Redstone Arsenal relocation: a guide for families moving to Huntsville

If you have orders to Redstone Arsenal or a job offer in Huntsville, do three things first. Get in touch with the Arsenal’s relocation office or your employer’s relocation contact. Talk to a lender about your loan options before you look at homes. Then choose a community by the roads, the home types and the services you want and check the drive at the hour you would travel. The rest of this guide covers each step with the official sources named so you can check them.

Melissa M. Lacey is a Salesperson with Rooks Realty, Inc. She retired from the Air Force after 20 years, moved 11 times, has lived in the Huntsville and Madison area for 18 years and worked on Redstone Arsenal for five. This guide is general information. Confirm benefits, tax and loan questions with the official source or a qualified professional.

U.S. Space Command at Redstone Arsenal

U.S. Space Command is the reason many families are searching for a Huntsville relocation right now, so here is what the official sources say. Each figure carries its source and date and the numbers differ between sources. This guide does not merge them.

• The announcement. The Department of Defense said on September 2, 2026 that on September 2, 2025 President Trump announced the relocation of the command’s headquarters from Colorado Springs, Colorado to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
• First element on the Arsenal. U.S. Space Command said on April 29, 2026 that it had taken operational control of a facility on Redstone Arsenal. It called the Joint Intelligence Support Element the first operational element of the headquarters and said the element will be made up of an 80-person team when its transition is complete.
• Current numbers. The Department of Defense said on September 2, 2026 that more than 140 uniformed and civilian personnel assigned to the headquarters perform their jobs from three facilities across the Arsenal, about 10 percent of the organization’s total manpower.
• Targets. General Whiting said on August 12, 2026 that the command expected to reach 200 people by the end of this year and half of its staff in Huntsville in 2028. The same Department of Defense release says the digital infrastructure supports more than 900 headquarters staff by fiscal year 2028.
• City of Huntsville. The City said on September 2, 2025 that the move is expected over the next five years and that about 1,400 positions will relocate to the Arsenal. That is a city statement, not a Department of Defense figure.
• Funding. The Department of Defense said on September 2, 2026 that $147.5 million in fiscal year 2026 funding supports secure digital infrastructure.
• Permanent headquarters. The Department of Defense release describes interim workspaces while the command develops plans for a purpose-built command and control facility. It gives no completion date. WAFF, a local news station, reported on June 25, 2026 that the permanent headquarters is set to break ground in late 2027. That is a news report and not a Department of Defense statement.
• Lawsuit. News outlets report that the State of Colorado has sued over the move. This guide does not report a status because no official source gave one. Check current news before you plan around any date.

What this means for a family: the number of Space Command positions in Huntsville is growing in stages and the Arsenal also hosts many other organizations. The Garrison home page lists tenants that include NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, the Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, the U.S. Army Materiel Command and the U.S. Army Contracting Command. For a longer look at the timeline, see our post on the Space Command Huntsville timeline.

Your first steps with orders

Whether you are on PCS orders or starting a civilian job, the first weeks go more smoothly with a short list of contacts. These are the official ones.

Military OneSource and Plan My Move

The Military OneSource permanent change of station page describes Relocation Assistance Program on-the-ground support and guidance on housing, childcare, spouse employment, medical services and scheduling your move in the Defense Personal Property System. Its Plan My Move tool builds a checklist and the Benefits and Entitlements page lets you look up Basic Allowances for Housing by ZIP code. The Defense Personal Property System help desk number on that page is 833-645-6683. Military OneSource also has a support line at 800-342-9647.

The Redstone Arsenal relocation office and Welcome Center

Army Community Service Relocation Assistance is at 3443 Aerobee Road, Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898. The listed phone is 256-876-5397. Hours posted on Military OneSource are Monday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call ahead to confirm.

The Garrison newcomers page calls the Gen. John J. Pershing Community Welcome Center (Building 3443) the front door to Redstone Arsenal for transferring Soldiers, civilian and contractor employees and their families. The Welcome Center services number is 256-842-6122. The One Stop (Building 3494) houses the Garrison Military Personnel Office, which handles ID cards and CAC. The same page covers licensing, on-post housing, the School Liaison Officer and child and youth services.

House hunting and the Housing Services Office

Redstone Family Housing offers 2- to 5-bedroom homes. According to MilitaryINSTALLATIONS, service members on orders to Redstone have priority. Retirees, Department of War civilians, government contractors and military families not assigned to Redstone can acquire housing on a space-available basis. You can register for the waiting list as soon as you have orders.

The Housing Services Office helps find housing for sale or rent in the surrounding area. It asks that you contact it before entering into any agreement, written lease or rental or sales contract for off-base housing. The office is in Building 302 on Hughes Drive and the phone is 256-876-6666. Redstone Family Housing is at 256-400-5940.

For a house-hunting trip, MilitaryINSTALLATIONS says to report to your gaining command for a signature on your DA Form 31 and that Housing will no longer sign this form. Check with your command on how it applies to your orders.

