Scouting in Alabama has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

In 1918 a council was formed in Selma, only to be dissolved in 1920. That area would be served later by the Tukabatchee Area Council.

Until 1948, some councils of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) were racially segregated. The National Office began a program of integrating local councils in 1940, which was largely complete in 1948.^{[citation needed]}

Circa 1960, the BSA renumbered all local Councils in alphabetical order by state and headquarters city. That numbering system remains in use today. In this sequence, Council "Number 1" (not the 'oldest BSA Council') was the Council originally was called the Choccolocco Council that was headquartered in Anniston, Alabama. That Council, combined with two others, now forms the Greater Alabama Council, headquartered from Birmingham, Alabama.

In the 1990s, the Boy Scouts of America went through a restructuring in an attempt to reduce manpower, and in several states small historic Councils were merged into a larger supercouncil. The new Greater Alabama Council is an example of such a supercouncil. There are eight BSA local councils serving Scouts in Alabama today.

As of Feb 1, 2019, The "Boy Scouts" program under the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) changed its name to "Scouts BSA." This change was reflective of the organization's acceptance of girls as members of the program who wanted to experience the outdoor leadership program enjoyed by boys for over 100 years, including the coveted rank of Eagle Scout.

The Alabama-Florida Council serves Scouts in Alabama and Florida, with the council office located in Dothan, Alabama. It was founded in 1935 as the Southeast Alabama Council and changed its name in 1963 to its current name.

The Black Warrior Council office is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the council's name refers to Chief Tuskaloosa whose name means Black Warrior.