New My Outdoor Alabama License System Goes Live August 24

By DAVID RAINER, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

When hunting and fishing licenses for the 2026-2027 seasons become available Monday, buyers will be able to purchase their licenses through a new, updated license system.

The new My Outdoor Alabama system will be available by going directly to www.myoutdooralabama.com to start the license buying process, including logging into your account or creating a new account. Guides on how to log in and create new accounts are available on that page. The new license system can also be accessed by visiting the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) website at www.outdooralabama.com or through the Outdoor AL app, which must be updated to the latest 2.0.0 version to function properly.

“We’ve had the same license system for a long time, and it has worked okay,” said ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship. “But we had the opportunity to upgrade and bring our license system into the new age.

“I think this will be much more functional for our customers. It will be much better both on the front end for the customers and on the back end to see what we can do with the data and how to utilize that to make good management decisions.”

Both Commissioner Blankenship and Chris Lewis, ADCNR’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Director, said the new system will be much easier on people with disabilities.

“Some people are having to bring certain things into the county probate offices with documentation on disabilities and military service, things like that,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “With the new system, they will be able to scan the documents and upload them into the system to be able to buy the licenses online at home like everybody else. It will be much better for those customers for sure.

“We just want to make sure and encourage everybody that, before the licenses go on sale for the new year, they go on the Outdoor AL app or MyOutdoorAlabama.com and claim their profile and update their payment information so they can utilize the new system.”

WFF’s Lewis echoed the Commissioner’s assessment on the positive impact for those who need to purchase special privilege licenses.

“Previously, people who needed these licenses had to go to the county courthouses,” Lewis said. “We’re going to give people the option to do that at home. They can submit their eligibilities for certain licenses online. Those are then reviewed by our office in Montgomery. Once those documents are approved for the eligibilities, we send them an email that they have been approved. Once they log back into the system, they will see they have been approved to buy a disabled hunting or fishing license. Some of those licenses will have to be approved every year; some will be every three or five years, depending on what license it is.

“Before, people would have to drive to the courthouse, park, go inside and stand in line. Starting Monday, you can do that at home. I think that is going to be well-received.”

Billy Pope, ADCNR’s Assistant Deputy Commissioner who oversaw this effort, said the upgrade was to make purchasing licenses, managing your account and accessing your outdoor privileges easier. Pope urges everyone to visit the new system at MyOutdoorAlabama.com and claim their personal profiles to confirm that their information, including their hunter education number and other details, has transferred. The only information that wasn’t legally allowed to be transferred was the payment information. Therefore, users will need to input their payment information into the new system and remember to sign up for auto-renewal.

“Alabama was an early adopter of online sales of hunting and fishing licenses,” Pope said. “The previous system was custom-built and served the department for 20 years. It was time! We upgraded this critical system to a more modern, secure platform that provides a better user experience for our customers. This was no easy task. Our staff, along with Tyler Technologies, worked long and hard on the transition, and we greatly appreciate their efforts. As in every deployment of a new system of this size and complexity, there are growing pains, and we ask for your patience.

“While the look and feel may be new, our commitment to serving Alabama's outdoor community remains the same. This upgrade is all about providing a better experience so you can spend less time navigating systems and more time enjoying Alabama's great outdoors.”

With the new system, users can create a secure profile once, then use it to log in, renew, or view their licenses instantly in the future. Also, for login purposes, the user’s profile will display either a Customer ID, Conservation ID, or driver's license number. You can use any one of the three to look up your account.

Commissioner Blankenship thanked Tyler Technologies and its Alabama manager, Robert Hines, for their work to upgrade the system as well as the many ADCNR employees, including WFF’s Wanda McCullers, Ruby Ellison, Justin Grider, John Gallacher, Pope and others who worked on the license project.

“I’d like to commend our team at ADCNR for working through all the nuances and issues to help put this system together,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “They have all worked as a good team to bring this upgrade to fruition, and it will be really good for our customers going forward.” 

WFF’s Lewis said one of the benefits of the My Outdoor Alabama system is it can keep track of a great deal of information for the user.

“Once someone is in the system, everything is migrated over to the new platform,” Lewis said. “You will have access to your purchases and license history in the new system and your Game Check harvest records. You’ll have one dashboard to keep up with it. Your Conservation ID number will be the same in the new system.”

Lewis said the new system will also make it easier on event organizers who might give a lifetime license away as a prize or incentive.

“We’re looking forward to being able to do gift cards,” Lewis said. “We have events where people want to give away a lifetime license. With the previous system, they would have to fill out a paper application and attach a check to it. We’ve had issues with that over the years when the recipient never followed up on the purchase, and we would have to go back and forth on the refund. With the new system, they can buy a gift card. The gift card recipient can go at their own leisure, upload their documents and purchase the license.” 

Kevin Anson, Director of ADCNR’s Marine Resources Division (MRD), said saltwater recreational anglers will also benefit from the My Outdoor Alabama license system.

“For the recreational anglers, they will have easier access to historical information about their licenses,” Anson said. “They can buy licenses that they have purchased in the past.”

However, those who wish to purchase commercial licenses for saltwater species will still have to visit the MRD office at Orange Beach or Dauphin Island to obtain those licenses. Anson said there will be no pre-sales of commercial licenses. They will go on sale October 1.

Anson said the required reporting of red snapper, greater amberjack and gray triggerfish harvests can still be done through the 2.0.0 version of the Outdoor AL app or online at www.outdooralabama.com.

Tyler Technologies’ Hines said the update is a retirement of the legacy license system with a move to a cloud-based technology platform that will provide a better account experience for customers. Hines said the ADCNR system accounts for 715,000 transactions annually with the purchase of 1.4 million license products.

"ADCNR has been a valued partner for more than two decades, and it has been a privilege to work alongside their team on this important modernization effort,” Hines said. “The successful launch of the Recreational Licensing platform reflects the dedication and collaboration of both organizations, and we are proud to help provide Alabama's hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts with a more convenient and connected experience. We look forward to continuing our partnership and supporting ADCNR's mission for years to come.”

For those who need assistance, My Outdoor Alabama customer support will be available 24/7. For license sales and My Outdoor Alabama general support call 1-888-848-6887. For Mobile Application support, dial 1-866-246-9581. For Game Check/Snapper Check, call 1-800-888-7690.

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