§45-9-84. Operations.

(a) There is hereby created within the judge of probate's office of Chambers County a license division which shall issue all licenses issued through the judge of probate's office, except marriage licenses. The county commission shall furnish suitable quarters and provide the necessary forms, books, stationery, records, equipment, and supplies, except such stationery forms and supplies as are furnished pursuant to law by the State Department of Finance or the State Comptroller. The county commission shall also provide such clerks, and other assistants for the judge of probate as shall be necessary from time to time for the proper and efficient performance of the duties of his or her office. The judge of probate shall have authority to employ such clerks, and other assistants, and to fix their compensation; however, the number and compensation of such clerks and other assistants shall be subject to the approval of the county commission. The compensation of the clerks and assistants shall be paid monthly out of the general fund of the county in the same manner as other county employees are paid.

(b) The judge of probate shall perform all duties relating to the assessment and collection of ad valorem taxes and casual sales and use taxes on motor vehicles in the county, which have heretofore been performed by the tax assessor and the tax collector. The Tax Assessor and the Tax Collector of Chambers County are hereby relieved of all duties and responsibilities relative to the assessment and collection of taxes on such motor vehicles. The judge of probate shall receive the commissions and fees now allowed the assessor and collector for performing these functions, and such fees and commissions shall be remitted to the county general fund. Reporting and remitting of such tax shall be made at the same time as other reports and remittances are now made by the judge of probate.

(c) The judge of probate shall keep at all times an accurate record of all licenses received by him or her from the State Comptroller and of the disposition made of them, of all monies received, and of the licenses issued by him or her. He or she shall report to the State Comptroller at the same time and in the same manner that the judges of probate are required to do under the general law. All unissued licenses and the stubs or duplicates or carbon copies of licenses issued shall be accounted for in the same manner that judges of probate are required to account for by law.

(d) Except as hereinafter provided, the judge of probate shall be entitled to charge and collect the same fees that are provided for by law. For the performance of duties relative to the recording of the transfer of the ownership of motor vehicles as prescribed in this code, the probate judge shall charge and collect a fee of two dollars ($2). All such fees shall be the property of the county and shall be paid to the general fund of the county. Refunds for licenses issued by mistake or fact of law shall be made under the conditions and in the manner prescribed by this code.

(e) To prevent motor vehicles from escaping taxation and to provide for a more efficient procedure for assessment and collection of taxes due on same, no licenses shall be issued to operate motor vehicles on the public highways of this state, nor shall any transfer be made by the judge of probate until the ad valorem tax on such vehicles shall have been paid to the county for the preceding year as evidenced by receipt from the judge. Every person, firm, or corporation driving or owning a motor vehicle who desires to operate a motor vehicle on the public highways of Alabama shall first return such motor vehicle for ad valorem taxation purposes to the probate judge who shall issue a certificate of assessment on a form prescribed by the State Department of Revenue, shall collect the taxes shown thereon, and shall make a duplicate of the tax receipt and keep same on file in his or her office. The license tag shall be evidence of the payment of the license and ad valorem tax due as provided under this section.

(f) Before any vehicle can be assessed, the judge of probate shall be furnished the tag number presently on the vehicle unless such vehicle is new, in which case the judge of probate shall be furnished a bona fide bill of sale from the dealer showing when the vehicle was bought new. In the case of a used car brought into the state from a state which provides that upon sale or transfer of the motor vehicle the tags are either surrendered to an appropriate authority or subsequently reissued by the seller, the judge of probate shall be furnished a bona fide certificate of title properly assigned which shows when the car was sold to an individual, firm, corporation, or association, living or operating in this state. If such tag number or bill of sale or certificate of title is not furnished, the vehicle will be presumed to have been in the state the entire year for which taxes are being assessed. Those motor vehicles brought into the state during any tax year and new motor vehicles for which licenses have never been issued that have been sold from the stock of a dealer during any tax year, shall be subject to taxation as if they had been held or owned in the state on the first day of October.

(g) The judge of probate may, at his or her discretion, mail an application for renewal of licenses to whom such license has been previously issued, such renewal forms required to be returned prior to the expiration date of the license. Such renewal forms may be in post card form and with sufficient information thereon to adequately identify and process such renewal. The signature of the licensee thereon and proper remittance shall constitute sufficient authority for the judge of probate to issue such license and return to the licensee by mail. There is hereby established a fee to be entitled "Mail Order Fee" which shall be in the amount of two dollars ($2) to pay the cost of the mailing procedure herein provided, and such fee shall be collected by the judge of probate at the time of issuance and paid over to the general fund of the county as are other fees and commissions.

(h) In Chambers County, when a personal check given for a motor vehicle license is found to be noncollectible for any reason, the judge of probate shall notify the revenue officer who shall make a reasonable attempt to retrieve the motor vehicle license in question. In the event the motor vehicle license cannot be retrieved, the revenue officer shall so state and the statement shall constitute authorization for the judge of probate to void the motor vehicle license. Once the motor vehicle license has been voided, the judge of probate shall receive credit for the cost of the motor vehicle license, sales and use tax, and the issuance fee. The appropriate state office shall mark the records pertaining to the void license accordingly and upon inquiry by any law enforcement agency, shall notify the agency that the party in question is operating under a void license. All violations shall be prosecuted in accordance with current law.

(Act 87-438, p. 650, §§1-7; Act 96-465, p. 579, §1.)