AL HB327

Franklin County Sheriff may sell abandoned and stolen personal property at public or internet auction after it remains unclaimed for one year, with all sales conducted in a lawful manner.

Sheriff must maintain permanent records of all recovered property including description, date of recovery, serial numbers, and place of recovery, with records open to public inspection at reasonable times.

Perishable property may be sold immediately after reasonable attempts to locate the owner, with proceeds held for six months for the owner's account; if unclaimed, proceeds go to the sheriff's department after deducting recovery, storage, maintenance, and sale expenses.

Auctions must occur at least every 12 months with notice published once weekly for two successive weeks in a newspaper or posted at the Franklin County Courthouse for at least 20 days prior to sale; owners may redeem property at any time before sale at no cost.

Auction proceeds must be paid in cash to the Office of the Sheriff of Franklin County, with the auctioneer authorized to reject unreasonably low bids and continue the sale if needed.