Houston County, AL

Public records in Dothan can give you addresses, court history, and ownership info — but each source covers a different angle. **1. Property records — best for current addresses of homeowners** - Houston County Revenue Commissioner: Greg Holland - Office: 114 N. Oates St., Dothan, AL 36303 (the County Courthouse) - Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM (Houston County uses 4-day weeks for some departments) - Free property search portal: houstoncountyal.gov/revenue/property_record_search - Alternate property search: ingproperty.com/Houston_Revenue/property.aspx — search by name or parcel - GIS map search: isv.kcsgis.com/al.houston_revenue — useful when you have a rough address but no exact street number **2. Court records — recent addresses from filings** - Statewide search: alacourt.gov — free name search across all Alabama trial courts - Houston County Circuit Clerk handles full case files - Court filings often include the person's address at the time of the case — particularly useful for civil suits, divorces, and creditor judgments **3. Voter registration — public in Alabama** - Alabama Secretary of State VoterView: myinfo.alabamavotes.gov - Confirm registration status, polling location, and address — but you typically need name + DOB **4. Police-related records (City of Dothan)** - Public records request through the City Clerk: dothan.org/210/Records-Searches - Up to a week to process **Honest take:** for finding someone you've lost touch with personally, social media usually beats public records. Public records work best when you need a verified address (legal service, debt collection, custody filing) — not for casual reconnection. **What's NOT a public record:** utility account info, current cell phone numbers, employment history.

Dothan is the Houston County seat in southeast Alabama. Arrests there involve up to three agencies depending on jurisdiction. **Houston County Sheriff's Office (the main one):** - Address: 411 N Foster Street, Dothan, AL 36303 - Phone: 334-677-4882 / 334-677-4808 - Houston County Jail: 334-712-0762 (jail location: 901 E. Main St., Dothan, AL 36301) - Sheriff: Donald Valenza (elected, in office since 2014) - Online inmate listing: houstoncosoal.gov/inmate-listing - Booking search portal: cc.southernsoftware.com/bookingsearch - Email: info@houstoncountysheriff.org - Coverage: 587 square miles, ~109,000 residents **Dothan Police Department (for city-level arrests):** - Phone: 334-615-3000 (general) - Records: 334-615-3632 - News/arrests page: dothanpd.org/news/arrests — they post regular arrest reports - For a public records request, the **City Clerk** handles it under Alabama's Open Records Act - Records request form at dothan.org/210/Records-Searches — typical turnaround is up to a week - Crash reports: $15.00 each (cash, check, or credit card) **Dothan City Jail (separate from County Jail):** - 210 N St Andrews St, Dothan, AL 36301 - Holds short-term/city-court arrests separately from the Houston County Jail **For older arrests or court history:** - Alabama Unified Judicial System: alacourt.gov — free statewide search - Houston County Circuit Clerk for case files **Practical tip:** if you saw someone get arrested but they're not on the Houston County roster, check the Dothan City Jail — minor city offenses often go there first before being transferred. The City Jail roster isn't online; you'd need to call.

Opelika is the Lee County seat. Warrants here come from one of two places: the Opelika Police Department (city-level) or the Lee County Sheriff (county-level and unincorporated). Verified live today. **Lee County Sheriff's Office** - Address: 1900 Frederick Rd, Opelika, AL 36801 - Mailing: PO Box 688, Opelika, AL 36803-0688 - Phone: 334-749-5651 (main), 334-737-7022 (alt) - Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CST - Records request: leecosheriffal.gov/recordsrequest (downloadable form) **Opelika Police Department** - Address: 501 South 10th Street, Opelika, AL 36801 (mail to 36803) - Records Division: 334-705-5295 - Public records request line: 334-705-5110 - Email: rjones@opelika-al.gov - Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM **The Alabama-specific reality:** the Lee County Sheriff's Office takes a slightly different approach than most Alabama agencies. Per the Sheriff's policy and the county magistrate office: **if someone suspects a warrant has been issued against them, they must appear in person at the Lee County Sheriff's Department.** They will not confirm warrants by phone for privacy and operational reasons. **For a court-level confirmation:** the Lee County Circuit Clerk can verify whether a specific warrant tied to a known case is still active. Statewide docket: alacourt.gov **Watch out for scams:** Lee County has actively warned about scammers calling residents claiming to be deputies and saying there's a warrant for missing jury duty. **Real deputies do not collect fines or warrant payments by phone.** If you get such a call, hang up and contact the Sheriff's office directly. **If the warrant is on you:** consult a Lee County defense attorney before walking into the Sheriff's department. The 30-minute consult is cheaper than getting booked without representation.

