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Alabama source record

Every source behind the Alabama guide

7 primary records, quoted verbatim and checked against 23 named presence or absence conditions that must pass against the live government text. Open the record, read the words the publishing body actually used, and confirm the current rule for yourself.

Last full re-fetch September 15, 2026

What each source establishes

The Alabama guide rests on the source-backed rules this site can verify for the state: which simplified procedure exists and what it limits, what the court charges, how the person administering the estate may be paid, and the statutory creditor-deadline clocks the official text states.Every published rule below is quoted in the publisher’s own words rather than summarised.

Simplified-procedure rule

Ala. Code § 43-2-692

Alabama Legislature (Code of Alabama 1975) · (Acts 1975, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 145, §3; Act 2009-399, p. 724, §1; Act 2025-431, · Verified August 9, 2026

At least 30 days have elapsed since the notice of the filing of the petition was published as provided in subsection

What this means: Fetched via the ALISON GraphQL Section-by-displayId endpoint (returns clean JSON). Establishes the 30-day post-publication waiting period for summary distribution.

What was published from this source

  • AL Ala. Code § 43-2-692

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • 30-day post-publication wait
  • section identity 43-2-692
  • section identity

Response digest b9571564497a44f7… · HTTP 200

Simplified-procedure rule

Ala. Code § 43-2-691

Alabama Legislature (Code of Alabama 1975) · (Acts 1975, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 145, §2; Act 2009-399, p. 724, §1; Act 2025-431, · Verified August 9, 2026

SMALL ESTATE AMOUNT. The sum as adjusted from time to time based on the Consumer Price Index formula set forth in Section 43-8-116 of the homestead allowance under Section 43-8-110, exempt property under Section 43-8-111, and the family allowance under Sections 43-8-112 and 43-8-113

What this means: Defines "small estate amount" as a CPI-indexed sum of allowances (not a fixed figure) and "estate" as personal property of a decedent who owns no real property — hence assetScope personal-only and threshold UNKNOWN (indexed).

What was published from this source

  • AL Ala. Code § 43-2-691

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • small estate amount is CPI-indexed sum of allowances
  • estate is personal property, no real property
  • section identity 43-2-691
  • section identity

Response digest 2d8406cbb4a0cdd6… · HTTP 200

Simplified-procedure rule

Ala. Code § 43-8-116

Alabama Legislature (Code of Alabama 1975) · (Act 2015-484, §3.) · Verified August 9, 2026

the State Treasurer shall adjust each dollar amount in this article or, for each adjustment after July 1, 2017, each adjusted amount, by an amount determined by the State Treasurer to reflect the cumulative change in the consumer price index

What this means: The indexing mechanism that makes the small-estate amount a moving, administratively-published figure. Sourced to explain WHY the threshold is UNKNOWN rather than a static number.

What was published from this source

  • AL Ala. Code § 43-8-116

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • CPI adjustment by State Treasurer
  • section identity 43-8-116
  • section identity

Response digest 2e8a35ea58afc5ad… · HTTP 200

Simplified-procedure rule

Ala. Code § 43-8-110

Alabama Legislature (Code of Alabama 1975) · (Acts 1982, No. 82-399, §2-401; Act 2015-484, §1.) · Verified August 9, 2026

{"data":{"sections":{"data":[{"displayId":"43-8-110","catchLine":"Homestead Allowance.","effectiveDate":null,"supersessionDate":null,"content":" (a) A surviving spouse of a decedent who was domiciled in this state is entitled to a homestead allowance of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000).

What this means: Statutory BASE homestead allowance of $15,000 — one of the components summed (and then CPI-adjusted) to form the small estate amount. The base figure is stated; the adjusted operative figure is not.

What was published from this source

  • AL Ala. Code § 43-8-110

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • homestead allowance base $15,000
  • section identity 43-8-110
  • section identity

Response digest da0a64a5b5c87405… · HTTP 200

Executor compensation rule

Ala. Code § 43-2-848

Alabama Legislature (Code of Alabama 1975) · (Acts 1993, No. 93-722, p. 1411, §19.) · Verified August 9, 2026

which shall not exceed two and one-half percent of the value of all property received and under the possession and control of the personal representative and two and one-half percent of all disbursements

What this means: Ceiling of 2.5% of property received/controlled PLUS 2.5% of disbursements — the base is receipts-and-disbursements, NOT gross estate value. Critical not to apply this to whole-estate value.

What was published from this source

  • AL Ala. Code § 43-2-848

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • comp ceiling 2.5% receipts + 2.5% disbursements
  • section identity 43-2-848
  • section identity

Response digest bfa95b1a47a2e4c5… · HTTP 200

Court cost rule

Ala. Code § 12-19-90

Alabama Legislature (Code of Alabama 1975) · Act 2000-108, p. 148, §§9, 10.) · Verified August 9, 2026

Grant of letters of administration with three certified copies of letters of administration and including final settlement when not more than 10 pages (when over 10 pages an additional charge of $3.00 per page) ..... 45.00

What this means: Statewide $45.00 for grant of letters of administration; § 12-19-90(d) preserves local fee laws so counties may add charges on top.

What was published from this source

  • AL Ala. Code § 12-19-90

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • grant of letters fee $45.00
  • local fee laws preserved
  • section identity 12-19-90
  • section identity

Response digest 660714325eb0dc1c… · HTTP 200

Creditor deadline rule

Ala. Code § 43-2-350

Alabama Legislature (Code of Alabama 1975) · Acts 1989, No. 89-811, p. 1618, §3.) · Verified August 9, 2026

within six months after the grant of letters, or within five months from the date of the first publication of notice, whichever is the later to occur

What this means: Six months from grant of letters or five months from first publication, whichever is later; actual-notice creditors get 30 days. Separates the appointment trigger (6 mo) from the publication trigger (5 mo).

