HB659 Alabama 2015 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Alvin Holmes

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2015

Title

Montgomery Co., judge of probate, recording fees for property records and other documents, use of funds further provided for including use for other public purposes, Act 2012-82, 2012 Reg. Sess., am'd.

Summary

HB659 would create a $5 special recording fee in Montgomery County and dedicate the money to upgrading the judge of probate's recording system and related office operations.

What This Bill Does

It amends Act 2012-82 to require a five-dollar special recording fee paid to the Montgomery County Judge of Probate for each real property instrument, each personal property instrument, and each Uniform Commercial Code document filed for record, plus other documents at the judge's discretion. The fee is in addition to all other fees and charges required by law. All collected fees go into a special fund called the Judge of Probate Fund and may be used for an improved recording, archiving, and retrieval system, equipment, maintenance, and other public purposes benefiting county residents, as well as general office operations. The judge must report annually to the Montgomery County Legislative Delegation on how the funds are used, and no money may be spent on political purposes.

Who It Affects

• Montgomery County property owners and other individuals or businesses filing real property instruments, personal property instruments, UCC documents, or other documents in the Montgomery County Judge of Probate's office; they would pay a new $5 special recording fee for each such document.
• Montgomery County community and local government; the funds from the new fee would be collected into a dedicated Judge of Probate Fund to upgrade recording systems, archiving, equipment, maintenance, and support general office operations, with annual accountability and a prohibition on political use.

Key Provisions

• Imposes a $5 special recording fee on each real property instrument, each personal property instrument, and each UCC document filed with the Montgomery County Judge of Probate, plus other instruments at the judge's discretion.
• The fee is in addition to existing fees and must be paid before recording.
• All collected fees go into the Judge of Probate Fund and may be used for improving recording, archiving, and retrieval systems, equipment, maintenance, and other public purposes; not allowed for political purposes.
• The judge must annually report to the Montgomery County Legislative Delegation on how the funds were used.
• Effective date is the first day of the third month after passage and governor 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