§8-15-3. Permit - Required; application; fees.

(a) The judge of probate of the county may not issue a license permitting anyone to transact business as a public warehouseman unless the person presents to the judge of probate a permit to transact such business issued by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries showing that he or she has complied with all the provisions of the law and rules and regulations promulgated by the State Board of Agriculture and Industries relative to public warehouses.

(b) Any person desiring to operate a public warehouse shall file with the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, upon forms prescribed by the commissioner, a written application, verified by affidavit, which shall set forth the location and the name of such warehouse and the name of such person interested as owner or principal in the management of the same or, if it is managed or controlled by a corporation, the names of the president, secretary, and treasurer of such corporation shall be stated, and the location of the principal office of such corporation. The application shall also state the character of goods or articles for the storage of which the public warehouse will be operated, and the estimated value of articles stored in such warehouse at the time, and during the preceding 12 months, when the value of the articles stored was the greatest.

(c) In the event cotton is stored in the warehouse, the verified application shall also state the number of bales of cotton stored therein during the 12 months next preceding the date of the application.

(d) Where no business has been done during the previous year, the application must state an estimate of the value of the articles which it is anticipated will be stored during the first year in the warehouse.

(e) The application shall also show what persons are authorized to sign receipts for the warehouse.

(f) A filing fee established by the Board of Agriculture and Industries not to exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) shall accompany the application, which shall accrue to the credit of the Agricultural Fund to be used in defraying the expenses of executing the provisions of this chapter.

(g) The Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries may issue a permit to a federally bonded warehouse upon the payment of the fee established by the board not to exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) without the filing of any bond with the state.

(Ag. Code 1927, §390; Acts 1939, No. 443, p. 586; Code 1940, T. 2, §570; Acts 1981, No. 81-693, p. 1165, §1; Act 2004-516, p. 996, §1.)