The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Alabama HB 402 streamlines land bank acquisitions, shortens tax redemption periods, and permits emergency land banks
Last action · February 5, 2026: Pending Committee Action in House of OriginSponsor: Kelvin Datcher
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
This bill empowers local land banks to acquire tax-delinquent properties more quickly, shortens the tax sale redemption period to one year for properties with code or nuisance liens, and grants the Governor authority to establish emergency land banks during natural disasters. It also permits multi-jurisdictional land banks, exempts land bank properties from various fees and taxes, and allocates a portion of future property tax revenues to the authorities.
Local governments, property tax payers, and entities involved in neighborhood redevelopment will experience changes in how tax-delinquent and abandoned properties are acquired, cleared of titles, and returned to productive use.
- Land bank authorities are public entities created to acquire, hold, and manage tax-foreclosed and abandoned properties to return them to productive use. context
- Quiet title actions are standard legal proceedings used in real estate to establish an individual or entity as the undisputed owner of a property by clearing out old claims or liens. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Local land bank authorities
Local land bank authorities gain expanded powers for property acquisition, tax exemptions, multijurisdictional agreements, and streamlined quiet title procedures.
Local governments
Local governments can allocate property tax revenues, form land banks via intergovernmental agreements, and acquire properties for stormwater management.
Tax-delinquent property owners
Tax-delinquent property owners face a shortened one-year redemption period under specific conditions and stricter recovery terms.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new redemption period for certain tax-delinquent properties?
Can the Governor create a land bank authority during an emergency?
Are local land bank properties exempt from local taxes and fees?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 5, 2026HouseCommitteePending Committee Action in House of Origin
- Feb 5, 2026HouseIntroducedRead for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Fiscal Responsibility
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Emergency Executive Powers for Land Banks
The legislation introduces a novel mechanism allowing the Governor to establish land bank authorities directly via executive order during natural disaster states of emergency.
Connected Entities
Sources
alison.legislature.state.al.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools