Alabama CA/N Central Registry Clearance Form: Filing, 1598-B, and Removal

The Alabama CA/N Central Registry Clearance Form, officially Form DHR-DFC-1598, is the document you submit to the Alabama Department of Human Resources to find out whether your name appears in the state’s Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry.¹ Download the form from the DHR website, fill it out, sign it in front of a witness, and mail the original to DHR’s Office of Child Protective Services at 50 N. Ripley Street in Montgomery within 90 days of signing.² There is no online submission option.³

The registry itself is a statewide database of investigations that ended in an “indicated” finding, meaning credible evidence and professional judgment substantiated that the person was responsible for child abuse or neglect.¹ Clearances are commonly required for people who will have unsupervised access to children through employment, volunteer work, adoption, or foster care. For a foster home, every applicant, every household member age 14 and older, adult roomers and boarders, and anyone who regularly visits overnight must submit their own Form 1598.⁴ The CA/N clearance is separate from the criminal history background check required under Alabama Code § 38-13-3, and many roles require both.⁵

What to Gather Before You Fill It Out

The form is a free PDF on the DHR site.³ You can complete it by hand or type into the PDF fields before printing, but the signature you mail in must be original ink. Have these ready:

Your full legal name as it appears on your ID, plus every maiden name, prior married name, alias, or nickname you have ever used.⁶
Your date of birth and current mailing address.
Every Alabama county where you have lived or worked. DHR uses this list to search county-level records that feed into the registry, and leaving a county off can delay the result or leave gaps in it.⁶
A witness who will watch you sign and then sign and date the form themselves on the same day.⁷

You do not need a notary. A witness signature is what the form calls for.

Completing the Form

The form has two parts. The top section identifies the requesting entity, the employer, agency, or organization that will receive the clearance results. If your employer handed you the form, that section may already be filled in. If not, enter the organization’s name and mailing address so DHR knows where to send the response.

The lower section is yours. Print your full legal name, date of birth, current mailing address, and all previous names clearly. List every Alabama county where you have lived or worked, not just where you live now. Sign and date the form in front of your witness, then have the witness sign and date in the space provided. The witness date and your signature date should match.⁷

The Supplemental 1598-B for Daycare Workers

If you work for a daycare provider, you may also need Form DHR-FCS-1598-B. It collects information the standard 1598 does not: your Social Security number, race and sex, the names and dates of birth of your spouse and any former spouses, the names and dates of birth of your children and stepchildren, and every state outside Alabama where you have lived or worked in the past five years.⁸ DHR uses the out-of-state information to check registries in those states, and the 1598-B is held for 30 days while DHR waits for their responses.⁷ The 1598-B attaches to the standard 1598; it does not replace it.

Where to Mail It

Send the package to:

State of Alabama DHR
Office of Child Protective Services
CA/N Central Registry
50 N. Ripley Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36130²

U.S. Mail, UPS, and FedEx are all accepted.² Two rules trip people up:

DHR requires the original form with your original ink signature, plus one copy. A fax or a photocopy alone will not be processed.²
The form must reach DHR within 90 days of the date you signed it. Anything older is returned unprocessed.²

Once the search is complete, DHR mails a written response to the individual or agency listed on the form.

If the Clearance Comes Back With an Indicated Finding

An “indicated” finding means credible evidence and professional judgment supported a conclusion that you were responsible for child abuse or neglect.¹ A court finding is not required, though a court finding of abuse or neglect is presumptive evidence that the report is indicated.⁹ Only indicated reports can be released for employment or background screening; records with a “not indicated” disposition cannot be disclosed for those purposes.¹⁰

Before DHR releases an indicated finding to your employer, you are entitled to a CA/N hearing or administrative record review, a due-process step that lets you challenge the finding.¹¹ DHR can skip that step and release information beforehand only when children are in imminent danger, and it must then offer the hearing as soon as possible afterward.¹⁰

Getting a Record Removed

Indicated findings stay in the registry indefinitely unless you actively pursue removal. Alabama recognizes two expungement paths.

Not-Indicated Dispositions

If your case was disposed of as “not indicated,” you can request expungement after five years from the disposition date, provided DHR has received no further reports naming you during that period. Send a written request to the State Department of Human Resources, Office of Child Protective Services. DHR sends written confirmation once your name is expunged.¹⁰

Indicated Dispositions From Mandatory Reporters

If your case originated from a mandatory reporter and carried an indicated disposition, expungement is available only if the related criminal case was dismissed after jeopardy attached or you were acquitted. Your written request must include a court order or written verification of the dismissal or acquittal from the District Attorney, along with your identifying case information and a return address.¹⁰

If DHR denies an expungement request, you have the right to a fair hearing to challenge the decision.¹²

1
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 26-14-8 – Statewide Central Registry
2
Alabama Department of Human Resources. Updated Instructions for Completing the Child Abuse/Neglect Central Registry Form
3
Alabama Department of Human Resources. Central Registry Clearance
4
Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 660-5-29 – Minimum Standards for Foster Family Homes
5
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 38-13-3 – Criminal History Background Information Checks
6
Alabama Department of Human Resources. Alabama CA/N Central Registry Clearance Form
7
Alabama Department of Human Resources. Instructions for Completing the Supplemental Child Abuse/Neglect Central Registry Clearance Request DHR-FCS-1598-B
8
Alabama Department of Human Resources. Supplemental Child Abuse/Neglect Central Registry Clearance Request DHR-FCS-1598-B
9
Alabama Department of Human Resources. Child Abuse/Neglect Allegations and Definitions
10
Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 660-5-34-.09 – Child Abuse/Neglect Central Registry
11
Cornell Law School. Alabama Administrative Code 660-5-34-.08 – Due Process
12
Child Welfare Information Gateway. Review and Expunction of Central Registries and Reporting Records – Alabama