HB538 Alabama 2011 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Joe Hubbard
Democrat
Session: Regular Session 2011
Title: Montgomery Co., court costs, criminal cases in circuit and district courts, booking fee for convicted defendants booked or incarcerated in county jail, distrib. of revenue to county general fund
Summary: HB538 would add a booking fee to court costs for Montgomery County defendants who are booked or jailed and later convicted or plead guilty, with the fee money sent to the county general fund.
What This Bill Does
The clerk of the court would assess a booking fee of $30 (the text also shows $20) for each defendant incarcerated in or booked at the Montgomery County Detention Facility who is convicted or pleads guilty in the county's circuit or district court. The fee would be collected along with other court costs and would be in addition to all other fines and charges. The collected fees would be remitted monthly to the Montgomery County Commission to be deposited into the county general fund. The act would take effect on the first day of the third month after passage.

Who It Affects
Criminal defendants who are incarcerated in or booked at the Montgomery County Detention Facility and are convicted or plead guilty in the county’s circuit or district court (they would pay the new booking fee).
Montgomery County government functions, including the Clerk of the Court (collecting and docketing the fee) and the Montgomery County Commission (receiving the monthly collections for deposit into the county general fund).

Key Provisions
Section 1(a): Establishes a booking fee for each qualifying defendant; amount stated as $30 and shown as $20 in the text; applies to those convicted or pleading guilty in circuit or district court of Montgomery County.
Section 1(b): The fee is added to other court costs and collected by the clerk in the same manner as other costs.
Section 1(c): Collected fees are remitted monthly to the Montgomery County Commission for deposit into the county general fund.
Section 2: Effective date: the act becomes law on the first day of the third month after approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Montgomery County