Cowarts, Alabama Public Records

For more serious matters, the Houston County Circuit Court, located at the Houston County Courthouse, 114 North Oates Street, Dothan, AL 36303, phone (334) 677-4700, handles felony criminal cases, civil cases over $10,000, domestic relations including divorce and child custody, probate matters, and appeals from lower courts. The Houston County District Court, also at the Houston County Courthouse, phone (334) 677-4766, handles misdemeanor criminal cases, civil cases up to $10,000, small claims cases up to $6,000, and preliminary hearings for felonies. Alabama does not have a unified statewide online court records portal, so most court record searches must be conducted in person at the courthouse or through the Alabama Judicial System's limited case search portal at www.alacourt.com, which provides some case information but requires registration and may have fees. Certified copies of court documents typically cost $1.00 per page plus a certification fee of approximately $5.00, though fees vary by document type and court. Marriage licenses are issued by the Houston County Probate Office at the courthouse, phone (334) 677-4700.

The office provides an online property search tool accessible through their website where residents can search by owner name, address, or parcel number to view property information including assessed values, tax amounts, legal descriptions, and ownership history. The Houston County Probate Office, located at the Houston County Courthouse, 114 North Oates Street, Dothan, AL 36303, phone (334) 677-4700, serves as the official recorder of deeds and maintains all recorded documents including warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, mortgages, liens, easements, and other instruments affecting real property. Property records can be searched in person at the Probate Office during business hours, and some counties in Alabama provide online access to recorded documents, though Houston County's online access may be limited or require fees. To conduct a property search by address, residents can use the Revenue Commissioner's online assessment database or visit the Probate Office in person. Houston County also provides GIS mapping services that may include parcel viewer functionality showing property boundaries, though availability and features should be confirmed with county offices. Recording fees for deeds and mortgages are set by Alabama law and typically range from $15 to $50 depending on the document type and number of pages.

Healthcare providers such as Southeast Health Medical Center and Flowers Hospital in Dothan are also significant employers. The Houston County School System operates schools serving Cowarts-area students and provides substantial public sector employment. Locally within Cowarts, the economy consists mainly of small retail businesses, convenience stores along U.S. Highway 431, service providers, and agricultural operations. The dominant industries in the region include agriculture (peanuts, cotton, and soybeans are major crops in Houston County), military and defense due to Fort Novosel, healthcare, education, and retail trade. Median household income in Cowarts is estimated to be between $40,000 and $50,000 based on census data, slightly below state averages. Recent development in the area has been modest, with some new residential construction as the Dothan area experiences gradual growth. Cowarts maintains its character as a quiet, affordable bedroom community offering small-town living with access to the employment and services of nearby Dothan, approximately 12 miles to the south. The town's economic prospects are largely dependent on continued growth in the Dothan metropolitan area and stability at Fort Novosel.

Law enforcement services for Cowarts are provided primarily by the Cowarts Police Department, located at 26510 U.S. Highway 431, Cowarts, AL 36303, phone (334) 692-2254. The department handles municipal law enforcement within town limits and maintains incident reports, accident reports, and police records that can be requested in person or by written request to the department. For areas outside the town limits and for more serious crimes, the Houston County Sheriff's Office serves as the primary law enforcement agency, located at 1101 West Main Street, Dothan, AL 36301, phone (334) 677-4877, website www.houstoncountysheriff.org. The Sheriff's Office maintains jurisdiction over unincorporated areas of Houston County and provides patrol, investigations, and detention services. Arrest and jail booking information can be searched through the Houston County Detention Center inmate roster available on the Sheriff's Office website, which displays current inmate names, booking dates, charges, bond amounts, and mugshots. Public records requests in Alabama are governed by the Alabama Open Records Law (Code of Alabama § 36-12-40 et seq.), which requires government agencies to provide access to non-exempt public records within a reasonable time. To request police reports or incident records, residents should submit written requests to the respective law enforcement agency, including the date of incident, case number if known, and specific information requested. Some records may be exempt from disclosure during ongoing investigations or if they contain confidential informant information or would compromise public safety.

