SB183 Alabama 2018 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Phillip W. Williams
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2018
Title: Cherokee 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: The Cherokee County sheriff is authorized to sell abandoned, stolen, and unclaimed property (including firearms) at public auctions, with proceeds used for law enforcement, and to manage firearms under specific sale or destruction rules.
What This Bill Does
The bill requires the sheriff to keep public records of recovered property and store it securely. Perishable items may be sold without notice after reasonable owner-search efforts, with six months to claim the proceeds; unclaimed funds go to the sheriff after expenses. Firearms are recorded and may be sold or destroyed if unclaimed after six months, with sales limited to licensed gun dealers through a bidding process, and proceeds go to the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund. All other abandoned or unclaimed property is sold at public auction after six months, with notice published or posted, and owners may claim items before sale; proceeds after expenses go to the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund and are audited.

Who It Affects
Owners of abandoned, stolen, or unclaimed property recovered by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office; they may claim their items before sale and may owe a share of publication costs in some cases.
Licensed gun dealers (must hold an active license for at least one year) and the Cherokee County community; dealers can bid on firearms at auction, unclaimed firearms may be destroyed or sold, and sale proceeds go to the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund.

Key Provisions
Sheriff must keep a public record of abandoned/stolen property with description, recovery date, and identifying numbers; records must be open for public inspection.
Perishable property may be sold without notice if the owner cannot be located; proceeds are held for six months to allow owner to claim, less recovery, storage, and sale costs.
Permanent firearm records; firearms may be sold or destroyed if unclaimed after six months; firearms sold only to dealers with at least one year of active license; highest sealed bid determines sale unless traded to a public safety firearm store; proceeds go to the Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Fund.
Non-firearm property is sold at public auction after six months; notice must be published or posted for at least 20 days with auction details.
All sale proceeds, after expenses, go to the Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Fund and are subject to audit by Examiners of Public Accounts.
Effective date: three months after passage and governor’s 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: Cherokee County