In Alabama, deeds and recorded property documents are filed at the **county Probate Office** (the office that doubles as the recorder), and assessment/tax data is at the **county Revenue Commissioner** or Tax Assessor (in Mobile, Jefferson, and a few others, separate Tax Assessor and Tax Collector offices). Most counties have free online search portals: Jefferson (jeffcoprobatecourt.com — fees $84.50 first copy, $28 standard recording), Mobile (probate.mobilecountyal.gov — deed tax $0.50 per $500 value), Baldwin (baldwincountyal.gov/government/probate-office/recording — $5 archive fee, $1 per name after two), Madison, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa (tuscco.com — $5 minimum filing). Statewide deed tax is $1.00 per $1,000 of value, rounded up. Bring an Alabama Real Estate Sales Validation form when filing a new deed — recording without it is rejected. Certified copies typically run $1–$3 per page. Online deed images normally go back to the 1990s; older books (often handwritten) require an in-person visit to the courthouse. Sources: Jefferson Probate (jeffcoprobatecourt.com), Mobile Probate, Baldwin County, Tuscaloosa County, Limestone County.

Same August 2019 rule change applies here. There are no marriage *licenses* in Alabama anymore — only marriage *certificates* filed with the Probate Office. **For a current marriage filing (post-August 2019):** Barbour County has two probate locations. The Eufaula office handles the southern half of the county: - **Eufaula Probate Office** — 405 E Barbour Street, Eufaula, AL 36027 · 334-687-1530 - Mailing address: PO Box 758, Eufaula, AL 36072 To file: complete the Alabama Marriage Certificate form, get it notarized, and file with payment within 30 days. Form available at alabamapublichealth.gov/vitalrecords/marriage-certificates.html **For a search of existing records:** - Online search through the Barbour County system: ingprobate.com/barbour_probate — has both probate case records and marriage records - For a certified copy from the state: Alabama Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statistics — $15.00 first copy (records back to August 1936) · 334-206-5418 **Pre-1936 marriages:** must come from the Barbour County Probate Office directly — the state didn't centralize records before then. **Note on what's actually in the index:** the online search returns names and dates. For legal use (name change, immigration, estate work), you need the certified copy with the seal — that comes from either Probate or ADPH, not the online index.

Information on an unsolved murder in Alabama lives in three places. (1) The Alabama Attorney General's Cold Case unit at https://www.alabamaag.gov/cold-cases/ — public list of homicides and sexual assaults still under active review, with victim photos, case summaries, and a tip-submission form. (2) Alabama Project Cold Case at https://database.projectcoldcase.org/?state=Alabama — community-built database of unsolved homicides built from family submissions, news reports, and ALEA data; searchable by city, year, and victim name. (3) The investigating agency itself — usually the county sheriff's investigations division if the murder happened outside city limits, or the city police homicide unit (Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, Huntsville all have one). For the actual case file, file an Alabama Open Records Act request under Code of Alabama § 36-12-40 — agencies routinely deny active-investigation files, but a charging document, autopsy report, or 911 transcript may be releasable. Anyone with information can call the ALEA tip line at 1-800-392-8011. Sources: Alabama AG (alabamaag.gov), Project Cold Case (projectcoldcase.org), ALEA (alea.gov).