§41-22-7. Contents, publication, and availability of agency administrative codes, Alabama Administrative Code, and Alabama Administrative Monthly; filing of rules, amendments and repealers with Legislative Reference Service; uniform system for numbering rules; omission from publications of rules which are applicable to only one county; cost to agencies for use of Alabama Administrative Monthly.

(a) The secretary of the agency shall establish and maintain an official register of regulations which shall be compiled, indexed, published in loose-leaf form, and kept up to date by the secretary of the agency. This register of regulations shall be known as "The (name of the agency) Administrative Code," and it shall be made available, upon request, at cost to all persons for copying and inspection and to those persons who subscribe thereto. Supplementation shall be made as often as is practicable, but at least once every year. The secretary of the agency shall number and renumber rules to conform with a uniform numbering system devised by the Legislative Reference Service.

(b) The secretary of the agency may omit from its administrative code rules that are general in form, but are applicable to only one county or a part thereof. Rules so omitted shall be filed with the secretary of the agency, and exclusion from publication shall not affect their validity or effectiveness. The secretary of the agency shall publish a compilation of and index to all rules so omitted at least annually.

(c) The secretary of the agency shall make copies of the agency's administrative code available on an annual subscription basis, at cost.

(d) The secretary of the agency shall file with the Legislative Reference Service, not later than 15 days after filing with the secretary of the agency, all rules or amendments or repeal of rules promulgated by the agency. In addition, the secretary of the Alabama Public Service Commission and the Alabama State Port Authority shall file with the Legislative Reference Service, not later than 15 days after filing with the secretary of the commission, all rules or amendments or repeal of rules promulgated by that commission.

(e) The Legislative Reference Service shall establish and maintain an official register of regulations which shall be so compiled, indexed, published in loose-leaf form, and kept up to date by the Legislative Reference Service. The register of regulations shall be known as the "Alabama Administrative Code," and shall be made available at cost, upon request, to all persons for inspection and copying or who subscribe thereto. Supplementation shall be made as often as is practicable, but at least once every year. The Legislative Reference Service shall devise a uniform numbering system for rules and may renumber rules before publication to conform with the system.

(f) The Legislative Reference Service shall publish a monthly bulletin entitled the "Alabama Administrative Monthly," which shall contain a statement of either the terms or substance of all rules filed during the preceding month, excluding rules in effect on October 1, 1982, together with other material required by law and such other material the agency or committee determines to be of general interest.

(g) The Legislative Reference Service may omit from the Alabama Administrative Monthly and the Alabama Administrative Code rules that are general in form, but are applicable to only one county or a part thereof. Rules so omitted shall be filed with the Legislative Reference Service, and exclusion from publication shall not affect their validity or effectiveness. The Legislative Reference Service shall publish a compilation of, and index to, all rules so omitted at least annually.

(h) The Legislative Reference Service shall make copies of the Alabama Administrative Code and copies of the Alabama Administrative Monthly available at cost on an annual subscription basis.

(i) The Legislative Reference Service shall charge each agency using the Alabama Administrative Monthly a space rate computed to cover all publishing or printing costs related to the Alabama Administrative Monthly and shall charge each agency a per page rate for each page published in the Alabama Administrative Code to cover costs incurred by the Legislative Reference Service in publishing the Alabama Administrative Code.

(Acts 1981, No. 81-855, p. 1534, §7; Act 2003-192, 2003 1st Sp. Sess., p. 510, §1.)