SB201 Alabama 2014 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Dick Brewbaker

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Roger Bedford, Jr.Gerald O. DialRodger Smitherman

Session

Regular Session 2014

Title

Court costs, docket fee for distribution, distribute to clerk, administrative rules, promulgation by Administrative Office of Courts

Summary

SB201 would let Alabama circuit and district courts keep 5% of docket fees as an administrative collection fee, reducing the amount distributed to recipients, with several exceptions.

What This Bill Does

If enacted, court clerks would retain 5% of each docket fee as an administrative collection fee, and this amount would be deposited into the State Judicial Administration Fund. The 5% would be taken before any docket fee is distributed to agencies or entities that receive those fees, effectively reducing distributions by 5%. Several docket fees are exempt from this deduction, including those in juvenile or child support cases and fees distributed to certain state funds or judicial administration funds. The Administrative Office of Courts could issue rules to implement these changes, and the act would take effect immediately after approval.

Who It Affects

• Court clerks and the courts they support — would retain 5% of each docket fee as an administrative collection fee.
• Recipients of docket fees (agencies and entities) — would receive 5% less of each docket fee distributed to them, with certain fees exempt.

Key Provisions

• Imposes a five percent administrative collection fee on every docket fee collected by circuit and district courts, to be retained by the court clerk and deposited into the State Judicial Administration Fund.
• The 5% deduction reduces the amount distributed to each recipient of docket fees by five percent, prior to distribution.
• Exclusions list several docket fees that would not be subject to the 5% collection fee: juvenile case fees, child support case fees, fees distributed to the State General Fund, the State Judicial Administration Fund, the Presiding Circuit Judge's Judicial Administration Fund, the Circuit Clerk's Judicial Administration Fund, and any docket fee mandated to be collected by the circuit clerk for use by any court, the Administrative Office of Courts, or the Unified Judicial System.
• The Administrative Office of Courts may promulgate rules to administer this section.
• The act becomes effective immediately 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

Court, Circuit