Local laws have created significant disparities in court costs and access to court services in different counties in Alabama, according to findings presented by the Joint Interim Commission on Court Costs.
“There are a lot of local court costs,” said Nathan Hudson, administrator for the Administrative Office of the Courts for Alabama. “There is a good bit of disparity. There are various things that we fund with court costs.”
The findings came after weeks of review of regulations. Alabama Chief Justice Sarah Stewart, who leads the commission, directed commission members in June to compile a list of fees and fines that are charged by counties. That information would then form the foundation for the analysis to gauge the current state of court costs in Alabama.
The commission first met several months by way of a resolution approved by the Alabama Legislature during the 2025 session. The Joint Interim Commission on Court Costs is tasked with providing a report to lawmakers after they evaluate the current situation to possibly move toward a more uniform system.
Hudson displayed a spreadsheet that laid bare the fees that Autauga County charges to residents to file documents with the court to obtain legal services as an example. For example, Autauga County charges $244 to file for divorce but Madison County charges $324 for the same service, according to their respective websites.