§45-8-240.31. Delinquent taxes statement; list of delinquent properties; newspaper notice; trial and decree of sale; fees; reports.

(a) After the first day of January, the Tax Collector of Calhoun County shall mail a statement to all delinquent taxpayers addressed to the party in whose name the property was assessed, showing a brief description of the property, and the amount of taxes, fees, and cost due. It shall be the duty of such party to pay the taxes and fees assessed and charged against the property. The failure to comply with the requirement of this section, or the failure to receive the statement shall not invalidate a sale of the property for taxes, nor invalidate the title of any property sold for taxes.

(b)(1) Within the time allowed by law, it shall be the duty of the tax collector to furnish the judge of probate a list of all property on which the entire amount of taxes have not been paid, which list shall show the name of the person to whom the property was assessed. The tax collector shall certify the amount of taxes, fees, and cost due on each parcel so listed and the parcel number as appears on the records of the tax assessor, but not the precinct in which the property is located. On receiving the list, the judge of probate shall, as speedily as practicable, give notice by publication one time, one week in a newspaper published in Calhoun County substantially in the following form:

"The State of Alabama, Calhoun County, To whom it may concern: Take notice that the tax collector has filed in my office a list of delinquent taxpayers, and the real estate upon which taxes are due and therein reported that taxes on certain real estate assessed to the following named parties is delinquent (here insert names of delinquent taxpayers). This is to notify you to appear before the probate court of this county at the next term thereof, commencing on Monday, the ___ day of __________, 2___, then and there to show cause; if any you have, why a decree of sale of the real estate should not be made for the payment of the taxes, fees, and cost assessed upon each piece or parcel of land. (Signature of judge of probate), Judge of Probate."

(2) In answer to the notice, any person having an interest in, or claim to the real estate, may appear and defend against the proceedings seeking to condemn it to sale for the payment of taxes assessed. When practicable, all real estate so assessed for any one year shall be incorporated in one notice.

(c)(1) The cause shall be triable at the term named in the notice; and unless the cause is contested at the trial term, the judge of probate shall issue his or her decree for the sale of lands. It shall be the duty of the tax collector to attend the several terms of the probate court at which any of the causes are triable, and to have with him or her the list. In all cases, the tax list shall be accepted as prima facie evidence of the amount of taxes and fees due, and that the same have been properly assessed and charged, and are unpaid. Upon a trial of the cause if no defense is interposed or if interposed and on trial thereof is not sustained by the evidence adduced, the judge of probate shall make and enter a decree of sale substantially in the following form:

"It appearing to the court that the taxes have been assessed against the real estate mentioned in this cause in the amount set opposite each piece or parcel of real estate described herein, and that the same is still due and unpaid and it further appearing that notice of these proceedings has been given as required by law and no valid defense has been interposed against the sale of the real estate for the payment of the taxes. It is therefore ordered, adjudged, and decreed by the court that the State of Alabama. Calhoun County, and any municipality in which the property is located, has a lien for the payment of the amount of taxes set opposite each piece or parcel of real estate together with interest at the rate of 12 percent on said sum from __________ (the date the taxes became delinquent), and for the additional sum of fees, charges, and cost in the cause in the amount set opposite each piece or parcel of real estate in a column marked 'fees and cost' on the real estate mentioned in this cause. It is further ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the real estate be sold for the payment of the delinquent taxes, and of the fees, charges, and cost, and expense of such sale."

(2) When entered, the decree shall be signed by the judge of probate and shall have, when the jurisdiction of the court is shown, the effect of judgment in other cases in courts of record and shall have the same force and effect had the judgment been entered against each piece or parcel of real estate described therein. Any person having any interest in any piece or parcel of property ordered to be sold, shall have the right to appeal from the judgment in the manner now provided for by law in appealing from a decree ordering a sale of property for taxes, on any piece of property so ordered to be sold. Immediately at the end of any term of court at which any decree for sale of real estate for the payment of taxes is rendered, or as soon as practicable, the tax collector shall proceed to enforce the decree by sale of the real estate ordered to be sold, and to this end shall give notice for 30 days before the day of sale by publication, once a week, for three consecutive weeks in some newspaper published in the county, that at the time specified therein he or she will proceed to sell the real estate separately, describing the portions referred to in the decree and stating the amount for which each parcel of real estate is to be sold and against whom assessed and the amount of taxes, fees, charges, and cost against each piece or parcel of property. For notice to each delinquent property owner to show cause why a decree of sale should not be rendered against the property assessed to him or her, the judge of probate is entitled to a fee of fifty cents ($.50), and the tax collector shall be entitled to a fee of five dollars ($5) for making the sale against each person whose property was sold for taxes, and the judge of probate shall be entitled to a fee of fifty cents ($.50) for confirming and making a report of the sale, but no other fee shall be charged by the tax collector or judge of probate. In the discretion of the tax collector, the fees shall be charged against the highest assessed piece or parcel of the taxpayer or against his or her home place. The judge of probate shall confirm and make a report of the sale to the state as now required by law except that he or she shall not be required to report the amount of state, county, municipal, or special district school taxes due on each parcel of land, provided he or she furnishes the parcel numbers which parcel number shall clearly indicate in which district or municipality each piece or parcel of land is located, and its rate of taxation.

(Act 92-503, p. 982, §§1-3.)