Alabama earns a D- for its civil forfeiture laws
Standard of Proof
Low bar to forfeit: Prosecutors must prove by preponderance of the evidence that property is connected to a crime.
Innocent Owner Burden
Stronger protections for the innocent: The government must prove third-party owners knew about criminal activity connected to their property.
Financial Incentive
Large profit incentive: 100% of forfeiture proceeds go to law enforcement.
The letter grade reflects Alabama’s forfeiture laws as of May 7, 2025. When we become aware of relevant reforms, we are updating the standard of proof, innocent owner burden, and financial incentive language above, but we are not updating the letter grade.
Note: Prosecutors need only meet their standard of proof—and owners can only prove their innocence—if owners make it to a judicial hearing. See flow chart.
Recent Reforms
Recommendations
What happens after personal property is seized in Alabama?*
*Cash amounts of $250 or less and vehicles worth $5,000 or less are exempt from seizure and forfeiture.
For research methods and limitations, see “How We Documented Civil Forfeiture Processes From Seizure to Hearing.”
State and Federal Forfeiture Proceeds, 2000–2023
At least $129 million in state and federal forfeiture revenue
| Year | Alabama Forfeiture Revenues | Dept. of Justice Equitable Sharing Proceeds | Treasury Equitable Sharing Proceeds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Unknown | $1,898,205 | $250,000 | $2,148,205 |
| 2001 | Unknown | $2,602,074 | $123,000 | $2,725,074 |
| 2002 | Unknown | $1,968,319 | $269,000 | $2,237,319 |
| 2003 | Unknown | $4,216,595 | $764,000 | $4,980,595 |
| 2004 | Unknown | $6,628,648 | $91,000 | $6,719,648 |
| 2005 | Unknown | $4,866,686 | $373,000 | $5,239,686 |
| 2006 | Unknown | $5,314,799 | $4,000 | $5,318,799 |
| 2007 | Unknown | $8,563,174 | $185,000 | $8,748,174 |
| 2008 | Unknown | $6,500,693 | $19,000 | $6,519,693 |
| 2009 | Unknown | $8,321,217 | $295,000 | $8,616,217 |
| 2010 | Unknown | $8,236,687 | $1,816,000 | $10,052,687 |
| 2011 | Unknown | $4,608,034 | $950,000 | $5,558,034 |
| 2012 | Unknown | $8,429,272 | $216,000 | $8,645,272 |
| 2013 | Unknown | $1,880,420 | $252,000 | $2,132,420 |
| 2014 | Unknown | $5,095,019 | $993,000 | $6,088,019 |
| 2015 | Unknown | $3,091,009 | $1,876,000 | $4,967,009 |
| 2016 | Unknown | $2,338,392 | $724,000 | $3,062,392 |
| 2017 | Unknown | $1,980,089 | $490,000 | $2,470,089 |
| 2018 | Unknown | $4,951,811 | $253,000 | $5,204,811 |
| 2019 | $2,410,185 | $2,034,629 | $753,000 | $5,197,814 |
| 2020 | $3,474,427 | $1,026,042 | $2,148,000 | $6,648,469 |
| 2021 | $4,331,175 | $2,040,870 | $374,000 | $6,746,045 |
| 2022 | $2,050,502 | $1,194,221 | $111,000 | $3,355,723 |
| 2023 | $4,688,582 | $1,700,751 | $132,000 | $6,521,333 |
| Totals | $16,954,871 | $99,487,656 | $13,461,000 | $129,903,527 |
All revenue figures include both civil and criminal forfeitures. Revenues are not adjusted for inflation.
Federal Equitable Sharing
Since 2000, Alabama agencies have generated nearly $113 million in equitable sharing proceeds. And on average from 2019 to 2023, 104 Alabama agencies, or an estimated 27% of all law enforcement agencies in the state, were certified for the program. In January 2022, the state banned one kind of equitable sharing—adoptions—unless the seized property includes cash over $10,000. It is too soon to know whether the reform will have an effect.
Forfeitures Under Alabama Law: Key Facts
Median Value
UNKNOWN
Alabama does not report property-level data necessary to calculate median forfeiture value.
Property Types
UNKNOWN
Alabama does not report the types of property forfeited.
Proceeding Types
UNKNOWN
Alabama does not report whether forfeitures are processed under civil or criminal forfeiture law.
Additional Findings
UNKNOWN
Agencies do not provide detailed data on seized or forfeited property, resulting in limited transparency into forfeiture activity in the state.
Forfeiture Transparency and Accountability Report Card
Tracking Seized Property
BStatewide Forfeiture Reports
BPenalties for Failure to File a Report
FAccounting for Forfeiture Fund Spending
FAccessibility of Forfeiture Records
AFinancial Audits of Forfeiture Accounts
FFor full transparency and accountability grades, visit ij.org/TransparencyReportCards.
Data Notes
Statewide forfeiture reports were downloaded from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s website. Revenues represent the value of currency forfeited in a fiscal year and do not include the value of other property forfeited, making them underestimates. Based on when statewide reporting was initiated, 2019 revenues likely do not cover the entire fiscal year. No statewide records were available prior to 2019. Equitable sharing data are from DOJ’s and Treasury’s annual forfeiture reports. Due to differences in reporting and accounting practices, figures may not match aggregate numbers produced by the state or cover the same 12-month period as the federal data. The number of certified agencies was computed using the approved Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification requests submitted by police, sheriff, and other local law enforcement agencies. The percentage of certified agencies was computed using that number and the total number of agencies reported in the 2018 Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies.
Legal Sources
Standard of proof: Preponderance of the evidence.
Ala. Code § 20-2-93(o).
Innocent owner burden: Government.
Ala. Code § 20-2-93(w).
Financial incentive: 100%.
Ala. Code § 20-2-93(s).
Process: Ala. Code § 20-2-93 (forfeiture procedure); id. § 28-4-287 (bond for vehicle return); id. § 15-5-63 (expedited hearing); Ala. R. Civ. P. 4 (service of complaint).