SB4 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Gerald H. AllenSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Motor vehicles, rules of the road, construction zone violations, further provided, Sec. 32-5A-176.1 am'd.

Summary

SB4 tightens construction-zone speeding penalties and broadens expungement rules for misdemeanors, traffic violations, and felonies.

What This Bill Does

It creates a construction-zone moving violation that applies when a driver commits a traffic offense in a zone designated with workers present and warning signs. It lets DOT and counties set and post construction-zone speed limits, with fines for moving violations in these zones set at the greater of $250 or double the outside-zone amount, doubled only if workers are present and signs indicate it. It requires entrance warning signs about the doubled fines and lets enforcement officers enforce these limits; fines are distributed like other moving-violation fines and no extra court costs are added. It expands expungement rules for misdemeanors, violations, and felonies, adding multiple eligibility paths, waiting periods, and exceptions such as human-trafficking victim status and pardons.

Who It Affects

• Drivers operating in construction zones would face higher penalties (fines of at least $250 or double the normal fine) when construction workers are present and zone signs indicate the higher penalty.
• People with past misdemeanor, traffic violation, or felony charges/convictions could petition to expunge those records under newly expanded criteria, with various conditions, waiting periods, and exemptions.

Key Provisions

• Defines construction-zone moving violations as violations of Title 32 Chapters 5 or 5A committed in a marked construction zone where workers are present and warning signs or traffic controls are in place.
• Allows the Department of Transportation to set speed limits in state and interstate construction zones and allows county commissions to set speed limits in county construction zones; speeds must be posted at least 100 feet before entering the zone.
• Imposes a penalty for construction-zone moving violations: the fine is the greater of $250 or double the amount prescribed outside a construction zone, with doubling only if construction personnel are present and signs indicate the doubled penalty.
• Requires warning signs at the entrance of construction zones to inform drivers about the doubled fines when workers are present.
• Authorizes DOT and counties to adopt administrative rules to implement and enforce the construction-zone provisions and protect workers.
• Stipulates that a person penalized under this section may not be charged additional court costs on conviction; fines are collected and distributed like other moving-violation fines.
• Effective date: the act becomes law on the first day of the second month after passage and approval by the Governor.
• Expungement changes: expands when misdemeanors, violations, and traffic offenses can be expunged, including after successful completion of certain programs and various waiting periods and conditions.
• Adds human-trafficking victim exceptions allowing expungement if the offense occurred during trafficking and the victim proves they were trafficked.
• Expands expungement for felonies with additional grounds (e.g., dismissals, not guilty verdicts, or other qualifying outcomes) and pardons, subject to specific timeframes and restrictions (not violent offenses, not sex offenses, not moral turpitude, not serious traffic offenses, and CDL-related limits).
• Records expunged or to be expunged may still be disclosed to certain agencies or for civil matters, under specified conditions, and references may be redacted after civil matters conclude.

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

Subjects

Motor Vehicles