A short order of steps

1. Read your orders or offer letter and note the report date.
2. Contact the Redstone relocation office or your employer’s relocation contact.
3. Ask a VA-experienced lender about pre-approval (see the VA section below).
4. Look up your BAH by ZIP code if you are military.
5. Choose two or three communities to compare, using the guides below.
6. Plan one trip to see areas and homes or ask Melissa about viewing homes by video.
7. Contact the Housing Services Office before you sign anything for off-base housing.

Our Alabama moving checklist covers the weeks after you arrive.

Federal employees and defense contractors

Not every move is a military PCS. Federal civilians and contractors move for Redstone Arsenal too and their benefits work differently.

Federal civilian employees. Federal Travel Regulation relocation rules are in 41 CFR chapter 302. Under 41 CFR 302-1.1, eligible categories include an employee transferring in the interest of the Government from one agency or duty station to another for permanent duty, if the new duty station meets the distance test and new appointees to a first official station among others. Under 41 CFR 302-3.100 the agency decides whether relocation expenses will be authorized. Once it does, all mandatory relocation allowances are reimbursed. The list for a transfer within the continental United States includes transportation and subsistence for the employee and family, the miscellaneous expense allowance, expenses for selling and buying a residence or terminating a lease and the transportation and temporary storage of household goods. Because the agency decides, ask the hiring agency’s relocation office what it has authorized in writing.

Defense contractors and aerospace employees. Relocation benefits for contractor employees are set by the employer, not by a government rule and this guide does not claim any figure. Ask your offer letter or human resources contact what is covered, whether payments are made to you or direct to a vendor and what has to be repaid if you leave early. Keep receipts.

The tax treatment of relocation payments can differ by employer type and benefit, so ask a tax professional. That part is general information and not tax advice.

VA home loans and BAH

VA home loans

VA says that VA direct and VA-backed loans can help eligible Veterans, service members and survivors buy, build, improve or refinance a home and that nearly 90 percent of VA-backed loans are made with no down payment. Eligibility depends on service history and duty status. See the VA eligibility page for the rules.

The Certificate of Eligibility confirms for your lender that you qualify for the benefit. VA lists three ways to request one: online, through your lender or by mail with VA Form 26-1880. Documents differ by situation. Veterans use a DD214 and active-duty service members use a signed statement of service from the commander, adjutant or personnel officer. Guard and Reserve documents vary. The VA home loan line is open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time (TTY 711). You can check your Certificate of Eligibility status online.

This guide quotes no interest rates and no loan limits because rates change daily and the official VA pages are the source to use. Ask a lender for a current Loan Estimate. For more, see the VA home loans overview.

BAH

Basic Allowance for Housing is set by the Department of Defense by ZIP code. Use the DoD BAH Rate Lookup and enter the ZIP code of your duty station. Military OneSource also links BAH under Benefits and Entitlements. The DoD 2025 rate table lists Huntsville under the code AL003, but this guide does not quote dollar rates because the current-year table has to come from the official lookup.

A practical point: BAH is only one input. A lender looks at your income, debts and credit and you decide the payment that works for your household.

Where people live near Redstone Arsenal

North Alabama has several communities within reach of the Arsenal. None of the official Garrison pages names a route or a nearest gate for any community and no official source gives drive minutes. Look at each place on a map, note the gate roads (Rideout Road, Martin Road, Redstone Road, Goss Road and Patton Road) and test the drive at the hour you would travel.

Figures below are from the Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020-2024 unless noted) and from the Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE). ACRE reports cover an area, not a single community, so the price figure is not a value for any one home.

• Madison. A city in Madison and Limestone Counties with a July 1, 2025 Census population estimate of 67,968. The ACS median value of owner-occupied homes is $398,800, with a margin of error of $12,889. The serving school district depends on the tax district, so confirm the assigned school for an address with the district.
• Huntsville. The largest city here, with a July 1, 2025 Census population estimate of 233,627 and an ACS median value of $293,600 (margin of error $8,403). The City lists more than 65 parks with over 3,000 acres.
• Harvest. An unincorporated Census-designated place in Madison County with 5,893 people in the 2020 Census. The ACS median value is $281,300 (margin of error $34,088), a wide margin, so treat it as a rough indicator.
• Meridianville, Hazel Green and New Market. Three unincorporated Census-designated places in Madison County. The ACS median values are $291,900 for Meridianville, $230,800 for Hazel Green and, with a very wide margin of error, $112,500 for New Market, which should not be read as a market price.
• Athens and Tanner. Athens is a city in Limestone County with a July 1, 2025 Census estimate of 34,209 and an ACS median value of $270,000 (margin of error $18,606). ACRE reported a median sales price of $319,000 for the Athens area in July 2026. Tanner is an unincorporated community and the Census lists no place data for it.
• Decatur. A city mostly in Morgan County with a July 1, 2025 Census estimate of 58,056 and an ACS median value of $210,200 (margin of error $8,614).

For the Huntsville area, ACRE reported a median sales price of $349,000 for July 2026, with 759 closed transactions and an average of 43 days on market. That figure covers the Huntsville area (Valley MLS) and not any one home. See all communities or the communities near Redstone Arsenal post. For costs beyond the purchase price, see the cost of living in Huntsville.

