HB494 Alabama 2020 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Low Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Brett EasterbrookRepresentative
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2020
Title: Washington Co., establish service of process fee for sheriff, Washington County Sheriff's Law Enforcement Fund established
Summary: HB494 creates a service-of-process fee in Washington County and directs the money to a new Sheriff's Law Enforcement Fund to support local law enforcement.
What This Bill Does
It adds two fees for service of process: $25 for in-county personal service and $50 for service outside Alabama. It creates the Washington County Sheriff's Law Enforcement Fund to hold these fees and to be used for law enforcement purposes at the discretion of the Sheriff. The Clerk of the Court collects the fees and deposits them into the fund, and the fund is separate from the Sheriff’s general budget; certain groups are exempt from paying the fees.

Who It Affects
People or entities that have documents served in Washington County will pay the new service-of-process fees ($25 in-county, $50 out-of-state).
The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Clerk of the Court will administer and handle the funds, with the money deposited into the new Sheriff's Law Enforcement Fund for law enforcement use; exemptions apply to the district attorney, other law enforcement agencies, grand juries, and Washington County.

Key Provisions
A service-of-process fee of $25 is added for in-county personal service and $50 for service outside Alabama.
A Washington County Sheriff's Law Enforcement Fund is created to hold the collected fees and fund sheriff-related law enforcement activities at the sheriff's discretion.
The clerk of the court collects the fees and deposits them into the Sheriff's Law Enforcement Fund; the fund is separate from the sheriff's budget and does not replace or diminish other funding.
Exemptions from paying the fees apply to the district attorney, other law enforcement, grand juries, and Washington County.
The act takes effect on the first day of the third month after its passage and approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Washington County