KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Alabama

HB525 • 2026

Covington County; county commission authorized to adopt ordinances to protect public health and welfare, regulate environmental impact of certain activities, Constitutional Amendment

Covington County; county commission authorized to adopt ordinances to protect public health and welfare, regulate environmental impact of certain activities, Constitutional Amendment

Crime
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Hammett (M)
Last action
2026-03-03
Official status
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill status shows it passed both chambers but was re-referred to committee; the effective date is unknown until voters approve the amendment.

HB525: New Rules for Covington County

This bill proposes a change to the Alabama Constitution that would let the Covington County Commission make local rules about health, safety, and the environment in areas outside of cities.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the county commission to write ordinances to protect public health and welfare in unincorporated areas.
  • Gives the commission power to control how industries or projects affect the natural environment within the county.
  • Lets the commission set civil penalties for people who break these new local rules.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Covington County Commission
  • Residents living in unincorporated parts of Covington County
  • Businesses or projects operating within the county

Terms To Know

Ordinance
A local law made by a city or county government.
Unincorporated area
Land that is not part of any town or city and falls under direct county control.
Civil penalties
Fines paid to the government for breaking a rule, which are different from criminal punishments like jail time.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The commission cannot create new taxes or raise money unless other laws allow it.
  • These rules do not apply inside city limits where cities already have their own power to make rules, nor in areas controlled by municipal instruments.
  • This bill only takes effect if voters approve the constitutional amendment in an election.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-03 House

    Re-referred to Committee in House of Origin

  2. 2026-03-03 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  3. 2026-03-03 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  4. 2026-02-26 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  5. 2026-02-26 House

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

Official Summary Text

Covington County; county commission authorized to adopt ordinances to protect public health and welfare, regulate environmental impact of certain activities, Constitutional Amendment

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB525 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB525
TBY8T99-1
By Representative Hammett (Constitutional Amendment)
RFD: Local Legislation
First Read: 26-Feb-26
1
2
3
4
5
TBY8T99-1 02/26/2026 EGC (L)EGC 2026-1083
Page 1
First Read: 26-Feb-26
SYNOPSIS:
This bill would propose an amendment to the
Constitution of Alabama of 2022, relating to Covington
County, to grant the Covington County Commission
authority to adopt ordinances to protect public health
and welfare; regulate the environmental impact of any
industry, project, or activity; and establish and
provide for civil penalties.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To propose an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama
of 2022, relating to Covington County, to grant the Covington
County Commission authority to adopt ordinances to protect
public health and welfare; regulate the environmental impact
of any industry, project, or activity; and establish and
provide for civil penalties .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. The following amendment to the Constitution
of Alabama of 2022, is proposed:
PROPOSED AMENDMENT
(a) The Covington County Commission may adopt
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
HB525 INTRODUCED
Page 2
(a) The Covington County Commission may adopt
ordinances to do all of the following:
(1) Protect and enhance the public health and welfare
in the unincorporated area.
(2) Regulate the environmental impact of any industry,
project, activity, or similar endeavor proposed to be
undertaken in the county.
(3) Establish and provide for civil penalties for
violation of county ordinances.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Covington
County Commission may not establish or levy any new tax or
raise revenue unless authorized by this constitution or by
general or local law.
(c) Unless otherwise provided by general or local law
in effect upon ratification of this amendment, the Covington
County Commission may not exercise any of the powers granted
in this amendment inside the corporate limits of any
municipality; within any other territory in which a
municipality or an instrumentality of a municipality is
authorized by an act of the Legislature to exercise the power;
or within any other county, except by contract with the
municipality, municipality instrumentality, or county
affected.
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
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
HB525 INTRODUCED
Page 3
for purposes of style and uniformity; correct manifest
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 Covington County, proposing an amendment
to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to grant the Covington
County Commission authority to adopt ordinances to protect
public health and welfare; regulate the environmental impact
of any industry, project, or activity; and establish and
provide for civil penalties .
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.
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81