You can search homes for sale in Melissa’s Valley MLS search.

Schools

Schools are set by address and not by the city name in an address. Madison City Schools says properties inside the Madison city limits in the listed tax districts are zoned to Madison City Schools, while other tax districts go to Madison County Schools or Huntsville City Schools. Use each district’s own zoning tool, such as the Madison City Schools zone page and confirm the assigned school for an address with the district. Our Madison, AL schools post links the district tools.

Getting onto Redstone Arsenal

Access depends on who you are. DoD ID holders enter through the gates. Non-DoD visitors register at the Visitor Control Center first. Hours changed recently, so confirm them before you travel.

• Newest gate notice. The Garrison home page posted a notice on October 26, 2026 that from Monday, November 2 Gates 1, 3 and 7 have extended hours, open to inbound and outbound traffic 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Gate 9, Rideout Road (Main Gate). Listed as open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the visitor information page.
• Gate 8, Goss Road. The visitor information page lists it as open 1:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday and 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
• Gate 10, Patton Road. The access control page lists it as open 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday and closed on federal holidays.
• Visitor Control Center. On Rideout Road at Gate 9, open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday and closed on federal holidays. Non-DoD visitors register there.
• Trusted Traveler Program. The Garrison home page says it is currently suspended.

The Garrison’s own pages disagree on some gate hours, which is why the October 26 notice is the one to follow. Call the Physical Security Chief at 256-876-6815 to confirm. Read the visitor information page and the access control page before you go.

Alabama costs for new residents

Moving to a new state comes with a handful of dates and costs. These are the ones with official sources. This is general information and not tax advice.

Property tax and the homestead exemption

The Alabama Department of Revenue places all agricultural, forest and single-family, owner-occupied residential property in Class III, assessed at 10 percent. Class II property is assessed at 20 percent. A homestead is a single-family owner-occupied dwelling and the land with it, not exceeding 160 acres. An owner may be entitled to a homestead exemption if they own a single-family residence and occupy it as their primary residence on the first day of the tax year for which they apply. Type H-1, for an owner under 65 who is not disabled, is listed as $4,000 assessed value for state tax and $2,000 assessed value for county tax. Other types have different terms. The Department says to apply at your local county office.

County details differ. The Madison County Tax Assessor’s homestead page refers to October 1 as the date the home must be your primary residence and December 31 as the application deadline, while the state page refers to the first day of the tax year, so confirm both with the county. The Madison County Service Center is at 1918 Memorial Parkway NW, Huntsville (256-532-3350). The Limestone County Revenue Commissioner is at 100 South Clinton Street, Athens (256-233-6433). The Morgan County Revenue Commissioner can be reached at 256-351-4690. This guide does not quote millage rates because the county and city sources would not open, so ask the county office for the rate on a specific address.

Sales tax

Alabama sales tax has a state part and local parts. The Department of Revenue’s local rate file lists general local rates of 4.5 percent for the City of Huntsville, 3.5 percent for Madison and 3 percent for Athens, plus county rates. Which rows apply depends on the address, so use the Department’s rate help pages for a specific location.

Vehicle registration and driver license

The Department of Revenue says the owner of a non-commercial vehicle with a valid registration from another jurisdiction has 30 days from the date the vehicle enters Alabama to register it and that you should contact your local licensing official’s office. Liability insurance is verified through the state online system when plates are issued. The Garrison newcomers page also gives 30 days for a driver license and car tags for permanent residents.

ALEA says out-of-state license transfers must be at an ALEA office. It lists a required out-of-state driver license, a Social Security card and one item from its primary list, a $5 transfer fee and $36.25 to purchase a license. These figures were on the page on November 9, 2026, so confirm them before you go.

State income tax and military pay

The Department of Revenue lists military retirement pay and military allowances paid to active-duty members, the National Guard and active reserves for quarters, subsistence, uniforms and travel among income exempt from Alabama income taxation. It also lists United States Government Retirement Fund benefits. This is a list, not a tax ruling about your situation.

Getting here

Huntsville International Airport (HSV) is operated by the Port of Huntsville. Its page says it offers non-stop flights to 18 cities. Check the airline list for current service.

How Melissa helps

Melissa M. Lacey knows what a military move feels like. She retired from the Air Force after 20 years and made 11 military relocations. She has lived in the Huntsville and Madison area for 18 years, worked on Redstone Arsenal for five and taught Aerospace Studies for five years in Huntsville City Schools and eight years in Madison City Schools. She is a Salesperson with Rooks Realty, Inc. and a Military Relocation Professional (MRP).

Here is what she does for relocating families:

• Talks through your timeline and your orders so the home search fits the report date.
• Compares communities with you using the facts in the community guides and the roads you would use to reach the gate.
• Searches Valley MLS homes with you and sets up showings when you visit.
• Points you to the official sources for VA loans, BAH, tax and benefits so you hear it from the agency.

She also helps buyers who are new to homeownership. See our first-time home buyer guide and the free relocation guide. You can also read about Melissa or contact her.

Common questions are answered in the FAQ below. For other topics, see the FAQ page.