BLOUNT COUNTY, ALABAMA · TRANSGENDER RESIDENTS & IDENTITY RECORDS
Blount County, Alabama
Transgender Residents and Name Changes: Social Security and Blount County License Updates
For transgender residents who have legally changed their name, updating a Social Security record and an Alabama license involves separate requests. Official guidance explains the documents and offices involved.
Sources reviewed
These are record updates after a legal name change
A name-change order and the cards that display a person’s name are separate records. For Blount County transgender residents preparing an update, ALEA’s published instructions require valid name-change documentation and proof that the name has been changed with the Social Security Administration.
This report covers the agencies’ published record-update procedures. It does not establish how to obtain a court order in an individual case, quote a local court filing fee or determine eligibility to change a sex designation.
Social Security uses a replacement-card request
SSA’s name-change page directs people to request a replacement Social Security card. Depending on the circumstances, the request may be completed online or require an office appointment. The page says a replacement arrives by mail in five to ten business days after SSA completes the request.
That is a mailing estimate following completion, not a promise that a new application or an appointment will be finished within that period. SSA lists 800-772-1213 and TTY 800-325-0778 for help with the process.
Document requirements depend on the applicant
SSA’s April 2026 publication for U.S.-citizen adults lists a court order among acceptable evidence of a legal name change. It separately describes identity and citizenship documents and says additional identity evidence in the old and new names may be requested.
The publication requires originals or copies certified by the issuing agency; ordinary photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted. Its stated audience is U.S.-citizen adults. Applicants with a different citizenship or age situation should use SSA’s current process to identify their applicable requirements.
An Alabama license name change requires an office visit
ALEA directs people who have changed their name to a local probate or licensing office, or an ALEA driver-license office, for a duplicate license at the usual duplicate fee. It lists marriage certificates, divorce decrees, court orders and other legal name-change documents as examples, alongside proof of the SSA update.
The county’s driver-license page directs certain existing-card changes to the courthouse or Hayden Annex. It assigns initial STAR ID issuance and changes to a Hazmat-endorsed commercial license to the state office. Confirm the particular transaction with Probate at 205-973-0584 before choosing a location.
Use the office responsible for the requested record
ALEA’s current Blount office listing gives 1000 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 300, Oneonta, and 659-676-1216. It lists weekday hours of 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m., with lunch from noon–1 p.m. This phone number differs from the state-office number printed on the county probate page; the number here is attributed to ALEA’s own listing.
A name update does not itself answer a request concerning a sex designation, passport or birth certificate. The earlier Alabama birth-record report examines that separate record system. No personal documents were submitted and no individual application outcome was verified.
Sources and reporting
We compared SSA’s current service page and April 2026 adult U.S.-citizen document publication with ALEA and county office guidance. This report concerns name updates after a legal change. It does not resolve court jurisdiction, legal-name eligibility, sex-designation policy, a medical requirement or an individual documentation decision. No identity document, Social Security number, appointment request or application was collected or submitted. ALEA’s current office number is distinguished from the different number on the county probate page.
- ALEA: driver-license forms and name-change instructionsUndated page; reviewed October 19, 2026
- SSA: Change name with Social SecurityUndated page; reviewed October 19, 2026
- SSA: U.S. Citizen – Adult Name Change on Social Security CardPublication 05-10513, April 2026; page 1 text reviewed October 19, 2026
- Blount County Probate: driver-license service responsibilitiesUndated page; reviewed October 19, 2026
- ALEA: Blount County driver-license officeUndated page; reviewed October 19, 2026