HB479 Alabama 2016 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Kelvin LawrenceRepresentative
Democrat
Session: Regular Session 2016
Title: Wilcox Co., service of process fee, circuit and district court documents, distrib. to sheriff for operation of office
Summary: HB479 creates a dedicated Wilcox County Sheriff Service of Process Serving Fund funded by a per-document fee to cover service of process and related law enforcement needs.
What This Bill Does
The bill establishes the Wilcox County Sheriff Service of Process Serving Fund and requires a $30 fee per service of process document for both civil and criminal cases, with the fees deposited into the fund. The sheriff may contract with private, public, or governmental entities to provide service of process, except for arrest warrants. Funds are kept in Wilcox County, audited by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts, used for the betterment of law enforcement, shall not revert to the county general fund, and the act applies only to Wilcox County with an effective date on the first day of the third month after the act becomes law.

Who It Affects
The Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office: responsible for establishing and maintaining the fund, collecting and depositing fees, and contracting for service of process.
Litigants and other parties in Wilcox County courts (plaintiffs, defendants, and others who must have documents served): subject to the new $30 per document service-of-process fee.

Key Provisions
Creates the Wilcox County Sheriff Service of Process Serving Fund, to be maintained in a Wilcox County bank and audited by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.
Imposes a $30 service-of-process fee per document for civil and criminal cases, to be collected by court officials and deposited into the fund.
Allows the Wilcox County Sheriff to contract with private, public, or governmental entities to provide service of process, with an exception for warrants for arrest.
Funds may be used for the betterment of law enforcement and related purposes, shall not revert to the county general fund, and do not replace other sheriff/jail funding.
Applies only to Wilcox County and becomes effective on the first day of the third month after the act becomes law.

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