Houston County AL Assessor Property Search 2026

Houston County, Alabama • Dothan • verified August 8, 2026

Find the Correct Houston County Property Record

For Houston County, Alabama, start with the Revenue Commissioner’s property system for owner, address, parcel, PPIN, BPPIN, account, assessment and tax-linked information. Use GIS only when you need map context and Probate when you need the actual recorded deed, mortgage or lien.

This guide also separates Houston County AL from Houston County GA, Houston County TX and the city of Houston, Texas, then walks through 2026 values, late-appeal questions, homestead, current use, tax math, payments, business property and land records.

Confirm My Houston Search Property 2026 Dates

2026 valuation notices June 30, 2026 Houston County mailed its 2026 BOE valuation notices on this date.

Ordinary appeal deadline July 30, 2026 The posted written-appeal deadline has passed as of August 8.

2026 taxes become due October 1, 2026 Annual property-tax notices are normally mailed in late September.

Special homestead December 31, 2026 The current Revenue alert gives this 2026 filing deadline.

Which Houston Property Search Do You Actually Need?

“Houston assessor property search” is one of the easiest property-record searches to send to the wrong jurisdiction.

Houston County, Alabama

This article. Use it for Dothan and other property located in Houston County, Alabama. The Revenue Commissioner handles assessment and property-tax administration.

HTX

City of Houston, Texas

The city of Houston is primarily in Harris County and normally uses Harris Central Appraisal District for appraisal records.

Use the Harris County property search guide.

CTX

Houston County, Texas

This is the separate Texas county centered around Crockett—not the city of Houston.

Official Houston County Appraisal District, Texas Houston County TX

Houston County, Georgia

Perry and Warner Robins-area property uses Houston County, Georgia’s Tax Assessor system.

Official Houston County, Georgia Houston County GA

Continue below when the property is in Houston County, Alabama. The Revenue office is in Dothan at 462 N. Oates St.

Quick Answer: Which Office Handles Your Task?

Owner, address or value

Use the Revenue Commissioner property search.

Map or aerial view

Use Houston County GIS after finding the parcel or PPIN.

Tax balance or payment

Use Collections and the county-linked online tax service.

Deed, mortgage or lien

Use Probate Recording and its free land-record search.

Independent guide: AssessorPropertySearch.org does not maintain Houston County records, collect taxes, file appeals or provide title searches. Complete final searches, payments and filings through the official systems explained below.

How to Search Houston County Alabama Property Records

Use one clean search field at a time. County databases often return nothing when several partly incorrect details are combined.

Confirm the county and state

The official result should identify Houston County, Alabama and use Dothan contact information.

Select the tax year that matches your question

Use 2026 appraisal information for the 2026 valuation cycle, but use the year printed on a bill or receipt when researching taxes already billed or paid.

Choose one search type

Use Name, Address, Parcel Number, PPIN, BPPIN, Account, Subdivision or Receipt Number depending on what you already have.

Begin with fewer words

Try a surname, one business word, or the house number plus main road name. Add detail only when the result list is too broad.

Confirm the matching parcel

Match the owner, physical address, parcel, PPIN, account, subdivision, tax year and legal-description clues.

Save the permanent identifiers

Keep the parcel number, PPIN, BPPIN and account number before opening GIS, paying, calling the county or researching recorded documents.

After you understand the search sequence, use the county-linked system for the actual lookup.

Official Houston County property search Open Property Search

Search by Owner, Address, Parcel, PPIN, BPPIN or Account

What you have	Best field	First attempt	Next move if it fails
Individual owner	Name	Last name	Try prior owner, spouse, estate, heirs or trust wording.
LLC / corporation	Name	One distinctive entity word	Remove punctuation and LLC, Inc., LP or similar endings.
Street address	Address	House number + main street name	Remove city, ZIP, direction, street suffix and unit.
Parcel number	Parcel Number	Complete county-formatted parcel	Search owner/address once and copy the current parcel format.
PPIN	PPIN	Exact PPIN	Confirm the number is not a parcel, BPPIN or account.
Business-property ID	BPPIN	BPPIN from the business-property return or notice	Contact Business Personal Property if ownership/location changed.
Tax account	Account	Exact account for the correct year	Check whether the printed number is a PPIN or receipt instead.
Receipt	Receipt Number	Complete receipt reference	Confirm payment year and account with Collections.
Subdivision	Subdivision	One distinctive subdivision word	Verify spelling through the recorded plat or a known parcel.

