HB444 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Corley EllisRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

Relating to Shelby County; to further provide for service of process in civil cases in Shelby County; to set an additional fee for civil service of process; to create the Shelby County Sheriff's Civil Service of Process Fund; to provide for the distribution of funds to the sheriff's civil service of process fund; and to authorize the sheriff to contract with or enter into an agreement with a private, public, or governmental entity for the purpose of service of process.

Summary

HB444 adds a $50 civil service of process fee in Shelby County, creates a dedicated fund for the sheriff's service of process, and allows the sheriff to contract with others to handle service of process.

What This Bill Does

It imposes a $50 per-document fee for civil service of process by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, in addition to existing charges. It creates the Shelby County Sheriff's Civil Service of Process Fund and requires designated court officials to collect the fee and deposit it into the fund. It authorizes the sheriff to contract with private, public, or governmental entities to provide service of process. It also specifies that funds in the new fund do not revert to the county general fund at year end and may be used for law enforcement purposes in Shelby County.

Who It Affects

• Civil litigants and other parties involved in Shelby County civil cases, who will be charged an extra $50 per document for service of process by the sheriff's office.
• Shelby County Sheriff's Office and the county government, which will receive the new funds and may use them for law enforcement purposes and for contracting to provide service of process.

Key Provisions

• $50 civil service of process fee per document for personal service by the sheriff's office, in addition to existing charges.
• Definition of 'document' includes multiple papers served on a party or entity at one time.
• Creation of the Shelby County Sheriff's Civil Service of Process Fund.
• Court officials designated by law in Shelby County shall collect the fee and distribute it to the sheriff for deposit into the fund.
• The sheriff may contract with or enter into agreements with private, public, or governmental entities to provide service of process.
• Funds in the sheriff's civil service of process fund may be used for law enforcement purposes in Shelby County, including contracting for service of process of documents from the civil division.
• Funds deposited into the fund do not revert to the county general fund at the end of the fiscal year.
• The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after passage.

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

Subjects

Shelby County; court costs, additional for service by sheriff, distributions to the sheriff's fund