Yes, Juneteenth is a state holiday in Alabama. Governor Kay Ivey signed House Bill 165 on May 9, 2025, amending Section 1-3-8 of the Alabama Code to add June 19 as a permanent entry on the state holiday calendar.1Alabama Legislature. Alabama House Bill 165 – Relating to State Holidays State offices close that day and full-time state employees receive paid holiday credit.
From Yearly Proclamation to Permanent Law
Before 2025, Alabama recognized Juneteenth only through executive proclamations that the governor had to renew each year. A 2021 proclamation, for instance, designated June 19, 2021 as “Juneteenth Day” statewide, but the recognition expired with the day.
House Bill 165, introduced in February 2025, changed that. The engrossed version also removed an earlier carve-out that had excluded Juneteenth from mandatory state office closures, putting it on the same footing as Memorial Day and Labor Day. With the governor’s signature on May 9, 2025, Juneteenth became the seventh of thirteen holidays listed in Section 1-3-8.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code Title 1 Chapter 3 Section 1-3-8 – Official State Holidays Enumerated
What Closes on June 19 in Alabama
State Offices
Alabama law requires all state offices to close on every official state holiday. Full-time state employees receive paid holiday credit automatically, and those required to work can bank the hours for later use.3Alabama State Board of Sipps. Exempt Employee Holiday Process Alabama’s public universities follow the state calendar as well; the University of Alabama lists June 19, 2026 as an observed holiday with eligible employees excused without loss of pay.4The University of Alabama. Holiday Schedule
Banks, Mail, and Federal Facilities
Juneteenth is also a federal holiday under the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, signed by President Biden on June 17, 2021.5Congressional Research Service. Juneteenth National Independence Day – A New Federal Holiday That designation drives most of the closures you’ll notice outside state government. The Federal Reserve System closes, so most commercial banks do too.6Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Federal Reserve Bank Holiday Schedule The U.S. Postal Service suspends mail delivery and closes post offices. Federal courthouses and Social Security Administration offices are closed as well.
K-12 Schools
Public K-12 schools are typically out for summer on June 19, so the holiday has little practical effect on the school-year calendar.
Private Employers Are Not Required to Observe It
The state holiday designation applies to state government, not private business. No Alabama law requires private employers to close on Juneteenth, give employees the day off, or pay a holiday premium or overtime for working it. Whether you get the day off, and whether it’s paid, depends on your employer’s policy or your employment contract. Many larger employers that already follow the federal calendar will close; smaller businesses and most retail stay open.
Juneteenth 2026
June 19, 2026 falls on a Friday, so no date shifting applies. Under Section 1-3-8, when a holiday falls on a Sunday the following Monday is observed, and when it falls on a Saturday the preceding Friday is observed. In 2026 the state and federal observances land on the same day, closing state offices, banks, post offices, and federal buildings on Friday, June 19.7U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Federal Holidays