Owner search is a locator, not title proof. A trust, estate, divorce, probate transfer or recent sale may make the Revenue owner display lag behind the recorded instrument.

How to Read the Houston County Property Record

Record field	What it helps answer	Do not assume
Owner / taxpayer	Who is currently carried on the assessment/tax record.	That the listing is a title opinion or immediately reflects a recent deed.
Physical address	Where the parcel is located.	That it is identical to the owner mailing address.
Parcel / PPIN / account	Precise matching for search, GIS, payments and county support.	That the identifiers are interchangeable.
Appraised value	County market-value or applicable current-use starting point.	That it equals purchase price, lender appraisal or tax due.
True assessed value	Appraised/current-use value after the Alabama classification percentage.	That it always equals taxable assessed value after the 7% cap.
Land and improvements	Review acreage, building data, additions and removals.	That tax-map dimensions substitute for a survey.
Class / exemption	Explains major parts of the tax calculation.	That a pending special homestead automatically appears immediately.
Tax / receipt data	Check balances and posted payments for the selected year.	That another year, penalty or later adjustment cannot exist.

Use Houston County GIS When an Address Is Not Enough

GIS is particularly valuable for farms, timber tracts, vacant land, inherited acreage and parcels without a dependable street address.

Before opening GIS

Find the property in the text search first and save the parcel number or PPIN.

Inside GIS

Confirm roads, neighboring parcels, aerial context and general parcel orientation.

Do not use GIS for

Fence disputes, easements, setbacks, encroachments, legal acreage or final boundary decisions.

County-linked Houston County GIS viewer Open GIS Map

Houston County Printed Tax Maps and Aerial Photography

The Mapping Department sells physical map and aerial products when online GIS is not enough for large-format or historical review.

Product	Size	Published price
Tax map	17 × 22	$6
Tax map	36 × 42	$10
Parcel lines only	8.5 × 11 to 30 × 30	$2–$10
Aerial photography	8.5 × 11 to 30 × 30	$2–$24
Parcel lines + aerial photo	8.5 × 11 to 30 × 30	$4–$30

Available aerial-image years

The county lists aerial photography from 2000, 2007, 2013, 2018 and 2022. Its 2022 orthophotography has published pixel resolutions of 0.33 foot for 100-scale mapping and 0.5 foot for 200-scale mapping.

Official Houston County Mapping Department Review Map Products

Houston County 2026 Property Dates: What Has Passed and What Is Next

June 30, 2026 — valuation notices mailed

The county says the 2026 tax valuation / BOE notices were mailed on June 30.

July 30, 2026 — ordinary written appeal deadline

Appeals had to be submitted in writing by mail or in person and timely postmarked or delivered.

August 8, 2026 — current status

The ordinary posted 2026 appeal deadline has passed.

October 1, 2026 — 2026 property taxes become due

Tax notices are normally mailed in the final week of September.

October–December 2026 — annual special homestead period

Houston County says age-65 and permanent-total-disability special exemptions must be claimed each year during this period.

December 31, 2026 — multiple local deadlines

This is the current special-homestead deadline and the local deadline used for current-use and annual business-personal-property filing.

January 1, 2027 — unpaid 2026 taxes become delinquent

Additional costs and later collection procedures can begin after December 31.

Missed the July 30 Appeal Deadline? Separate an Appeal From a Record Correction

The normal 2026 BOE filing period is over. That does not mean every factual record problem should be ignored, but a factual correction is not automatically a late value appeal.

Potential value-dispute evidence

2026 valuation notice.
Relevant comparable sales.
Recent arm’s-length purchase documents.
Condition photographs.
Repair estimates or inspections.
Explanation of the value you believe is supportable.

Potential factual-correction evidence

Measurements or floor plans.
Survey or acreage documents.
Demolition or building permits.
Dated photos of removed improvements.
Recorded deed or ownership paperwork.
Exemption/classification documentation.

Square footage vs. total adjusted area

Houston County distinguishes finished, heated and cooled living square footage from total adjusted area (TAA). TAA can include percentages of garages, porches and patios. Make sure you are comparing the same measurement before reporting an apparent size error.

What to do now: call Appraisal at 334-677-4798 with the parcel/PPIN and ask which procedure, if any, remains available for the specific factual or notice issue. Do not describe a phone conversation as a timely BOE appeal.

