HB601 Alabama 2025 Session

Updated Feb 23, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Alan BakerRepresentative
Republican
Session: 2025 Regular Session
Title: Escambia County, deposit and use of monies by sheriff further provided for
Summary: HB601 creates a dedicated Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund in Escambia County and channels various fees, proceeds, and fundraising into it to support county law enforcement activities.
What This Bill Does
The bill requires fees and revenues from service of process, fingerprinting, pistol permits, jail store profits, and auction sales to be deposited into the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund instead of the county general fund. It gives the sheriff authority to use these funds for law enforcement purposes, including contracting for service of process with private or public entities. It also allows fundraising events with proceeds going to the fund, requires annual audits, and transfers existing related funds into the new Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund on October 1, 2025.

Who It Affects
Escambia County residents and businesses: they would see new or increased fees for service of process, fingerprinting, and pistol permits, with the resulting funds directed to the sheriff’s law enforcement fund for County police work.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and county government: they establish and manage the new Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund, oversee its use for law enforcement, and handle the planned transfers from existing funds with required annual audits.

Key Provisions
Create and funding: Establish the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund and require deposits of specified fees and revenues into it from Escambia County.
Fees: Impose or increase fees for service of process ($15 per document in criminal/civil divisions; $30 per document for personal service), fingerprinting (up to $50, except when fingerprinting is for law enforcement or pistol permits), and pistol-permit issuance ($20, or $15 for those 65+). Fees are deposited into the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund and used for law enforcement; pre-2022 fingerprinting actions are ratified.
Use of funds: Funds may be used for law enforcement purposes in Escambia County, including contracting for service of process; proceeds from fundraising events and jail store/auction activities go to the fund for law enforcement use; funds do not revert to the county general fund at year end.
Audits: The fund must be audited annually by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.
Transfers: On October 1, 2025, remaining balances from the Escambia County Sheriff Process Fund, Sheriff Service of Process Fund, and the Sheriff’s Fund from 45-27-231.26 shall be transferred into the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Fund.
Effective date: The act becomes effective October 1, 2025.

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