship titling.
Keep reading
- Alabama quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Alabama general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Alabama special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Alabama life estate deedYou keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you.
- Alabama recording officesWhere to file in each county, with fees and contact details.
- Compare all 51 jurisdictionsWitness rules, transfer taxes, and recording fees side by side.
Deedly is not a law firm
We provide self-help software and state-specific statutory forms; you make your own decisions about your property. Using Deedly does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing here is legal advice. If your situation is complex or contested, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.