Cullman County courthouse serving influx of Jefferson County residents

Don Neely never had as enjoyable a time waiting in line for his driver’s license as he did Tuesday. But then again, he was waiting in Cullman, not Jefferson County.


It took Neely, who lives in Gardendale, just a few minutes to get his license renewed at the Cullman County Courthouse — a task that would have taken many hours in Jefferson.

“That’s the reason I came here,” Neely said. “A lot of people don’t know you can get your license renewed in any county.”

Neely is just one of many Jefferson County residents who have visited the Cullman County Courthouse in recent weeks to have their driver licenses renewed. The influx is due to Jefferson County’s current budget crisis, which has resulted in a partial government shutdown and long lines in that county’s courthouse.

“I saw them (lines) on TV, and that was enough for me,” Neely said. “You can’t find a place to park there either.”

Cullman County Probate Judge Leah Patterson-Lust said the pilgrimage of Jefferson County residents has been almost non-stop.

“Since the first day their annex offices were closed, we have seen people steady every day,” Patterson-Lust said. “The first and second day, they were lined up in the hall.”

As of Friday afternoon, Patterson-Lust said there appeared to be no signs that the amount of Jefferson County visitors was decreasing.

“That’s staying steady,” she said. “We’re expecting it to get worse, as more people find out about us.”

To date, the probate office has not been overwhelmed by the increase in customers, Patterson-Lust said.

“We’re doing okay,” she said. “What does sort of bother me is older people having to wait in line.”

Patterson-Lust noted, however, that the probate office does not have any extra staff to call upon, should the increase in Jefferson County residents become too burdensome.

“Of course, we’re going to provide good service,” she said.

But while Cullman is shouldering part of Jefferson County’s problems, it is also benefiting from additional revenue.

“We keep $1.50 per license renewal,” Patterson-Lust said. “The rest we pay out to the state. But I don’t know how much or any of a profit will come out of it.”