What was published from this source

  • AL Ala. Code § 43-2-350

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • creditor bar 6mo from letters / 5mo from publication
  • section identity 43-2-350
  • section identity

Response digest 98f7bf992800cf23… · HTTP 200

Alabama provisions this site could not read

Not every state serves its own code. Where Alabama did not, the attempt is recorded here instead of being covered over with a figure copied from a secondary summary. Each row names the authority that would settle the question and the page that failed to return it.

Authority soughtWhat is therefore not publishedTried on
Code of Alabama, tit. 43 (compensation of personal representatives)No Alabama compensation figure appears here, because the state serves its code as an application rather than as text — representative pay2026-09-17
Code of Alabama, tit. 43, ch. 2 (presentation of claims)The Alabama creditor period is left unstated here for the same reason, and the risk of guessing it is higher — creditor deadline2026-09-17

Alabama source decision map

How the Alabama records fit together

The source record is most useful when each citation has a job. This map links the Alabama procedure, cost, compensation, and deadline records to the decision each one can and cannot answer.

QuestionRecorded Alabama answerCarry into the case
What route is being screened?Summary distribution of small estate (Ala. Code §§ 43-2-690 to 43-2-692)Confirm that the will, prior appointment, family facts, and asset titles fit this route.
What property and basis count?personal probate property only; gross value with statutory exemptions not classified by this worksheet.Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately.
What is the amount screen?No numeric ceiling verifiedUse the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut.
What is the time or deadline record?30 days after death; 180 days; Claims must be presented within six months after the grant of letters, OR within five months from the date of first publication of notice, whichever is the later to occur; claims not so presented and filed are forever barred (Ala. Code § 43-2-350). The six-month period runs from the grant of letters (appointment), so the modelled figure is 180 days from the grant, extended when the publication-based five-month period ends later.Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number.
What does the cost record establish?$45 is the recorded statewide amount.Ask the Probate Court about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings.
What does compensation use?Ala. Code § 43-2-848(a) allows reasonable compensation subject to a ceiling of two and one-half percent (2.5%) of the value of all property received and under the personal representative’s possession and control PLUS two and one-half percent (2.5%) of all disbursements. The ceiling therefore applies to receipts and disbursements, not to the whole estate value. Extraordinary services may be allowed additionally (§ 43-2-848(b)), and a will or written agreement can vary the amount (§ 43-2-848(c)–(d)). The relevant base is money received and paid out during administration.Keep the will, task log, receipts, and accounting base together; extraordinary work is separate.

Decision boundary

What the Alabama source set does not silently decide

The Alabama records establish the rules listed above, but they do not turn a source citation into advice about title, family priority, tax filing, contested proceedings, or the exact clerk practice in every county. Those questions stay with the official court or a qualified adviser. The useful next step is to match the question to the citation rather than treating the longest quote as the answer to every estate problem.

No numeric shortcut is available for Alabama

This registry does not establish a numeric Alabama ceiling from an accepted primary source. The safe next step is to follow the reason and source lane on this page, then ask the Probate Court for the current rule rather than importing a neighboring state\'s amount.

Next evidence to collect

Open the quoted record for the row you rely on and check the publisher's current text before filing.

  1. Record the date of death, the county, and the exact proceeding or affidavit being considered.
  2. Classify each asset by title, beneficiary, trust, real-property status, and the value basis shown above.
  3. Open the official court material below and keep its form or schedule with the estate record.
  4. Do not distribute property until the route, creditor position, and required approvals are resolved.

Official material

Probate is heard in the county Probate Court. Filing fees for the grant of letters are a $45.00 statewide figure (§ 12-19-90) but § 12-19-90(d) expressly preserves local fee laws, so individual counties may add charges.

Alabama publishes no single statewide small-estate affidavit. The summary-distribution petition is filed with the Probate Court of the county of residence, and each probate court issues its own form, so the county court is the place to obtain it.

Source trail

Records used by this Alabama map

What Alabama courts publish

The statutes on this page state the rule. These are the documents the court itself publishes. Every link is probed before release, and any link that stops resolving fails the build rather than staying on the page.

Limits on court material

  • Probate is heard in the county Probate Court. Filing fees for the grant of letters are a $45.00 statewide figure (§ 12-19-90) but § 12-19-90(d) expressly preserves local fee laws, so individual counties may add charges.
  • Alabama publishes no single statewide small-estate affidavit. The summary-distribution petition is filed with the Probate Court of the county of residence, and each probate court issues its own form, so the county court is the place to obtain it.

Checking these Alabama records against the publishers

Every citation above links to the body that publishes it, and every quoted sentence is reproduced exactly, so a text search on the publisher’s own page should land on it. Where the publisher’s current wording differs from what is recorded here, the publisher governs and this page is wrong; naming the citation and the language you see maps the difference onto a specific condition rather than a general complaint. The full procedure, including how a source qualifies in the first place and what disqualifies one, is set out once on the methodology page instead of being restated on each of the254 state records.

These records cover the cost and route questions this site answers for Alabama. They do not cover intestate succession shares, spousal and family allowances, creditor priority, tax filing obligations, real-property transfer mechanics, or contested proceedings. Where an answer would require one of those, the site says so rather than estimating.

Return to the Alabama estate guide ·All 254 records ·Dataset overview and citation ·How sources are selected