HB232 Alabama 2015 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Jack Williams
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2015
Title: Courts, district, small claims division, jurisdiction increased, filing fees and distrib. further provided for, Secs. 12-11-30, 12-12-31, 12-19-71, 12-19-72 am'd.
Summary: HB232 raises the district court's small claims limit to $6,000 and updates filing fees and their distribution for civil cases.
What This Bill Does
It increases the small claims cap from $3,000 to $6,000 and establishes concurrent jurisdiction with the circuit court for cases in the $3,000–$6,000 range. It implements a tiered filing-fee schedule for civil cases based on the amount in controversy, adds fees for additional plaintiffs and for certain motions, and specifies how those fees are distributed to state and county funds. It also tightens who can file or recover in small claims (limits on attorney-fee recovery, rules about representation for partnerships/corporations, and licensure requirements) and allows fee waivers for hardship cases.

Who It Affects
Civil litigants in district and circuit courts, including individuals and businesses, by expanding the small claims docket to handle cases up to $6,000 and changing the cost of filing and pursuing those cases.
Attorneys, partnerships, corporations, and court administration, by imposing representation rules in small claims, restricting attorney-fee recovery, detailing additional-plaintiff fees and their limits, and directing fee distribution to various funds.

Key Provisions
Small claims jurisdiction increases to $6,000; concurrent district/circuit jurisdiction for $3,000–$6,000; circuit has exclusive jurisdiction for actions over $10,000.
New tiered filing-fee structure: $35 for up to $1,500; $109 for $1,500–$3,000; $198 for $3,000–$10,000; $297 for most circuit-court filings; and additional fees for dispositive motions and other filings.
Additional-plaintiff fees: $50 per extra plaintiff (max $500 in district court small claims; max $1,000 in circuit court cases) with possible fee remittance.
Jury-demand fee of $100; additional fees apply for other categories (e.g., counterclaims, third-party actions) with specified fund allocations.
Fee distributions: proceeds allocated to Fair Trial Tax Fund, State General Fund, Advanced Technology and Data Exchange Fund, and county funds according to a detailed schedule.
Small claims safeguards: no attorney-fee awards in small claims unless represented by an attorney; assignees and non-attorneys cannot file on behalf of the owner; cannot file if bar license is revoked/suspended; hardship affidavit can allow no-cost proceeding.
Workers' compensation filing fees in circuit court are not increased; other local fee changes apply only as specified.

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