State Route 56 is a 28-mile-long (45 km) route in Washington County in the southwestern part of the state. The route’s western origin is at the Mississippi state line at a junction with U.S. Highway 45 and Mississippi Highway 42. The eastern terminus of the route is at Wagerville, where it junctions U.S. Highway 43.

State Route 56 enters Alabama at a junction at the Mississippi state line where Mississippi Highway 42 junctions U.S. Highway 45. The route heads eastward as it approached Chatom, the county seat of Washington County. East of Chatom, the route passes through rural areas until it reaches its eastern terminus at Wagarville. The route is aligned along a two-lane road for its entirety.

The entire route is in Washington County.