Title 32 — Title 32

The following words and phrases when used in this title have the following meanings, except when the context otherwise requires: (1) ALLEY. A street or highway intended to provide access to the rear or side of lots or buildings in urban districts and not intended for the purpose …

The owner, operator, or person responsible for the operation of a motor vehicle shall not be liable for loss or damage arising from injuries to or death of a guest while being transported without payment therefor in or upon said motor vehicle, resulting from the operation thereof…

Local authorities may by ordinance or resolution prohibit the operation of vehicles upon any highways or impose restrictions as to the weight of vehicles when operated upon any highway under the jurisdiction of and for the maintenance of which such local authorities are responsib…

(a) Whenever any person is arrested for a violation of any provision of this title punishable as a misdemeanor, the arresting officer shall, unless otherwise provided in this section, take the name and address of such person and the license number of his or her motor vehicle, and…

(a) Whenever any person lawfully possessed of a chauffeur’s or driver’s license theretofore issued to him or her by the Department of Public Safety of the State of Alabama, or under the laws of any other state or territory, or the District of Columbia of the United States, shall …

Municipality. (a) Whenever any person lawfully possessed of a chauffeur’s or driver’s license theretofore issued to him or her by the Department of Public Safety of the State of Alabama, or under the laws of any other state or territory, or the District of Columbia of the United …

(a) It shall be unlawful to operate a motor vehicle, motorcycle, or motor driven cycle as they are defined by Section 32-1-1.1 on the beaches and sand dunes on the Gulf of Mexico along the southern boundary of the State of Alabama off of the public roads, parking places, and priv…

There is hereby created a department of the State of Alabama which shall be known as the Department of Public Safety and shall be headed by the Director of Public Safety. The Governor shall appoint the director, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. History: (Acts 1953…

The state Department of Public Safety is authorized, subject to approval by the Governor, to insure its employees in some insurance company or companies authorized to do business in the State of Alabama against personal injury or death caused by accident or violence while dischar…

(a) The Director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety shall employ the necessary state Capitol police officers, subject to the state Merit System laws, to preserve order, to prevent and investigate crime, and protect and save from injury persons and property at the Capitol …

(a) There is hereby established a separate fund in the State Treasury, the “Alabama Bureau of Investigation Cost of Evidence Fund.” Distributions may be made from this fund by the State Comptroller only to the Alabama Department of Public Safety and only upon presentation to the …

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (1) ALERT SYSTEM. The Blue Alert system. (2) DEPARTMENT. The Department of Public Safety. (3) DIRECTOR. The Director of the Department of Public Safety. (4) LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. A law …

There is hereby created within the Department of Public Safety the position of Assistant Director of Public Safety, which position shall be in lieu of that of confidential assistant provided for by Section 36-26-10, which shall be filled by appointment by the Governor, and the ap…

The Governor is authorized to establish and maintain a state highway patrol. History: (Acts 1939, No. 181, p. 300; Code 1940, T. 36, §71; Acts 1943, No. 446, p. 408; Acts 1953, No. 17, p. 22; Acts 1955, No. 43, p. 260, §3.)

No state trooper shall be entitled to any costs, fees, or mileage for attending any court, but instead the proper authority shall collect such costs, fees, and mileage as may be due such officers for attendance on any court or for any official act and shall promptly turn the same…

Members of the state highway patrol, when duly appointed, shall have the powers of peace officers in this state and may exercise such powers anywhere within the state. History: (Acts 1953, No. 585, p. 828, §7.)

Before entering upon the duties of their respective offices, all officers and members of the state highway patrol shall execute to the State of Alabama a bond, to be approved by the Governor, in the amount of $2,000.00, for the faithful performance of their duties. History: (Acts…

The officers and members of the state highway patrol shall be subject to the same liabilities, penalties, and damages under their bonds as sheriffs are under their bonds. History: (Acts 1953, No. 585, p. 828, §9.)

In all cases where arrests are made by a state trooper, an arrest fee of $5.00 for such arrest shall be collected by the proper authorities and promptly turned over to the Director of Public Safety, who shall cover the same into the State Treasury to the credit of the General Fun…

Any person who, at the time of his or her retirement, is employed by the state Department of Public Safety as a state trooper or other law-enforcement officer shall receive, as a part of his or her retirement benefit, without cost to him or her, his or her badge, pistol, and such…

(a) The director shall create divisions within the Department of Public Safety as shall be necessary. The divisions shall include all of the following: (1) An administrative division. (2) A highway patrol division. (3) A driver’s license division. (4) A service division. (5) An i…

The director shall appoint chiefs of said divisions and all other employees subject to the provisions of the Merit System Act, and said chiefs and employees shall hold their positions subject to the provisions of the Merit System Act. History: (Acts 1953, No. 585, p. 828, §4.)

The Director of the Department of Public Safety is hereby authorized to establish a state trooper reserve of the Alabama state troopers to be composed of such persons who may volunteer to serve as state trooper reserves of the Alabama state troopers. Such service to be without co…

Reserves. Reserve state troopers serving with the Alabama state troopers shall at all times serve under the direction and supervision of the Director of the Department of Public Safety and/or members of the Alabama state troopers. State trooper reserves, while serving under the s…

The Director of the Department of Public Safety shall determine the fitness of persons to serve as state trooper reserves. History: (Acts 1978, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 123, p. 1838, §3.)

