HB500 Alabama 2019 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Margie WilcoxRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2019

Title

Litter, increase penalties, introduce new penalties for litter from vehicle, watercraft, of cigarettes or of urine, and change from Class C to Class B misdemeanor, Secs. 13A-7-29, 23-5-6, 32-5-76, 32-5A-60, 33-6-10 am'd.

Summary

HB 500 strengthens Alabama's littering laws by upgrading the offense to a Class B misdemeanor and adding enhanced penalties for littering from vehicles and for items like cigarettes, urine containers, and restaurant containers, with local-fund sharing and expanded enforcement.

What This Bill Does

It upgrades criminal littering penalties (especially for acts from motor vehicles) and adds extra fines for littering cigarettes, cigars, containers of urine, and food containers. It creates a presumption that the driver is the offender when littering from a vehicle and broadens enforcement authority to county license inspectors and solid waste officers (with approval). It also imposes penalties for discharging sewage or litter from watercraft and directs that a portion of fines be distributed to local governments for enforcement and anti-litter programs. It introduces related citation, enforcement, and licensing provisions and sets an effective date after approval by the Governor.

Who It Affects

• Drivers and the general public who litter: face higher penalties, potential mandatory community service, possible license-penalty points, and a presumption that the driver is the offender when littering from a vehicle.
• Local governments and law enforcement: receive a share of fines to fund enforcement and anti-litter programs; gain new authority for issuing citations through county license inspectors and solid waste officers (with approval).

Key Provisions

• Criminal littering is upgraded to a Class B misdemeanor; first conviction fines are $250-$500; second/subsequent convictions are $500 each plus options of up to $1,000 fine with up to 100 hours of community service or $2,000-$3,000 in fines.
• Additional penalties up to $500 per violation apply for littering cigarettes/cigars, containers of urine, and food containers.
• Fines from littering are split: 50% to municipal/county/state funds for enforcement and anti-littering activities, distributed based on each agency's contribution to the arrest/citation.
• Presumption that the driver is the offender when littering occurs from a motor vehicle, with a notice-and-review process before charges may be filed.
• Enforcement expands to county license inspectors and solid waste officers (with county approval) to issue citations; three-point license assessments apply in certain sections when litter-related violations occur.
• Load spillage from vehicles on highways (32-5-76) can be a Class B misdemeanor with license points; penalties and rules to implement by the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency.
• Discharge of sewage or litter from watercraft is a Class B misdemeanor, with fines up to $1,000, imprisonment up to 12 months, or both, and each discharge counts as a separate offense.
• Section clarifies enforcement under existing environmental and health rules, and sets the act’s effective date as the first day of the third month after approval by the Governor.
• Provides that the bill defines a new crime or amends an existing crime to justify its exemption from Amendment 621 local-funding requirements.

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

Subjects

Littering