Official Houston County Appraisal Department Review 2026 Appraisal Information

How Houston County Property Tax Math Works

Class	General Alabama category	Assessment ratio
Class I	Utility property used in the utility business	30%
Class II	Property not otherwise classified, including many commercial and rental properties	20%
Class III	Qualifying owner-occupied residential, agricultural and forest property	10%
Class IV	Certain privately owned passenger vehicles and pickups	15%

Published Houston County millage components

Component	Mills
State total	6.50
County total	19.00
Special school district	3.50
Additional school levy	2.00
Municipal tax where applicable	5.00
Published total with municipal component	36.00

Safe calculation order

Appraised or current-use value × assessment ratio = true assessed value. Alabama’s 7% cap may then affect taxable assessed value. Exemptions are applied as applicable, and the resulting taxable amount is multiplied by the parcel’s millage. Fixed fees such as the county’s outside-Dothan fire fee are separate.

Official-page arithmetic typo: Houston County’s Exemptions page shows correct “without homestead” tax totals for its example but repeats the lower $6,560 number inside two parenthetical multiplication lines. The tax amounts actually correspond to the stated $13,120 Class II assessed value. Use the tax formula above rather than copying that display typo.

Municipality matters: Houston County lists municipal tax collection for Dothan, Ashford, Columbia, Gordon, Webb, Kinsey, Taylor, Rehobeth, Madrid and Cottonwood. Confirm the actual taxing district on the property record.

Official Houston County millage page Review Millage Components

Houston County Tax Planning Helper

This local calculator demonstrates the millage step only. Enter the taxable assessed value, not market value. It does not determine your classification, 7% cap, exemption eligibility, delinquency or official bill.

Taxable assessed value ($)

Planning millage

Outside-Dothan building fire fee?

Planning action

Enter the taxable assessed value from your official record.

Estimate only. Parcel-specific districts, exemptions, multiple structures/fees, corrections, penalties and later adjustments can change the official amount.

Alabama’s 7% Taxable Assessed-Value Cap

The statewide cap applies to eligible Class II and Class III real property and limits qualifying annual increases in taxable assessed value—not necessarily the final tax bill.

No owner application

The assessing office applies the cap automatically when eligible.
It compares current true assessed value with the prior taxable assessed value.
The cap is generally 7% for an eligible annual increase.
The current law continues through the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2027.

Common exclusion/reset events

Qualifying ownership change.
Property-classification change.
Newly assessed property.
Newly added improvement.
Significant addition or improvement.
Certain tax-increment-district situations.

Buyer warning: do not use a seller’s current tax bill as a guaranteed forecast. A qualifying ownership change can reset taxable assessed value to true assessed value for the following tax year.

Cap gap: taxable assessed value can sometimes continue rising while market value falls because a previously capped value is still catching up to true assessed value.

Official Alabama Department of Revenue Read 7% Cap Guidance

Houston County Homestead Exemption: H1, H2, H3 and H4

Houston County says homestead must be signed for in person. Alabama generally defines a homestead as a qualifying owner-occupied single-family principal residence with no more than 160 acres.

Type	State summary	General benefit
H-1	Under age 65 and not disabled	$4,000 state assessed value and $2,000 county assessed value.
H-2	Age 65+ with qualifying Alabama AGI, or qualifying permanent-total-disability retirement	State portion plus $5,000 county assessed value including school district ad valorem taxes.
H-3 age	Age 65+ with combined federal net taxable income of $12,000 or less	Exemption from all ad valorem taxes on the qualifying homestead.
H-3 disability	Permanently and totally disabled	Exemption from all ad valorem taxes; Alabama lists no income limitation.
H-4	Age 65+ above the H-3 income threshold	State portion plus regular county homestead treatment.

Prepare before visiting

Parcel number or PPIN.
Recorded deed or other vesting document if ownership recently changed.
Principal residence address.
Age proof for an age-based category.
State/federal income information when the category uses income.
Disability documentation when applicable.

2026 deadline: the current Revenue homepage states that Special Homestead Exemption Applications are due by December 31, 2026.

Annual special renewal: Houston County says age-65 and permanent-total-disability special exemptions must be claimed every year during October through December. Failure to return the application can result in the lesser exemption.

Mail scam warning: Houston County warns new owners about private letters requesting payment to record a deed or claim homestead. Verify unexpected payment requests with the county before sending money or identity documents.

Houston County Exemptions Alabama H1–H4 Rules

Current Use for Houston County Farm, Pasture and Timber Land

Houston County publishes local acreage and deadline rules in addition to the statewide Current Use form.

