HB447 Alabama 2024 Session

Updated Feb 23, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Artis McCampbellRepresentative
Democrat
Session: Regular Session 2024
Title: Marengo County, sheriff, service of process for personal service by the sheriff, distribution to sheriff and district attorney
Summary: HB447 lets the Marengo County sheriff contract with third parties to serve process, imposes new personal-service fees, and directs the money to a sheriff’s fund for law enforcement purposes.
What This Bill Does
The sheriff in Marengo County may contract with private, public, or government entities to serve process (excluding arrest warrants). It creates service fees: $50 for in-county or within-state service, and $75 for service outside the state, with a judge-approved hardship waiver to avoid the fee. Collected fees go to the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund to support law enforcement duties and cannot replace other sheriff or jail funding. The act becomes effective October 1, 2024 and applies only to Marengo County.

Who It Affects
People and businesses in Marengo County who must be personally served with civil documents: they may be charged new service fees ($50 or $75) and may seek a hardship waiver if payment would be substantially difficult.
The Marengo County Sheriff’s Office and local courts: they gain authority to contract for service of process and will collect and deposit the new fees into the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund to support law enforcement activities.

Key Provisions
The sheriff may contract with private, public, or governmental entities to provide service of process (except for arrest warrants).
A service-of-process fee of $50 per document is added for in-county or within-state service; another $50 for service outside the county but within the state; and $75 for service outside the state; hardship waivers are possible with judge approval.
Fees collected are remitted to the Sheriff to be deposited into the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund.
Funds from the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund may be used for law enforcement purposes and to discharge the sheriff’s duties, but cannot replace or diminish other sheriff or jail funding.
The act applies only to Marengo County and becomes effective October 1, 2024.

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