Title 45

No person holding a position in the classified service shall seek or attempt to use any political endorsement in connection with any appointment to a position in the classified service. No person holding a position in the classified service shall use or promise to use, directly o…

The governing body shall make necessary appropriations from the general fund to pay the reasonable and necessary expenses incurred by the board and its members in the administration of this part, including the expense of defending any litigation brought against the board or its m…

Nothing herein shall be construed as restricting the right of the governing body to refuse employment and prohibit the further service of any person who is a member of an organization which is opposed to the basic purpose of local self-government; or to increase or decrease propo…

(a) There is established an employee incentive program for the classified employees of Houston County, excluding those employees considered to be department heads. The intent of the incentive program is to promote cost consciousness among county employees resulting in substantial…

This article shall apply only to those portions of Houston County located outside the corporate boundaries of the City of Dothan. (Act 2000-473, p. 900, §1.)

The Legislature declares that volunteer fire departments and associations which receive funds pursuant to this article are organizations which are public in nature, as they protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the county. (Act 2000-473, p. 900, §2.)

(a) There is levied on the owner of each dwelling and commercial building located in those portions of Houston County located outside the corporate boundaries of the City of Dothan a fire protection service fee of thirty dollars ($30) per year. (b) For the purposes of this articl…

Except with regard to the enforcement provisions thereof, the fire protection service fee shall be collected and administered as closely as possible at the same time, in the same manner, and under the same requirements and laws as are the ad valorem taxes of the state. Likewise, …

An eligible volunteer fire department, for the purposes of this article, shall mean a volunteer fire department located in Houston County which is certified under the Alabama Forestry Commission and which is a member of the Houston County Volunteer Firefighters Association. (Act …

Funds paid to eligible volunteer fire departments and the association shall only be expended for fire protection, including training, supplies, and equipment. The funds may also be expended to purchase insurance, including liability insurance, to insure coverage of acts or omissi…

Upon dissolution or abandonment of any eligible volunteer fire department or the Houston County Volunteer Firefighters Association, any remaining funds derived from this article or any assets purchased with funds derived from this article shall, after all lawful indebtedness has …

The personnel of volunteer fire departments and the Houston County Volunteer Firefighters Association provided for in this article shall not be considered as employees, servants, or agents of the county and the members of the county commission and the employees of the county shal…

The primary purpose and use of funds generated by this article is to enable all volunteer fire departments in Houston County to lower their ISO ratings, thus lowering insurance costs to the citizens of the county. All departments are required to attain and maintain an ISO of 7/9 …

With regard to the collection and administration of the fees levied by this article including, but not limited to, the application for and granting of exemptions, the Houston County Commission shall exercise such regulatory control and supervision over and may adopt rules and reg…

As used in this article the following words shall have the following meanings: (1) BINGO. The game, commonly known as bingo, where numbers or symbols on a card are matched with numbers or symbols selected at random. (2) BINGO SESSION. A consecutive period of time not to exceed fi…

The operation of bingo games for prizes or money by qualified organizations or qualified clubs for bona fide charitable, educational, or other lawful purposes shall be legal in Houston County subject to this article or ordinance or resolution of the Houston County Commission. (Ac…

(a) No qualified organization or club shall be permitted to operate a bingo game unless the sheriff of the county first issues a permit to the organization or club authorizing it to do so. The permit described in this article is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other busin…

(a) Each bingo permit shall contain the name and address of the permit holder, the location at which the permit holder is permitted to conduct bingo, and the day of the week on which the permit holder is permitted to conduct bingo. (b) The bingo permit holder shall display the pe…

(a) It is the intention of the Legislature that only qualified organizations or qualified clubs which are properly issued permits pursuant to this article or resolution of the Houston County Commission shall be allowed to operate bingo games. A qualified organization or qualified…

All fees collected by the sheriff under this article shall be paid into the county general fund, and all necessary expenses incurred by that official in the administration and enforcement of this article shall be financed from that general fund, with the remainder distributed to …

No less than 100 percent of the net proceeds of a bingo game shall be designated and expended for charitable or educational purposes. Net proceeds means gross proceeds less reasonable expenses incurred or paid in connection with the holding, operating, or conducting of bingo. Rea…

(a) Bingo may not be conducted with any equipment which is not owned, being purchased, or being rented at a reasonable rate by the permit holder, except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of Section 45-35-150.04. (b) Prizes given by any organization for the playing of bingo …

Each permit holder shall maintain the following records pertaining to each bingo session for at least one year from the date of the session: (1) An itemized list of gross receipts for each session. (2) An itemized list of all expenses, including the name of each person to whom th…

