SB350 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Greg AlbrittonSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Bail bonds, fees, filing fee to be assessed on each defendant, authorize to pay filing fees by business check, money order, or cash, nonsubstantive technical revisions made to update existing code language, Sec. 12-19-311 am'd.

Summary

SB350 shifts the bail filing fee from per-bond to per-defendant, adds payment options, and lets a surety pay the posting fee at the same time, with minor wording updates.

What This Bill Does

It would amend Section 12-19-311 so the filing fee is assessed on each defendant rather than each bail bond. The filing fee is $35 and would be payable by business check, money order, or cash, and a surety could pay the posting fee at the same time. The bill also includes nonsubstantive technical revisions to update the language; and it preserves the existing framework for how the collected fees are distributed to local and state funds.

Who It Affects

• Defendants charged with crimes who are released on bail would pay a $35 filing fee once per case instead of paying a filing fee for each bail bond.
• Bail bond professionals (bondsmen, professional sureties, guarantors) would be able to pay the bail bond posting fee at the same time as the bond, and would be subject to existing payment and nonpayment rules.

Key Provisions

• The filing fee changes from being assessed per bail bond to being assessed per defendant (the $35 filing fee per defendant).
• Filing fees may be paid using a business check, money order, or cash, and a surety may pay the bail bond posting fee simultaneously.
• Nonsubstantive, technical revisions are included to update the code language to current style.
• The act retains the existing fee collection and distribution framework, allocating funds to specified local and state funds.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 23, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Bail Bonds