HB208 • 2026

Walker County; constitutional amendment, age to qualify for election or appointment as judge of probate increased to age 75

Elections

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Barnes
Last action: 2026-02-03
Official status: Enacted
Effective date: Contingent

Plain English Breakdown

The bill is enacted by the legislature but remains contingent on voter ratification; it has no legal effect until approved in an election.

Walker County Probate Judge Age Limit Amendment

This bill proposes a change to the Alabama Constitution that would set a maximum age of 75 for anyone running or being appointed as the probate judge in Walker County.

What This Bill Does

Proposes an amendment to the Alabama Constitution specifically for Walker County.
Sets a rule that no person over 75 years old can qualify for election as Judge of Probate at the time they register or are appointed.
Requires voters in an upcoming election to approve this change before it becomes law.
Instructs officials to place a description and Yes/No options on the ballot for this amendment.

Who It Names or Affects

People who want to run or be appointed as Judge of Probate in Walker County.
Voters in Alabama who will vote on whether to approve this constitutional change.
The Code Commissioner, if voters approve the measure and it becomes part of the Constitution.

Terms To Know

Constitutional Amendment: A formal change or addition to a state's written constitution that usually requires voter approval.
Judge of Probate: An elected official in Alabama who handles legal matters like wills, estates, and guardianships for a specific county.
Qualifying: The process where a candidate officially registers to run for office or is selected for an appointment.

Limits and Unknowns

This change only applies to Walker County and does not affect other counties in Alabama.
The new age limit will not take effect unless voters approve it in a future election.
The bill text does not specify the exact date of the upcoming election where this amendment will be voted on.

Bill History

2026-02-03 House
Enacted
2026-02-03 House
Delivered to Governor
2026-02-03 House
Sent to Secretary of State
2026-02-03 House
Delivered to Governor
2026-02-03 House
Delivered to Governor
2026-02-03 Senate
Signature Requested
2026-01-29 Senate
Chambliss Local Certification Resolution - Adopted Roll Call 191 (Yeas 33, Nays 0)
2026-01-29 Senate
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 190 (Yeas 33, Nays 0)
2026-01-29 Senate
Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 33, Nays 0)
2026-01-29 House
Enrolled
2026-01-29 House
Ready to Enroll
2026-01-27 Senate
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-01-27 Senate
Reported Out of Committee Second House
2026-01-22 House
Reconsideration of Local Application Adopted (Yeas 58, Nays 0)
2026-01-22 House
Motion to Reconsider Adopted
2026-01-21 House
LocalCertificationResolutionAdopted (Yeas 41, Nays 5)
2026-01-21 House
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 95 (Yeas 64, Nays 6)
2026-01-21 House
Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 60, Nays 6)
2026-01-21 Senate
Pending Committee Action in Second House
2026-01-21 Senate
Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Local Legislation
2026-01-20 House
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-01-20 House
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-01-14 House
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-01-14 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Local Legislation

Official Summary Text

This act proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, relating to Walker County, to set the maximum age at which an individual may be elected or appointed as judge of probate to 75 years of age at the time of qualifying for election or appointment.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB208 ENROLLED
Page 0
HB208
RB444YM-2
By Representatives Barnes, Wadsworth (Constitutional
Amendment)
RFD: Local Legislation
First Read: 14-Jan-26
1
2
3
4
5
6
HB208 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 14-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
To propose an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama
of 2022, relating to Walker County, to authorize a person to
be elected or appointed as judge of probate of the county who
is not over 75 years of age at the time of qualifying for
election or appointment.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. The following amendment to the Constitution
of Alabama of 2022, is proposed:
PROPOSED AMENDMENT
Notwithstanding the provision of Section 155 of the
Constitution of Alabama of 2022, a person who is not over 75
years of age at the beginning time of qualifying for election,
or at the time of his or her appointment, may be elected or
appointed to the Office of Judge of Probate of Walker County.
Upon ratification of this constitutional amendment, the
Code Commissioner shall number and place this amendment as
appropriate in the constitution omitting this instructional
paragraph and may make the following nonsubstantive revisions:
change capitalization, hierarchy, spelling, and punctuation
for purposes of style and uniformity; correct manifest
grammatical, clerical, and typographical errors; revise
internal or external citations and cross-references; and
translate effective dates.
END PROPOSED AMENDMENT
Section 2. An election upon the proposed amendment
shall be held in accordance with Sections 284, 284.01, and 285
of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, and the election laws
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
HB208 Enrolled
Page 2
of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, and the election laws
of this state. The appropriate election official shall assign
a ballot number for the proposed constitutional amendment on
the election ballot and shall set forth the following
description of the substance or subject matter of the proposed
constitutional amendment:
"Relating to Walker County, proposing an amendment to
the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to set the maximum age at
which a person may qualify as judge of probate of the county
to the age of 75 years at the time of qualifying for election
or appointment.
Proposed by Act ____."
This description shall be followed by the following
language:
"Yes( ) No( )."
Section 3. The proposed amendment shall become valid as
part of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, when approved by
a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon.
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
HB208 Enrolled
Page 3
a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon.
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
House of Representatives
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and
was passed by the House 21-Jan-26.
John Treadwell
Clerk
Senate 29-Jan-26 Passed
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80