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Alabama County
Monroe County, Alabama
Monroeville - the literary capital of Alabama - from Harper Lee's Monroeville birthplace (the author of To Kill a Mockingbird - one of the most celebrated American novels ever written, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, adapted into an Academy Award-winning film starring Gregory Peck - was born and spent her childhood in Monroeville, and the novel's fictional Maycomb is widely understood to be based on the town) to Truman Capote's Monroeville childhood (Capote spent formative years in Monroeville as Harper Lee's neighbor and childhood friend - the two writers' intertwined childhoods in this small Alabama town produced two of the most significant literary figures in 20th-century American literature) and the Old Monroe County Courthouse museum.
County SeatMonroeville
Population20,000
Founded1815
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Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Notes: Southwest Alabama rural county; Alabama River forms part of northern boundary (flood risk); tornado corridor; home of Monroeville – literary birthplace of Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Truman Capote
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Monroe County Highway Department
Phone: (251) 743-4107
Public Transit: Very limited; demand-response only; rural county
Road Conditions: ALDOT – algotraffic.com
Notes: US-84 corridor; Alabama River crossings; Monroeville is county seat; limited transit; Mobile is nearest significant urban center
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Monroe County Commission
Address: 65 N Alabama Ave, Monroeville, AL 36460
Phone: (251) 743-4107
Services: Basic building permits for unincorporated areas
Notes: City of Monroeville has separate permitting; Alabama River waterfront development generates some activity
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Monroe County Veterans Service Office
Address: 65 N Alabama Ave, Monroeville, AL 36460
Phone: (251) 743-4107
VA Medical: Gulf Coast VA – Biloxi, MS; Mobile VA Clinic – (251) 219-3565
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Rural southwest Alabama; Mobile VA is the more accessible facility
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Monroe County Public Library
Address: 31 Monroe St, Monroeville, AL 36460
Phone: (251) 743-3576
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, Alabama Digital Library, Harper Lee/Truman Capote collections
Notes: The library holds materials related to Harper Lee and Truman Capote, both of whom grew up in Monroeville; to Kill a Mockingbird literary heritage is a central community identity; Monroe County Museum (Old Courthouse) is the more prominent literary heritage site
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Alabama River access and recreation; Monroe County Lake (fishing); hunting on private timber lands; Old Monroe County Courthouse (National Historic Landmark – where To Kill a Mockingbird trials are reenacted annually); Harper Lee literary heritage tourism
Notes: Monroeville’s To Kill a Mockingbird Heritage is the county’s defining tourism draw; the Old Courthouse is a National Historic Landmark and hosts the famous annual courthouse play reenacting the novel’s trial; Harper Lee’s grave site and childhood home locations draw literary pilgrims; Alabama River provides fishing and boating recreation
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Limited; Alabama state GIS – alabamamaps.ua.edu
Notes: Rural county; basic GIS through state resources
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Monroe County Animal Control
Phone: (251) 743-4107 (County Commission)
Services: Basic animal control
Notes: Limited shelter resources
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Monroe County Solid Waste – (251) 743-4107
Recycling: Minimal
Environmental: Alabama River watershed; timber industry operations; ADEM – adem.alabama.gov
Notes: Timber is dominant land use; Alabama River water quality monitoring important; limited industrial environmental concerns
About Monroe County
Monroe County is the literary capital of Alabama – Harper Lee and Truman Capote grew up as neighbors in Monroeville, and To Kill a Mockingbird’s fictional Maycomb is based on the town where two of America’s most celebrated writers spent their childhoods.
Monroeville (the county seat, population ~6,000) celebrates its literary heritage with the annual To Kill a Mockingbird courthouse play performed in the historic Old Monroe County Courthouse – the same building that inspired the fictional Maycomb courthouse.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Monroe County Revenue Commissioner at 65 N. Alabama Avenue, Suite 2, Monroeville, AL 36460, phone 251-743-4107. AL residential assessed at 10% of market value.
Public Records
Clinic Office: (251) 575-3109
Fax: (251) 575-7935
Environmental Office: (251) 575-7034
Fax: (251) 575-7935
Home Health / Life Care: (251) 575-2980
Fax: (251) 575-2144
Clinic Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
WIC, environmental (food/lodging, sanitation, pools, tattoos), home care, life care, clinical (STD, family planning, vaccines, breast/cervical cancer screening)
DHR / SNAP / Medicaid: Via dhr.alabama.gov/county-office-contact/
Recommended
Search Monroe County public records for Monroeville and Monroe County residents.
Courts & Legal
Monroe County Probate Court at 65 N. Alabama Avenue, Monroeville, AL 36460, phone 251-743-2216, handles probate.
