HB84 Alabama 2015 Session

Updated Feb 24, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: K.L. Brown
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2015
Title: Self Service Storage Act, notification of default by email, posting of notice on website, commercially reasonable sale specified, enforcement of owners' lien against member of armed forces time extended, Secs. 8-15-31, 8-15-34 am'd.; Secs. 8-15-39, 8-15-40 added
Summary: This bill updates Alabama's Self-Service Storage Act to modernize notices, clarify lien sales, add late fees, and protect deployed service members.
What This Bill Does
It updates definitions (eg, active duty, last known address, email, verified mail, late fee, service member). It lets owners notify occupants of default and their intent to enforce a lien by verified mail or email, and allows posting sale notices on a publicly accessible website (removing the need to describe the property or deny access in the notice). It clarifies how a sale must be conducted and how proceeds are handled, including the maximum value of stored property and the handling of towed vehicles. It adds a late fee and requires adequate notice before charging it, and it gives special protections by delaying lien enforcement for service members deployed overseas for 180 days or more, with documentation and a 90-day pause after overseas service ends.

Who It Affects
Occupants/tenants of self-service storage facilities: face updated default notices, potential lien enforcement by email or website posting, and new rules around late fees and access to their stored items.
Facility owners/operators, lienholders, and service members: face new definitions, lien enforcement procedures, late-fee authority, posting requirements, and protections for service members deployed overseas.

Key Provisions
Adds/updates definitions: active duty, last known address, email, verified mail, late fee, service member, and related terms.
Authorizes owners to notify occupants of default and lien intent by verified mail or email; removes requirement to include property description and denial of access in the notice; allows posting sale notices on publicly accessible websites.
Specifies commercially reasonable sale standards, how proceeds are handled, determines maximum value of stored property, and addresses liability for towed motor vehicles or vessels.
Imposes a late fee (greater of $20 per month or 20% of monthly rent) and requires adequate notice before charging; late fees are in addition to other remedies.
Provides protections for service members: if deployed overseas for 180 days or more, lien enforcement is paused for 90 days after end of overseas service, with required documentation.
Outlines notice to lienholders including property description, lienholder details, and method of service; requires notices to be forwarded with confirmation.
If newspaper publication is unavailable, allows postings on-site or on a website and in multiple local places; details sale advertising requirements and auction procedures.
Effective date: becomes law on the first day of the third month after passage.

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