HB563 Alabama 2011 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Lesley Vance
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2011
Title: Phenix City, police chief, authorized to sell certain abandoned, unclaimed, or stolen property, and firearms, distrib., Act 2000-777, 2000 Reg. Sess. repealed
Summary: HB563 allows Phenix City's police chief to sell or auction abandoned, stolen, or unclaimed property and firearms, and explains how the money is handled, while repealing a prior law.
What This Bill Does
The bill requires the Chief of Police of Phenix City to keep permanent, public records of abandoned and stolen property and to store them securely. It allows selling perishable property without notice if the owner cannot be located and requires sale proceeds to be held for six months for owner claims. It authorizes selling unclaimed firearms only to Russell County licensed gun dealers (with at least one year of active license) by highest sealed bid for cash, with proceeds going to the Office of the Chief of Police of Phenix City, and allows destruction if not claimed. It also requires semiannual public auctions for non-firearm property with notice, and lets owners reclaim items before sale by proving ownership and paying costs; the act repeals Act 2000-777 and specifies an effective date.

Who It Affects
Property owners whose abandoned or stolen items are recovered by Phenix City's police: they may claim ownership and recover the item by paying recovery, storage, and sale costs before it is sold.
Gun dealers in Russell County who are licensed and have held an active Russell County business license for at least one year: they may bid on unclaimed firearms in cash, via a sealed-bid process.

Key Provisions
The police must maintain permanent, public records of abandoned and stolen property, including description, recovery date, identifying numbers, and place of recovery.
For perishable property, if the owner cannot be located, it may be sold without notice; sale proceeds are held for six months for the owner, who may claim them by paying recovery, storage, maintenance, and sale costs; if unclaimed, net proceeds go to the Office of the Chief of Police of Phenix City.
There are separate permanent records for firearms; unclaimed firearms may be sold or destroyed after six months; firearms may be sold only to Russell County licensed gun dealers with at least one year of active license; sales are by highest sealed bid and paid in cash; proceeds go to the Office of the Chief of Police of Phenix City; destruction is allowed under established procedures.
Non-firearm abandoned or stolen property must be sold at public auction to the highest cash bidder at least every six months, with notice given by newspaper or conspicuous postings for at least 20 days; owners may claim before sale by proving ownership and paying costs.
Proceeds from all sales, after expenses, go to the Office of the Chief of Police of Phenix City.
Act 2000-777 is repealed.
The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after its passage and approval by the Governor.

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