(a) The Sheriff of Lauderdale County, except for warrants for arrest, may contract with or enter into contract or agreement with a private, public, or governmental entity for the purpose of service of process. Nothing in this section should be construed as conflicting with Rule 4.1 (b)(2) of the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure.

Terms Used In Alabama Code 45-39-233.01

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • circuit: means judicial circuit. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
(b)

(1) In addition to all existing charges, fees, judgments, and costs of court, the clerk, sheriff, or other appropriate court official in the civil division of the district and circuit courts of Lauderdale County shall increase the fees by twelve dollars fifty cents ($12.50) per document personally served by the sheriff’s office, or its designee. For purposes of this section, the term document shall include multiple papers served on a party or entity at one time. The court costs imposed by this section may be taxed as costs to any party to the action by the judge in the case.
(2) The court official designated in Lauderdale County by law for the respective courts shall collect the additional service of process fee designated in subdivision (1) and remit the fees collected to the sheriff for deposit in the Sheriff’s Civil Process Fund, which shall be established in the county treasury and shall be expended for law enforcement purposes.
(c) The sheriff may use the monies generated by this section for law enforcement purposes in Lauderdale County, including contracting with or entering into a contract or agreement with a private, public, or governmental entity for service of process of documents from the civil or criminal division of the district or circuit court.