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HB308 • 2026

Mobile County; senior property tax exemption, authorized; constitutional amendment

Mobile County; senior property tax exemption, authorized; constitutional amendment

Taxes
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Shirey
Last action
2026-03-17
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
Effective

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Mobile County Senior Property Tax Exemption Amendment

This bill proposes a change to the Alabama Constitution that would let seniors in Mobile County freeze their property tax value and raise income limits for other exemptions.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows people aged 65 or older in Mobile County to claim a senior property tax exemption starting October 1, 2027.
  • Freezes the assessed value of eligible homes at the level from the year before the exemption is claimed.
  • Raises the annual income limit for certain age-based homestead exemptions in Mobile County to $50,000.
  • Requires homeowners to live in their property as their main home for five years immediately before claiming this new benefit.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Homeowners aged 65 or older who own and live in single-family homes in Mobile County.
  • Mobile County taxpayers seeking homestead exemptions based on age and income.

Terms To Know

Assessed value
The dollar amount assigned to a property for calculating how much tax is owed.
Ad valorem tax
A property tax based on the current worth or assessed value of the land and buildings.
Homestead exemption
A reduction in taxes for a home that serves as the owner's main residence.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This law only applies to Mobile County and does not change rules for other counties.
  • The amendment must be approved by voters in an election before it becomes part of the Constitution.
  • New additions built on a home after claiming the exemption will still increase the property's tax value.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

ZQ6EJWK-1

R 739 • Figures

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment updates a bill about Mobile County property taxes by setting a specific annual income limit of $50,000 for seniors to qualify for an exemption.

  • Sets the maximum yearly adjusted gross income at $50,000 for certain homestead exemptions in Mobile County.
  • Updates multiple sections of the bill text to include this new dollar amount and clarify that it applies based on age and income.
  • The amendment does not explain what happens if a person's income is higher than $50,000.
  • It mentions 'other appropriate evidence' for proving income but does not list specific examples of acceptable documents.
JPJ2VFN-1

V • Figures

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment increases the taxable income limit for a senior property tax exemption in Mobile County from $12,000 to $50,000.

  • The maximum amount of taxable income allowed to qualify for the senior property tax exemption is raised.
  • The text does not explain how this change affects people who already have exemptions or if it applies retroactively.
  • The amendment only shows a specific line replacement and does not include the full context of the bill's other rules.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-17 House

    Enacted

  2. 2026-03-17 Senate

    Signature Requested

  3. 2026-03-17 House

    Sent to Secretary of State

  4. 2026-03-17 House

    Delivered to Governor

  5. 2026-03-12 House

    Shirey Concur In and Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 889 (Yeas 98, Nays 0)

  6. 2026-03-12 House

    Enrolled

  7. 2026-03-12 House

    Ready to Enroll

  8. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Figures Local Certification Resolution - Adopted Roll Call 741 (Yeas 32, Nays 0)

  9. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 740 (Yeas 32, Nays 0)

  10. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Figures motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 739 (Yeas 32, Nays 0)

  11. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 32, Nays 0)

  12. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Figures 1st Amendment Offered

  13. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Figures motion to Table - Adopted Voice Vote

  14. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Mobile County Legislation 1st Amendment Offered

  15. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  16. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  17. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Mobile County Legislation 1st Amendment

  18. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  19. 2026-02-05 Senate

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

  20. 2026-02-03 House

    LocalCertificationResolutionAdopted (Yeas 48, Nays 0)

  21. 2026-02-03 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 266 (Yeas 68, Nays 0)

  22. 2026-02-03 House

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 72, Nays 0)

  23. 2026-02-03 House

    Lovvorn Motion to Carry Over Temporarily - Adopted Voice Vote

  24. 2026-01-29 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  25. 2026-01-28 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  26. 2026-01-21 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  27. 2026-01-21 House

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

Official Summary Text

This act proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, relating to Mobile County, to authorize qualified taxpayers 65 years of age or older to claim a senior property tax exemption for single-family owner-occupied residential property beginning October 1, 2027, subject to certain conditions.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB308 ENROLLED
Page 0
HB308
QNWTX51-2
By Representatives Shirey, Brown, Stringer, Wilcox
(Constitutional Amendment)
RFD: Mobile County Legislation
First Read: 21-Jan-26
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HB308 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 21-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
To propose an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama
of 2022, relating to Mobile County, to authorize a qualified
taxpayer 65 years of age or older to claim a senior property
tax exemption for real property owned in the county under
certain conditions; and to raise the income limit for certain
homestead exemptions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. The following amendment to the Constitution
of Alabama of 2022, is proposed:
PROPOSED AMENDMENT
Section I. (a) In Mobile County, an individual 65 years
of age or older may claim a senior property tax exemption for
ad valorem tax purposes on real property located in the county
which is owned by the individual, classified as single-family
owner-occupied residential property, and used as the principal
place of residence of the individual for not less than five
years immediately prior to the tax year for which the
individual first claims the senior property tax exemption. The
senior property tax exemption shall freeze the assessed value
of the property for the year immediately prior to claiming the
exemption.
(b) The following provisions shall apply to the
individual claiming the senior property tax exemption:
(1) The taxpayer shall continue to receive the senior
property tax exemption as long as the taxpayer continues to
use the property as his or her principal place of residence.
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HB308 Enrolled
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use the property as his or her principal place of residence.
(2) The individual shall continue to be eligible to
claim a homestead exemption and any other exemption authorized
by law on the property.
(3) The property shall continue to be subject to any
millage rate changes on the property.
(4) The assessed value of any additions to the property
after claiming the senior property tax exemption shall be
added to the assessed value of the property and subject to ad
valorem tax based on the increase in the assessed value of the
addition after the taxpayer claims the senior property tax
exemption.
(5) This exemption may be claimed beginning October 1,
2027, for the value of the property on October 1, 2026.
(6) This exemption must be claimed in writing with the
Mobile County Revenue Commissioner between October 1 and
December 31.
Section II. The limit on the annual adjusted gross
income used for a county homestead exemption based on age and
income in Mobile County shall be increased to fifty thousand
dollars ($50,000) as reflected on the most recent state income
tax return or some other appropriate evidence.
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
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HB308 Enrolled
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grammatical, clerical, and typographical errors; revise
internal or external citations and cross-references; harmonize
language; 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
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 Mobile County, proposing an amendment to
the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to authorize a qualified
taxpayer 65 years of age or older to claim a senior property
tax exemption for real property under certain conditions; and
to raise the income limit for certain homestead exemptions to
$50,000.
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.
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HB308 Enrolled
Page 4
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 03-Feb-26, as amended.
John Treadwell
Clerk
Senate 10-Mar-26 Amended and Passed
House 12-Mar-26 Concurred in Senate
Amendment
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