House Bill 440 Alabama 2026 Session

Updated Feb 17, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Alan BakerRepresentative
Republican
Session: 2026 Regular Session
Title: Escambia County; probate court fees further provided for
Summary: HB440 would set fixed probate court fees in Escambia County for listed services, replacing general-law fees for those services, effective October 1, 2026.
What This Bill Does
The bill requires the Escambia County Judge of Probate to charge specific fixed fees for certain probate-related services instead of the general-law fees. It sets separate dollar amounts for services such as probate of a will, administration of an intestate estate, name changes, legitimation, guardianship, conservatorship, adoption, and various filing/recording actions. For any services not listed, the judge would continue to use the existing general-law fees. The act would take effect on October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects
Residents and parties in Escambia County who use probate court services (e.g., will probate, estate administration, name changes, legitimation, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions) who would pay the fixed fees listed in the bill.
Attorneys, estates, and other professionals who file documents or interact with the Escambia County probate court (e.g., filing wills, indexing, notary recording, UCC filings, plat recording), as these tasks would have defined fixed fees.

Key Provisions
Probate of a will: $105
Administration of intestate estate: $105
Name change: $65
Legitimatio n: $65
Guardianship: $145
Conservatorship: $145
Adoption: $125
Claims against wills and estates: $5
Filing a will: $15 plus $5 per page
Indexing: $10
Notary recording: $30
UCC instruments: $25
UCC release: $5
Plat recording: $35
(b) Services not listed continue to use general-law service fees
Section 2 effective date: October 1, 2026

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 12, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Escambia County