The duties of a state trooper reserve officer shall be limited to assisting the Department of Public Safety in the performance of its regularly constituted duties and shall serve under the immediate supervision of a lawful Department of Public Safety officer. History: (Acts 1978,…

State trooper reserves shall have the authority to carry firearms when summoned to duty. History: (Acts 1978, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 123, p. 1838, §5.)

It shall be the duty of the Director of the Department of Public Safety, and he shall have power to do all that is necessary to administer and enforce: (1) All laws contained in this title, as the same may now or hereafter be amended; (2) All other laws relating or pertaining to …

The compensation of the officers, agents, and employees provided for by this chapter shall be paid by warrants drawn by the Comptroller on the funds appropriated by the Legislature therefor as the salaries of state officials and employees are paid, and the necessary expenses and …

THIS SECTION WAS REPEALED BY ACT 2026-374, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. When used in this article, the following terms have the following meanings, respectively, unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning: (1) CRIMINAL HISTORY INFORMATION. Information collected and st…

THIS SECTION WAS REPEALED BY ACT 2026-374, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. (a) The director may open to any person for inspection, copying, and mechanical reproduction, during the department’s regular business hours, criminal history information on any individual, if the individual ha…

THIS SECTION WAS REPEALED BY ACT 2026-374, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, the director shall promulgate reasonable procedures and regulations for the implementation of this article. History: (Acts 1992, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 92-676, p…

THIS SECTION WAS REPEALED BY ACT 2026-374, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. Any person who willfully disseminates information other than the information authorized by this article, is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished as prescribed by law. Hi…

Duties. Whenever any officer, agent, or employee of the Department of Public Safety shall be called upon by the Governor, or the appointing authority of said department, to perform a duty or duties, or to be present at or on an alert basis at the scene of, or at any marshalling p…

Whenever the Director of Public Safety is required or allowed by law to furnish a copy of any record or report in the department’s files, the director shall set and collect a fee not to exceed the sum of fifteen dollars ($15) for each record or report, unless a different fee is o…

When the Director of Public Safety is allowed by Alabama law to provide a criminal history records search of convictions within the State of Alabama, the director shall set and collect a minimum fee of $20.00 or the actual cost incurred. All fees collected under the provisions of…

There is hereby created in the State Treasury the Public Safety Motor Vehicle Replacement Fund of the Alabama Department of Public Safety. This fund shall assist in providing the necessary funds to replace the Department of Public Safety law enforcement motor vehicles. Vehicles p…

Any funds created from depreciation, equipment replacement allowance, and salvage value for replacement of law enforcement motor vehicles in the department shall be deposited in the Public Safety Motor Vehicle Replacement Fund created pursuant to Section 32-2-80; however the expe…

The Department of Public Safety may not transfer automotive vehicles from law enforcement personnel nor vehicles designated for law enforcement purposes to other personnel in that department nor shall vehicles be transferred to be used for any other purpose in that department nor…

(a) Any other provisions to the law contrary notwithstanding, the Secretary of the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency shall be responsible for the disposal of any agency vehicles or property. Such vehicles or property shall be sold by the Secretary or his or her designee either…

The funds designated by this article to be deposited to the Motor Vehicle Replacement Fund are intended to be in addition to the amounts transferred annually to the Department of Public Safety from the Public Road and Bridge Fund pursuant to Act 91-797. Funds transferred to the D…

The Director of Public Safety, with the approval of the Governor, may establish and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations not in conflict with the laws of this state concerning operation of motor vehicles and concerning the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter. His…

AMENDED BY ACT 2026-327, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE. There is hereby established a committee to be designated the State Safety Coordinating Committee which shall be composed of the Governor as chair, the Director of Public Safety, the Director of the …

The State Safety Coordinating Committee shall meet regularly upon call of the Governor for the purpose of exploring every facet of the complex problem of traffic safety; to identify major highway and traffic problems; to formulate concrete plans of action to meet those needs; to …

The State Safety Coordinating Committee shall study specifically the problems of interstate and intrastate highway safety; the feasibility and advisability of the adoption of interstate highway safety compacts; the adoption of uniform laws and ordinances, uniform signs, signals a…

The State Safety Coordinating Committee shall also from time to time make recommendations to the Legislature for the enactment of laws designed to promote improvement in existing programs of highway safety and for the adoption of additional programs or measures as may be consider…

The State Safety Coordinating Committee is hereby authorized to expend for payment of administrative expenses heretofore or hereafter incurred in its program any funds appropriated to it by Section 32-5-313. History: (Acts 1965, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 92, p. 107, §5.)

The State Safety Coordinating Committee is hereby authorized to allocate any funds appropriated to it to the office of the coordinator of highway and traffic safety for expense of highway and traffic safety programs and for participation to secure benefits available under the Nat…

Training Program. The State Safety Coordinating Committee is hereby authorized to allocate any funds appropriated to it to the Department of Education or to any educational institution in Alabama for the sole purpose of instituting and conducting a program of prelicensing driver …

This chapter shall be known as, and may be cited as, the “Highway and Traffic Safety Coordination Act of 1967.” History: (Acts 1967, No. 270, p. 775, §1.)