Certified copies can be ordered online through VitalChek at www.vitalchek.com with additional processing fees, or by mail with a completed application, valid photo ID copy, proof of relationship or eligibility, and payment. Processing time is typically 2-4 weeks by mail or 3-5 business days for expedited online orders. Only eligible applicants can request vital records in Alabama, including the registrant (if 18+), immediate family members, legal representatives, or those with a direct and tangible interest. Marriage licenses in Alabama are no longer issued in the traditional ceremony format; as of August 29, 2019, Alabama law changed to a recording system where couples complete a marriage certificate form that is recorded with the Probate Office. The Houston County Probate Office, located at 114 North Oates Street, Dothan, AL 36303, phone (334) 677-4700, handles marriage certificate recordings for a fee of $74.00. Divorce records are maintained as court records through the Houston County Circuit Court and can be accessed through the court clerk's office. Historical vital records are available dating back to January 1908 for birth and death records; marriage and divorce records may extend further back through county courthouse archives.

For businesses operating in unincorporated Houston County areas near Cowarts, Houston County may have separate business license requirements that should be verified with the county. Fictitious business name registrations (doing business as/DBA) in Alabama are filed with the Houston County Probate Office at 114 North Oates Street, Dothan, AL 36303, phone (334) 677-4700, with a filing fee of approximately $30-$50 for a five-year registration. At the state level, corporations, limited liability companies, and other business entities must register with the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services Division. The Alabama Secretary of State provides a free online business entity search at www.sos.alabama.gov where anyone can search for registered corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and trademarks by business name, officer name, or entity number. The search displays entity status, registered agent information, formation date, and principal office address. Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings for secured transactions and liens are also filed with the Alabama Secretary of State and can be searched through their UCC search portal. Business property owners can look up commercial property assessments through the Houston County Revenue Commissioner's online property search at www.houstoncountyrevenuecommissioner.com, which shows assessed values and tax information for commercial parcels in Cowarts and throughout the county.

Election administration for Cowarts voters is handled by the Houston County Probate Office, which serves as the county's election authority, located at 114 North Oates Street, Dothan, AL 36303, phone (334) 677-4700. Cowarts residents register to vote through the Alabama Secretary of State's online voter registration system at www.alabamainteractive.org/sos/voter_registration, which requires a valid Alabama driver's license or non-driver ID. Voter registration must be completed at least 15 days before an election. Alabama law requires voters to present valid photo identification at polling places, including Alabama driver's license, Alabama non-driver ID, U.S. passport, employee ID from federal/state/county/municipal government, student or employee ID from Alabama public college or university, U.S. military ID, or tribal ID. Municipal elections for the Town of Cowarts include mayor and town council positions, typically held in conjunction with other municipal elections in Alabama on the last Tuesday in August. The next municipal election cycle will be in August 2024, followed by August 2028. Cowarts residents can locate their assigned polling place by using the Alabama Secretary of State's polling place lookup tool at myinfo.alabamavotes.gov or by contacting the Houston County Probate Office. Public election records in Alabama include voter registration lists (available with restrictions to prevent misuse), campaign finance reports filed with the Alabama Secretary of State's office at www.fcpa.alabama.gov, candidate qualification information, and precinct-level election results. In the November 2024 presidential election, Houston County reported voter turnout of approximately 55-60% of registered voters, consistent with patterns in southeastern Alabama. The November 3, 2026 general election will feature important statewide and local races including Alabama's gubernatorial election (Governor Kay Ivey's term expires in 2027, with 2026 elections for the 2027-2031 term), all seven U.S. House seats from Alabama, state legislature seats including Alabama House District 87 which includes Cowarts, constitutional amendment proposals, Houston County Commission seats, Houston County Board of Education positions, and judicial positions. Absentee voting in Alabama requires voters to request an absentee ballot application from the Houston County Absentee Election Manager, complete the application with an acceptable excuse (as Alabama does not have universal no-excuse absentee voting), and submit the ballot by the deadline, typically by close of polls on Election Day. Emergency absentee voting is available for specific circumstances within five days of an election.