Alaska earns a D+ for its civil forfeiture laws
Standard of Proof
Low bar to forfeit: Once the government seizes property, the owner must prove by preponderance of the evidence that it is not connected to a crime.
Innocent Owner Burden
Poor protections for the innocent: Third-party owners must prove their own innocence to recover seized property.
Financial Incentive
Large profit incentive: In general, up to 75% of forfeiture proceeds go to law enforcement; 100% in cases of nonmonetary property worth $5,000 or less.
The letter grade reflects Alaska’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 Alaska?*
Under Alaska law, the government’s and owners’ deadlines leading to a judicial hearing add up to 50 days, but the wait may be longer as there is no deadline for the hearing itself. While you wait, the government has your property, but you can try to get it back while the case continues by petitioning the court.
*This process applies to property worth $500 or more.
**At any time after seizure, you can petition the court to release your property. The court can require you to post a bond of twice the property’s value.
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 $21 million in state and federal forfeiture revenue
| Year | Alaska Forfeiture Revenues | Dept. of Justice Equitable Sharing Proceeds | Treasury Equitable Sharing Proceeds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Unknown | $497,162 | $26,000 | $523,162 |
| 2001 | Unknown | $291,732 | $0 | $291,732 |
| 2002 | Unknown | $656,799 | $3,000 | $659,799 |
| 2003 | Unknown | $781,954 | $51,000 | $832,954 |
| 2004 | Unknown | $419,726 | $0 | $419,726 |
| 2005 | Unknown | $704,298 | $5,000 | $709,298 |
| 2006 | Unknown | $1,096,715 | $136,000 | $1,232,715 |
| 2007 | Unknown | $2,238,822 | $401,000 | $2,639,822 |
| 2008 | Unknown | $562,221 | $27,000 | $589,221 |
| 2009 | Unknown | $1,011,057 | $180,000 | $1,191,057 |
| 2010 | Unknown | $920,725 | $0 | $920,725 |
| 2011 | Unknown | $842,849 | $4,000 | $846,849 |
| 2012 | Unknown | $1,359,455 | $141,000 | $1,500,455 |
| 2013 | Unknown | $461,063 | $2,572,000 | $3,033,063 |
| 2014 | Unknown | $775,878 | $186,000 | $961,878 |
| 2015 | Unknown | $853,645 | $0 | $853,645 |
| 2016 | Unknown | $577,225 | $0 | $577,225 |
| 2017 | Unknown | $233,542 | $6,000 | $239,542 |
| 2018 | Unknown | $325,080 | $37,000 | $362,080 |
| 2019 | Unknown | $997,851 | $92,000 | $1,089,851 |
| 2020 | Unknown | $459,012 | $2,000 | $461,012 |
| 2021 | Unknown | $280,682 | $0 | $280,682 |
| 2022 | Unknown | $52,533 | $0 | $52,533 |
| 2023 | Unknown | $845,653 | $0 | $845,653 |
| Totals | Unknown | $17,245,679 | $3,869,000 | $21,114,679 |
All revenue figures include both civil and criminal forfeitures. Revenues are not adjusted for inflation.
Federal Equitable Sharing
Alaska does not prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from using the federal equitable sharing program to circumvent state forfeiture law. Since 2000, Alaska agencies have generated more than $21 million in equitable sharing proceeds from the departments of Justice and the Treasury. And on average from 2019 to 2023, more than 20 Alaska agencies, or an estimated 45% of all law enforcement agencies in the state, were certified for the program.
Forfeitures Under Alaska Law: Key Facts
Median Value
UNKNOWN
Alaska does not report property-level data necessary to calculate median forfeiture value.
Property Types
UNKNOWN
Alaska does not report the types of property forfeited.
Proceeding Types
UNKNOWN
Alaska does not report whether forfeitures are processed under civil or criminal forfeiture law.
Additional Findings
UNKNOWN
Agencies are not required to report on their forfeitures, resulting in zero transparency into forfeiture activity in the state.
Forfeiture Transparency and Accountability Report Card
Tracking Seized Property
FStatewide Forfeiture Reports
FPenalties for Failure to File a Report
Incomplete †Accounting for Forfeiture Fund Spending
FAccessibility of Forfeiture Records
FFinancial Audits of Forfeiture Accounts
F†No reporting requirements to enforce.
For full transparency and accountability grades, visit ij.org/TransparencyReportCards.
Data Notes
No statewide records are available. Agencies are not required to report forfeiture activity. Equitable sharing data are from DOJ’s and Treasury’s annual forfeiture reports. 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: The government must show probable cause for the seizure, and the owner must show that the property is not forfeitable by a preponderance of the evidence.
Resek v. State, 706 P.2d 288, 290–91 (Alaska 1985); see also Alaska Stat. §§ 17.30.110, .114(a).
Innocent owner burden: Owner.
Resek v. State, 706 P.2d 288, 290–91 (Alaska 1985); see also Alaska Stat. § 17.30.110(4)(A)–(B) (placing burden on owner with respect to any conveyance).
Financial incentive: Up to 75% in general; 100% if the property is worth $5,000 or less and something other than money.
Alaska Stat. § 17.30.112(c); see also id. § 17.30.122.
Process: Alaska Stat. §§ 17.30.100 et seq. (forfeiture procedure).