Senior Services
Senior Services: —
Transportation: —
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE JUDGE (Deeds, Marriage Licenses, Estates)
65 N. Alabama Ave., Monroeville, AL 36460
(251) 743-4107
CIRCUIT CLERK (Court Records)
65 N. Alabama Ave., Monroeville, AL 36460
(251) 743-4107
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Monroe County Probate Court (marriage licenses, will and estate files, land deeds – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Monroe County Heritage Society, P.O. Box 1637, Monroeville, AL 36461-1637
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Monroe County Probate Office 65 North Alabama Avenue, Monroeville, AL 36460 Mailing address: P.O. Box 665, Monroeville, AL 36461 (251) 743-4107 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (call ahead to confirm, especially around lunch)
Step 1: figure out which path applies
This is the fork in the road that determines everything else – how long it takes, what it costs, and whether you need an attorney.
Small/Summary Distribution – for estates made up of personal property only (no real estate) worth up to roughly $47,000 (the threshold is CPI-adjusted annually; it rose from about $36,000 to ~$47,000 under the Revised Alabama Small Estates Act, effective October 1, 2025). No personal representative is appointed, and there’s no months-long court oversight – just a single verified petition.
Formal Probate – required if the estate includes real property, exceeds the small-estate threshold, or there’s a dispute among heirs. This appoints a personal representative (an executor if there’s a will, an administrator if there isn’t) with legal authority to act for the estate.
If the estate qualifies for summary distribution
Wait at least 30 days after the death before filing – filings submitted earlier will be rejected.
The surviving spouse (if there is one) is the only person who can file; if there’s no surviving spouse, any rightful heir can.
File a verified petition with the Monroe County Probate Court listing the decedent’s assets, debts, and heirs, plus the will if one exists.
Notice must be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county; no distribution can happen until 30 days after publication.
The petitioner must separately notify the Alabama Medicaid Agency by certified mail (Medicaid has 30 days to respond with any claim against the estate – this step is required in every case, not just where Medicaid was involved).
Once both 30-day windows close and the judge approves, the court issues an order you can present to banks or other institutions to claim and distribute the property.
Simple, uncontested cases can wrap up in weeks to a few months. Anything with disputed debts or unclear heirs takes longer.
If formal probate is required
Gather what you’ll need before your first visit: the original will (if any), several certified copies of the death certificate, a list of assets and debts, and names/addresses of all heirs and beneficiaries.
File a Petition for Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Petition for Letters of Administration (without one). Filing fee is a flat $45, plus $3/page for wills over 5 pages, and covers three certified copies of the letters.
Creditor notice must be published once a week for three successive weeks in a Monroe County newspaper of general circulation.
If uncontested with waivers filed, a hearing may not be required; otherwise the judge holds one and, if approved, issues the Letters.
The personal representative then has 2 months to file a full inventory of estate assets, and creditors have 6 months from the grant of letters (or 5 months from first publication, whichever is later) to submit claims.
After debts and taxes are settled, the representative files a final accounting; once approved, assets are distributed and the estate is formally closed.
Alabama requires an estate to stay open a minimum of 6 months, whether or not there’s a will.
A will must be filed for probate within 5 years of the date of death, or it loses effect.
What it costs
Court filing: $45 flat (plus the per-page will fee noted above).
Personal representative compensation: capped by law at 2.5% of the estate’s value received plus 2.5% of disbursements (extra allowed for genuinely extraordinary work).
Attorney fees: not fixed by statute – negotiated between the family and the attorney. Alabama doesn’t require an attorney for probate, but most formal (non-small-estate) cases benefit from one, especially if there’s a dispute or the estate includes real property.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE JUDGE (Deeds, Marriage Licenses, Estates)
65 N. Alabama Ave., Monroeville, AL 36460
(251) 743-4107
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
105 N. Mount Pleasant Ave., Monroeville, AL 36460
(251) 743-4461
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF REGISTRARS (Voter Registration)
65 N. Alabama Ave., Monroeville, AL 36460
(251) 743-4107
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
208 S. Mount Pleasant Ave., Monroeville, AL 36460
(251) 743-4461
Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM
Health Dept
Monroe County Health Dept
DHR / SNAP / Medicaid
dhr.alabama.gov 211
WIC
Up to 185% FPL — call Health Dept
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Monroe County Health Department
Address: 2016 S Alabama Ave, Monroeville, AL 36460
Phone: (251) 575-3108
Website: alabamapublichealth.gov/monroe
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Monroe County Hospital provides local hospital services; rural county with limited specialty healthcare; health department is primary care access for many residents
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Monroeville
Population: 20,000
Area: 1,025 sq mi
Established: 1815
Tier: 3
Public Records
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