Madison County is Alabama's third most populated county with a per capita income second only to Shelby County, Alabama. Madison County is located in the heart of the Tennessee Valley. Our neighbor to the north is Tennessee. We are approximately a 100 miles directly south of Nashville. To the west and east, we are equal distance from Mississippi and Georgia. The county includes 806 square miles ranging from the southern most ridges of the Appalachians to the Tennessee River.

The governing body of the county, an elected board, was developed from an administrative court established by law in 1821, shortly after Alabama's admission into the Union (1819). The act of 1821 provided for the election of four commissioners of roads and revenue, to serve one year terms. Any two of the commissioners, together with the judge of the county court, constituted a "court" to levy the county tax, establish, maintain, and discontinue county roads, bridges, and ferries. Terms of office were later expanded to four years and the county governing body designated as the "county commission."

Since 1988, the County Commission has been composed of seven members. The Chairman is elected at-large (elected by voters from the entire County). Six Commissioners are elected by voters in each of the County's six districts. All serve four year terms.