Local Houston County qualification points

Generally at least 5 acres.
Generally 6 acres when a home is on the property.
Qualifying pasture, farm or timber use.
Application received by December 31 for the following year.

After Current Use is granted

The same owner does not normally reapply each year.
A new owner must apply after ownership changes.
A change in qualifying use can remove Current Use.
A nonqualifying conversion can create rollback-tax consequences.

What the official PDF asks for

Form area	Prepare this
Taxpayer	Present ownership, mailing address and telephone number.
Parcel description	Uniform Parcel Number and other description details.
Aerial photographs	Attach available aerial photos when useful.
Acreage	Row crop, pasture, timber, homesite, historic site, other and total acreage.
Zoning	Whether any part is zoned and the purpose.
Purchase within five years	Purchase date, deed book/page and purchase price.
Purchase purpose	Farming, timber, investment, development or another purpose.
Included assets	Estimated value of improvements, timber, allotments, mineral rights or similar items included in the purchase.
Execution	Remarks, signature, position/firm where relevant and notarization.

State vs. county timing: Alabama describes a broader October 1–January 1 application window, while Houston County says applications must be received by December 31. Use the earlier local deadline for Houston County.

Houston County Forms Current Use Application PDF

New Houston County Property Owner Checklist

Record side

Confirm the vesting document was recorded.
Save the deed reference.
Verify Revenue shows the correct owner and mailing address.
Save parcel, PPIN and account numbers.
Review acreage, improvements and classification.

Tax side

Claim your own homestead when eligible.
Reapply for Current Use after a qualifying ownership change.
Do not assume the seller’s 7% cap treatment transfers.
Check older tax balances.
Confirm mortgage escrow instructions.
Verify the first tax payment posts to the correct account.

Houston County Property Taxes, Payment and Escrow

Late September — tax notices normally mailed

Verify owner, property, account and tax year as soon as the notice arrives.

October 1 — taxes become due

Use the county’s current online, mail, drop-box or in-person payment route.

December 31 — final normal day before delinquency

Confirm your payment—or your mortgage company’s payment—has posted.

January 1 — delinquency begins

Additional charges and later collection restrictions can apply.

Payment details visitors miss

Issue	Current county guidance
Partial payments	Houston County says property-tax payments must be collected in full.
Payment methods	Cash, check and credit card are listed, with American Express excluded by the county FAQ.
Drop box	Located on the left/west side of the Administration Building; the county says the envelope can be timestamped.
Outside-Dothan fire fee	$30 for each qualifying residence, manufactured home or commercial building outside Dothan city limits.
Escrow	The owner should contact the mortgage company and confirm taxes will be paid.

Mortgage escrow check

Give the servicer the correct parcel/PPIN and tax account.
Ask which tax year it plans to pay.
Record the scheduled payment date.
Recheck the county account before December 31.
Keep proof if the wrong parcel or year is paid.

Review Collection Rules View / Pay Property Taxes

Business Personal Property: What ADV-40 Actually Requires

Houston County requires annual reporting of taxable business personal property from October 1 through December 31. This is separate from ordinary residential real-property search.

Short-term rentals: Houston County states that Airbnb and similar short-term-rental equipment—including furniture, appliances, linens and Wi-Fi equipment—is taxable Class II business personal property.

Part A: owned business assets

Report a complete itemized list of property owned on October 1.
A depreciation schedule can be used if updated for additions and deletions.
Include fully depreciated assets still owned.
Include description/type, acquisition year and original cost.
Cost includes invoice price, freight, installation, sales/use tax and certain foundations required to place equipment in use.
Report supplies not held for sale.

Parts B–F

ADV-40 part	What to report
B	Motor vehicles with add-on or specialized equipment when the equipment cost cannot be separated.
B-1	Permanent-tag trailers and Alabama-based vehicles registered in another state.
C	Aircraft now use separate Form ADV-ACR45 rather than the old ADV-40 aircraft section.
D	Construction-in-progress assets physically located at the business before being placed in service.
E	Personal property at the business that is leased or rented from another party.
F	Property located at the business but owned by someone else, such as certain vending machines.

Late or incomplete return: Houston County warns about a $5 late fee and other penalties. The ADV-40 form also states that incomplete or unsigned forms are returned.

Closed before October 1? Alabama says a business that closed and disposed of its assets before October 1 should still file a final tangible-personal-property return identifying the closure or sale.