(a) On or before April 15, after this article has been in effect for one year, and on or before April 15 of each calendar year thereafter, each permit holder shall file with the sheriff a copy of the records required in Section 45-35-150.08 relating to the operation of bingo sess…

The sheriff, for good cause shown, may revoke any permit if the permit holder or any officer, director, agent, member, or employee of the permit holder violates this article or a rule promulgated pursuant to this article. The revocation by the sheriff shall become effective 10 da…

(a) A permit holder whose permit is revoked for a violation of this article or a rule promulgated under this article, is ineligible to apply for a permit for a period of one year after the revocation. (b) A person convicted of an offense under Section 45-35-150.13 or any other ga…

The circuit court of the county shall have jurisdiction to restrain or enjoin violations of this article and shall afford trial by jury for all appeals directed to it for alleged violations of this article leading to revocations of existing permits. (Act 95-420, p. 910, §13.)

Any person who violates this article shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor upon first conviction under this article. Any subsequent conviction shall be a Class A misdemeanor. Any person who is convicted under this section shall be punished as provided by law. (Act 95-420, p. 9…

Any device, equipment, record, money, or stakes used in any bingo game or operation in violation of this article may be declared contraband and may be seized and be forfeited. Property forfeited may be sold, destroyed, or retained for official use by the municipal, county, state,…

Any other law providing a penalty or disability on a person who conducts or participates in bingo games, who possesses equipment used in conducting bingo, who permits bingo to be conducted on his or her premises, or who does other acts in connection with bingo, shall not apply to…

(a) The Houston County Commission shall reimburse the office of the license commissioner, judge of probate, or revenue commissioner from the general fund of the county the amount of any monetary loss, not to exceed a total of five thousand dollars ($5,000) per annum, arising or c…

(a)(1) The use of credit cards for any payments made to a Houston County department, agency, board, or commission may be authorized upon approval by the Houston County Commission as provided in subsection (b), and if authorized, shall be accepted pursuant to rules and regulations…

(a) Commencing with the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2007, the Houston County Commission may appropriate annually, out of the monies in the county treasury not otherwise appropriated, an amount not exceeding twelve thousand dollars ($12,000) into a fund to be known as the Con…

(a) The Houston County Board of Health shall designate the services rendered by the county health department for which fees may be charged and shall set the fee to be charged for each service. The health department is hereby authorized to charge and collect such fees. All fees co…

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) DESIGNATED LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. A law enforcement agency within Houston County that is authorized by the sheriff to exercise the authority described in this section. (2) LAW ENFORCEMENT …

(a) The county governing body or its road maintenance department or agency shall have the authority to pave any streets within Houston County. The county governing body or its duly authorized agency is hereby authorized to establish and maintain such a program of paving streets, …

(a) There is created the office of License Commissioner in Houston County, Alabama. He or she shall take office immediately upon this section becoming law, and the appointment made by the Houston County Commission. The license commissioner shall serve thereafter at the pleasure o…

(a) Beginning on June 1, 2025, the salary of the Sheriff of Houston County shall be one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) per annum. (b) Beginning on June 1, 2025, the sheriff shall receive the same uniform increases in compensation granted to other county employees inclu…

(a) The sheriff shall keep and maintain a permanent record of all abandoned and stolen personal property recovered by the sheriff’s department. The records shall state the description of the property, the date of recovery of the property, the serial or other identifying number of…

If the abandoned and stolen personal property is of a perishable nature and reasonable attempts to locate and identify the owner of the property are not successful, the property may be sold at once without notice. The sheriff shall attempt to obtain the best possible price for th…

(a) The sheriff shall keep and maintain a separate permanent record of all abandoned and stolen firearms, not subject to disposition by general law. The record shall state the description, the identifying number, if any, of the firearm, and the place of recovery of the firearm. T…

(a) At least every six months, the sheriff shall sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash all abandoned or stolen personal property, other than firearms, which has been recovered by the sheriff’s department and has remained unclaimed by the rightful owner during the …

The owner of any abandoned or stolen personal property recovered by the Houston County Sheriff’s Department, including firearms, may claim the property at any time prior to its sale by submitting sufficient proof of ownership as determined by the sheriff and by paying any reasona…

If property is sold at public auction, as provided in this part, a notation in the storage record book shall be made of the sale and of the amount received for the property. The person making the sale may reject any and all bids if the amount bid is unreasonably low and may conti…

The proceeds from the sale of property at an auction conducted under the authority of this part, after deducting and paying all expenses incurred in the recovery, storage, maintenance, and sale of property, shall be paid to the office of the Sheriff of Houston County. (Act 97-487…

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) CREDIT CARD. A line of credit issued by a domestic lender or credit card bank. (2) DEBIT CARD. A card issued by a bank in relation to a checking or savings account authorized by law to be expen…