Updated September 5, 2026. Quick answer: Alabama protects up to $18,800 of home equity on up to 160 acres from an ordinary judgment creditor, the figure actually in force from April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2027 under the state’s mandatory 3-year inflation adjustment, rising to $56,400 if the homeowner is 62 or older or has a disability. A married couple who jointly own the home can each claim a full separate exemption.
The statute’s own printed number is not the current number. Ala. Code §6-10-2 still prints its original $15,000 base figure; the 2026 H.B. 96 amendment left that figure untouched and only added the new $56,400 senior/disability tier. A separate statute, §6-10-12, requires the State Treasurer to adjust the base figure for inflation every 3 years. The Treasurer’s own published schedule sets the amount actually in force today at $18,800, effective April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2027.
This is protection against an ordinary money judgment creditor under Ala. Code §§ 6-10-1, 6-10-2 (as amended by 2026 Ala. Act (H.B. 96), eff. June 1, 2026), base figure inflation-adjusted under § 6-10-12, a different question from a property tax bill or exemption, which this page does not cover.
Alabama homestead exemption at a glance
| Protected amount | Alabama protects up to $18,800 of home equity on up to 160 acres from an ordinary judgment creditor, the figure actually in force from April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2027 under the state’s mandatory 3-year inflation adjustment, rising to $56,400 if the homeowner is 62 or older or has a disability. A married couple who jointly own the home can each claim a full separate exemption. |
|---|---|
| Filing/declaration | Not required: No recorded declaration is required; the exemption applies automatically up to the statutory value and acreage limits, subject to a court contest procedure (§6-10-38) if a creditor disputes the claimed amount. |
| Married couples / joint owners | When a homestead is jointly owned, each owner may claim the exemption separately, to the same extent and value as an unmarried individual, effectively giving a married co-owning couple two separate exemption amounts. |
How it works in Alabama
- No filing required. No recorded declaration is required; the exemption applies automatically up to the statutory value and acreage limits, subject to a court contest procedure (§6-10-38) if a creditor disputes the claimed amount.
- Married couples and joint owners: When a homestead is jointly owned, each owner may claim the exemption separately, to the same extent and value as an unmarried individual, effectively giving a married co-owning couple two separate exemption amounts.
Read it yourself
Verbatim from Ala. Code §§ 6-10-1, 6-10-2 (as amended by 2026 Ala. Act (H.B. 96), eff. June 1, 2026), base figure inflation-adjusted under § 6-10-12: “The homestead of every resident of this state, including improvements and appurtenances, which does not exceed 160 acres in size and is value no more than: (i) fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000); or (ii) fifty-six thousand four hundred dollars ($56,400) if the resident is either 62 years of age or older or an individual with a disability, shall be exempt from levy, sale, execution or other process for debt collection during his or her lifetime and occupancy.” Read the full official text before relying on any figure here. A second citation, the Alabama State Treasurer’s own CPI adjustment schedule, is available here. Exemption law is fact-specific, and this is a source-backed planning guide, not individualized legal advice.