Houston County Business Forms ADV-40 Instructions PDF

Manufactured Homes: Registration, Decals and Deadlines

Situation	Deadline / rule	Prepare
Home not assessed with owner’s real estate	Purchase decal October 1–November 30; $10 delinquent fee after November 30.	Current manufactured-home ownership information.
Home qualifies to be assessed with owner’s real estate	Purchase decal by December 31 to avoid delinquent fee.	Property and manufactured-home information.
New registration	Register promptly after purchase.	Bill of sale, title copy for year 2000 or newer, and proof casual sales tax was paid.

Official Houston County manufactured-home guidance Review Manufactured Home Rules

Search Houston County Deeds, Mortgages and Liens

Probate land-record search is free to search and view. Houston County currently charges $1 per page only when you decide to download/print a copy.

Identify the parcel in Revenue records

Save the owner, parcel/PPIN, address and legal-description clues.

Open Probate land records

You do not need an account just to search property records.

Search names with fewer fields

Houston County instructs users to enter the last name first, avoid punctuation and leave unnecessary fields blank.

Narrow with the Index Filter

Filter once you have a reasonable result set instead of over-constraining the initial query.

Match the document to the parcel

Compare party names, dates and legal-description information.

Buy a copy only if needed

The county says searches/views are free and downloadable copies cost $1 per page.

Account optional: choose the pay-per-document route when you do not want an account. A free account can keep purchased records available online for 30 days.

Official Houston County Probate land records Search Land Records

Recording a Deed? Prepare the Document Before Going to Probate

Searching an existing deed and recording a new instrument are different tasks. Houston County publishes specific recording requirements that can prevent a document from being accepted.

Document checklist

Name and address of the document preparer.
Grantor/mortgagor marital status.
Grantee or mortgagee mailing address.
Complete legal description.
Required plat or plat-book reference.
Derivation clause in the legal description.
Signatures and proper acknowledgement/witnessing.
Printed names beneath signatures.

Physical-format checklist

Legible original or certified copy.
8.5 × 11 preferred; maximum 8.5 × 14.
Minimum 10-point typed/laser-printed text.
3 × 3-inch blank area at the upper-right of page one for the recorder stamp.
Do not staple.
Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for mailed documents.

Fees must be exact: Probate warns that documents submitted without the correct fee can be returned. Recording-fee questions can involve page fees, deed/mortgage tax, extra indexed names and the transaction itself.

Official Houston County Probate recording requirements Review Recording Requirements

Delinquent Taxes and Houston County Tax-Lien Auctions

A tax-lien auction is not the same thing as buying a normal deeded property.

For a delinquent owner

Confirm every unpaid tax year.
Request the current payoff amount.
Ask which payment methods remain accepted at the delinquency stage.
Keep proof and verify posting.
Ask whether the parcel has entered the tax-lien process.

For a potential bidder

A tax lien is not immediate fee-simple ownership.
Research redemption rights.
Do not rely on GIS as a title report.
Research each parcel independently.
Consider legal/title advice before bidding.

Year decoder: Houston County’s auction beginning May 4, 2026 was the 2026 sale for delinquent 2025 taxes. It was not a sale for the 2026 taxes that become due October 1, 2026.

Official Houston County tax-sale page Review Tax Sale Information

Houston County Property Departments, Phones and Office Hours

Department	Best for	Phone
Collections	Tax balance, payment, receipt, escrow and delinquency	334-677-4715
Assessing	Ownership, homestead, classification and address changes	334-677-4753
Appraisal	Value, property facts, Current Use and BOE questions	334-677-4798
Mapping	GIS, parcel maps, aerials and printed map products	334-677-4755
Business Personal Property	ADV-40, BPPIN, business assets and short-term rentals	334-677-4757
Manufactured Homes	Decals, registration and assessment	334-677-4758
Probate Recording	Deeds, mortgages, liens and recording	334-677-4701

Revenue Commissioner office

5th Floor Administration Building
462 N. Oates St.
Dothan, AL 36303

Mailing: P.O. Drawer 6406, Dothan, AL 36302

Hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Department hours may vary; closed holidays.

Search / assessment call

“I’m calling about Houston County, Alabama parcel/PPIN [number]. I need help confirming the [owner / mailing address / classification / exemption] for tax year [year].”

Appraisal call

“My property record shows [specific value or fact]. I believe [specific item] may be incorrect. The parcel is [number]. What correction or review process is currently available?”

Collections call

“Please confirm the full balance and payment status for account [number], tax year [year], and tell me the currently accepted payment method.”

