HB522 Alabama 2018 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Low Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Chris BlackshearRepresentative
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2018
Title: Russell Co., sheriff authorized to sell certain abandoned, unclaimed, or stolen property, and firearms, notice, record keeping requirement, distribution of funds for law enforcement purposes
Summary: HB 522 authorizes the Russell County Sheriff to sell abandoned, stolen, and unclaimed property (including firearms) at public auctions, sets notice and record-keeping requirements, and directs sale proceeds to the Sheriff's Law Enforcement Fund.
What This Bill Does
The bill requires the sheriff to maintain public records of recovered property with descriptions, dates, and identifying numbers. It allows selling unclaimed perishable property without notice under certain conditions, with six months for owners to claim proceeds before funds go to the sheriff. It creates a firearm-specific process with firearm records, a six-month claim window, and sales restricted to licensed gun dealers with the highest sealed bid, while non-firearm property is sold at public auction after six months with required notice; owners may claim before sale by paying publication costs. Proceeds from all sales go to the Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Fund and are subject to auditing.

Who It Affects
Property owners in Russell County who have abandoned or stolen items recovered by the sheriff; they may claim the items before sale and may receive proceeds if the items remain unclaimed.
Licensed gun dealers in Alabama; they may bid on and purchase firearms at auction under the act, subject to licensing requirements and notification procedures.

Key Provisions
The Sheriff must maintain public records of all abandoned and stolen property with description, recovery date, and identifying numbers; records are open to public inspection.
Perishable property may be sold without notice if the owner cannot be located, with the sheriff seeking the best price and held proceeds for six months for the owner (after which, if unclaimed, net funds go to the Sheriff’s office; costs are deducted).
For firearms: the sheriff keeps permanent firearm records; can sell or destroy unclaimed firearms after six months; sales restricted to gun dealers with at least one year of active licensing, with a notice procedure and highest sealed bid rule, proceeds going to the Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Fund; destruction is possible.
Non-firearm property is sold at public auction after six months of unclaimed status; notice is required by newspaper publication and/or courthouse posting and sheriff’s website for at least 20 days.
Owners may claim property before sale by proving ownership and may owe a pro rata share of publication costs.
Sales are recorded, bids can be rejected if unreasonably low, and sales may continue if there are no bidders.
Proceeds from sales go to the Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Fund and are audited by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.
The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month following passage/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: Russell County