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HB284 • 2026

Marshall County; abandoned and stolen property, auction procedures revised

Marshall County; abandoned and stolen property, auction procedures revised

Firearms
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Colvin
Last action
2026-01-29
Official status
Indefinitely Postponed in Second House
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact procedure for destroying firearms is left to the discretion of the sheriff.

Marshall County Property Auction Rules

This law changes how the sheriff of Marshall County handles abandoned and stolen personal property, including firearms, by setting new rules for auctions and record-keeping.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes when the sheriff can sell abandoned or stolen personal property at auction to after it has been unclaimed for one year.
  • Requires the sheriff to give notice about upcoming auctions in local newspapers or at the courthouse.
  • Allows the sheriff to reject bids that are too low and continue selling items if no bidders show up.
  • Creates a new rule requiring the sheriff to keep detailed records of abandoned or stolen firearms.
  • Gives the sheriff permission to sell or destroy unclaimed firearms after one year, with specific rules for gun dealers.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Sheriff of Marshall County
  • Owners of abandoned and stolen property in Marshall County
  • People who attend auctions for recovered property

Terms To Know

firearm
A gun or weapon that uses ammunition.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the sheriff will notify surrounding counties about unclaimed firearms.
  • It is unclear what happens if a firearm's owner cannot be found after one year.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 33, Nays 0)

  2. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Currently Indefinitely Postponed

  3. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  4. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  5. 2026-01-22 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 116 (Yeas 13, Nays 0)

  6. 2026-01-22 House

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 60, Nays 0)

  7. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  8. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Local Legislation

  9. 2026-01-21 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  10. 2026-01-21 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  11. 2026-01-20 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  12. 2026-01-20 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Local Legislation

Official Summary Text

Marshall County; abandoned and stolen property, auction procedures revised

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB284 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB284
HG27N66-1
By Representative Colvin (N & P)
RFD: Local Legislation
First Read: 20-Jan-26
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HG27N66-1 01/19/2026 THR (L)ma 2026-331
Page 1
First Read: 20-Jan-26
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to Marshall County; to amend Sections
45-48-231.20, 45-48-231.22, and 45-48-231.24, Code of Alabama
1975; and to add Section 45-48-231.27 to the Code of Alabama
1975; to further provide for abandoned and stolen personal
property recovered by the sheriff's department.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Sections 45-48-231.20, 45-48-231.22, and
45-48-231.24, Code of Alabama 1975, are amended to read as
follows:
"§45-48-231.20
The Sheriff of Marshall County shall sell, at public
auction or by Internet auction , abandoned and stolen personal
property recovered by the sheriff's department which has
remained unclaimed by the owner for a period of 12 consecutive
months."
"§45-48-231.22
Except for perishable property sold pursuant to Section
45-48-231.01 45-48-431.21 , at least every six months, the
Sheriff of Marshall County , shall sell at public auction to
the highest bidder for cash all abandoned or stolen personal
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HB284 INTRODUCED
Page 2
the highest bidder for cash all abandoned or stolen personal
property which that has been recovered by the sheriff's
department , which and that has remained unclaimed by the owner
after a period of 12 months. The sale shall be made after
notice has been given by publication in a newspaper of general
circulation in Marshall County once a week for two successive
weeks or by posting notice in a conspicuous place at the
Marshall County Courthouse for a period of at least 20 days
prior to the sale. The notice shall contain the place, date,
and time of each auction and a description of each item of
personal property to be sold at auction. If publication of the
notice is made by publication in the newspaper, the first
notice shall run at least 20 days prior to the auction."
"§45-48-231.24
Whenever any property is sold at public auction, the
sale shall be paid only in cash. A notation in the storage
record book shall be made of the sale and of the amount
received for the any property sold at auction . The person
making the sale shall have the right to reject any and all
bids bid if the bid amount is deemed unreasonably low. The
sale may continue, from time to time, if no bidders are
present."
Section 2. Section 45-48-231.27 is added to the Code of
Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
§45-48-231.27
(a)(1) The sheriff shall keep and maintain a permanent
record of all abandoned or stolen firearms not subject to
disposition by general law. The records shall state the
description of the firearm; the serial or other identifying
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HB284 INTRODUCED
Page 3
description of the firearm; the serial or other identifying
number, if any, of the firearm; and the place where the
firearm was recovered. The sheriff shall take reasonable
efforts to locate the owner of abandoned or stolen firearms
recovered by the sheriff's office, including by notifying the
sheriff's offices of surrounding counties.
(2) For the purposes of this section, the term
"firearm" shall have the same meaning as provided in Section
13A-8-1.
(b) Unless otherwise provided by law, the sheriff may
sell or destroy a firearm if the owner does not claim the
firearm within 12 months of the date the sheriff obtained the
firearm.
(c) The sheriff may sell a firearm only to gun dealers
who have a current federal firearm license on the date of the
sale. The sheriff shall establish a procedure to notify gun
dealers of a sale. A firearm shall be sold to the gun dealer
submitting the highest sealed bid. The proceeds of the sale,
after deducting and paying all expenses incurred in the
recovery, maintenance, and sale of the firearm, shall be paid
to the Office of the Sheriff of Marshall County.
(d) The sheriff may establish a procedure to destroy
firearms and may expend necessary funds of the sheriff's
office for that purpose.
Section 3. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026 .
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