Official Houston County Revenue Commissioner Verify Current Office Information

Houston County Property Search Not Working? Use These Fixes

Problem	Likely reason	Best next step
Search opens Georgia/Texas	Several jurisdictions share the Houston name.	Confirm Alabama and Dothan before continuing.
Address finds nothing	Situs format differs from postal format.	Use house number + main street word; remove extra location text.
Owner finds nothing	Estate, trust, LLC, prior owner or spelling variation.	Try surname/entity fragment, then address or Probate deed.
Parcel number fails	You may actually have a PPIN, BPPIN or tax account.	Find the property by owner/address once and copy the live identifiers.
Recent buyer not shown	Recorded deed and assessment update at different times.	Confirm Probate recording and contact Assessing with the vesting document.
2026 does not look like the tax bill	You may be mixing the appraisal cycle with an already billed prior tax year.	Match the year printed on the exact notice, bill or receipt.
Square footage seems wrong	Living square footage and total adjusted area are being compared.	Identify the county field before measuring the difference.
Tax jumped after purchase	Class, homestead or Alabama 7% cap changed after transfer.	Compare seller and buyer taxable assessed values and exemptions.
Mortgage company should have paid	Escrow payment is missing, pending or applied incorrectly.	Get transaction proof from the lender and verify with Collections.
GIS line conflicts with a fence	Tax GIS is not a survey.	Use the recorded deed/plat and a licensed surveyor.

Official Links for the Final Action

The article explains the task first; use these portals when you are ready to perform the live search, payment, filing or document lookup.

Property record

Owner, address, parcel, PPIN, BPPIN, account, subdivision and receipt search.

Search Property

GIS map

Parcel location, aerial imagery and neighboring-property context.

Open GIS

Appraisal

2026 valuation information, Current Use and value questions.

Appraisal Department

Taxes

Payment rules, mailing instructions and delinquency information.

Collections

Forms

Current Use and business-personal-property documents.

Revenue Forms

Recorded land documents

Deeds, mortgages, liens and other Probate records.

Land Records

Houston County Alabama Property Search FAQs

What is the official Houston County Alabama property search?

Use the county-linked Houston County Revenue Commissioner property system for owner, address, parcel, PPIN, BPPIN, account, subdivision and receipt-based property research. This guide covers Houston County, Alabama, including Dothan.

Can I search Houston County property by owner for free?

Yes. Use the county-linked public property system and start with the owner’s surname or a distinctive business-name word. Verify the result with the address, parcel and PPIN before relying on it.

How do I search Houston County property by address?

Start with the house number and main street name. If no result appears, remove the city, ZIP code, directional wording, street suffix and unit number, then retry or switch to owner/parcel search.

Is Houston County Alabama the same property system as Houston, Texas?

No. Houston County, Alabama uses the Dothan-based Revenue Commissioner. The city of Houston, Texas is primarily in Harris County and normally uses Harris Central Appraisal District. Houston County, Texas around Crockett is a separate Texas county.

What was the 2026 Houston County property-value appeal deadline?

Houston County says 2026 valuation notices were mailed June 30, 2026 and written appeals were due July 30, 2026. That ordinary posted deadline has passed as of August 8, 2026.

When are 2026 Houston County Alabama property taxes due?

2026 property taxes become due October 1, 2026 and are delinquent after December 31, meaning January 1, 2027 begins the delinquency period.

Can I claim a Houston County homestead exemption online?

Houston County’s FAQ says homestead must be signed for in the office in person. The current Revenue alert says 2026 Special Homestead Exemption Applications are due by December 31, 2026.

What land qualifies for Houston County Current Use?

Houston County says owners generally need at least five acres, or six acres when a home is on the property, used for qualifying pasture, farming or timber purposes. Applications must be received by December 31 for the following year.

How much does Houston County charge to search deeds online?

Houston County Probate says searching and viewing online real-property records is free. Downloaded or printed copies currently cost $1 per page.

Is the Houston County GIS parcel line a legal boundary?

No. GIS is useful for property-location and aerial research but does not replace a recorded deed, plat, title review or licensed survey for an exact legal boundary.

Finish the Search in the Right Order

Start with the Houston County Alabama property portal, verify the correct tax year and parcel, and save the PPIN/account before moving elsewhere. Use GIS only for map context, Appraisal for value questions, Collections for payments and Probate for the recorded deed or lien.

For the remainder of 2026, the biggest action dates are October 1 for taxes becoming due and December 31 for special homestead, Houston County Current Use, business-personal-property filing and paying current taxes before delinquency.