MONTGOMERY, AL — A slate of new Alabama laws will take effect next month, bringing changes to criminal penalties, education, highway safety, property fraud, vaping, vehicle towing and several other areas.
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The laws were approved by the Alabama Legislature and signed into law during the 2026 legislative session, which adjourned in April.
Here are some of the notable changes taking effect Oct. 1:
Child Predator Death Penalty Act
The Child Predator Death Penalty Act makes certain felony sex crimes committed against children under 12 capital offenses punishable by death.
The legislation applies to first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and sexual torture involving victims younger than 12.
Gov. Kay Ivey signed the measure in February, calling it one of her priorities for the 2026 legislative session.
DUI And Hit-And-Run Penalties
The Devinee Rooney and John Wesley Holt Safe Streets Act changes Alabama law governing DUI deaths and hit-and-run crashes.
The law addresses a discrepancy that allowed criminally negligent homicide caused by DUI to carry a lesser potential punishment than causing serious physical injury while driving under the influence.
It also strengthens penalties for leaving the scene of crashes involving serious injury or death and allows courts to order restitution for victims of hit-and-run crashes.
New Commercial Driver Requirements
The Highway Safety and Fairness Act establishes new requirements for commercial drivers operating in Alabama.
Under the law, commercial drivers with foreign commercial driver's licenses must have valid authorization to work in the United States. Commercial driver's license holders must also demonstrate English proficiency.
The law also makes presenting a fraudulent foreign commercial driver's license during an enforcement encounter a criminal offense.
New Teaching Path For Military Veterans
Alabama will also open a new path into the classroom for military veterans.
Under Senate Bill 149, the Alabama State Department of Education can issue Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificates to eligible veterans who do not have bachelor's degrees.
Applicants must have at least 48 months of active-duty military service with an honorable discharge or medical separation, pass a background check and have at least 60 college credit hours with a minimum 2.5 GPA.
They must also receive a recommendation from a superintendent or private school administrator and pass the required Praxis examination.
The temporary certificate is nonrenewable and valid for five years.
Property Fraud Protections
The Alabama Property Protection Act of 2026 targets real estate fraud involving criminals who impersonate property owners and attempt to sell land they do not own.
The law gives the Alabama Securities Commission authority to bring criminal charges against fraudulent sellers. The commission can also administratively determine that a land sale resulted from fraud and declare the transaction void.
State regulators said one common version of the scheme involves scammers posing as owners of undeveloped property and completing sales electronically before the actual owner realizes what happened.
New Tax On Vaping Products, New Restrictions
A new state excise tax on vaping products also takes effect Oct. 1.
Under Act 2025-377, Alabama will impose a tax of 10 cents per milliliter on consumable vapor products sold at wholesale or imported into the state for retail sale.
Businesses responsible for collecting and remitting the tax will also be subject to state licensing requirements.
As Patch previously reported, Alabama's Vivian Davis Figures and Barbara Drummond Clean Indoor Air Act also takes effect Oct. 1, adding electronic nicotine delivery systems to the state's existing restrictions on smoking in enclosed public places.
Changes For Towed Vehicles
Act 2026-263 changes how unclaimed and abandoned vehicles are handled after being towed.
The law eliminates a mandatory five-day waiting period before someone in possession of an unclaimed or abandoned vehicle can report it to the Alabama Department of Revenue.
Beginning Oct. 1, those vehicles can be reported as unclaimed immediately after being towed.
General Contractor Licensing Exemptions
Changes to Alabama's general contractor licensing requirements will also take effect.
Act 2026-396 creates exemptions for the construction and repair of residential swimming pools, along with certain routine maintenance, repair, cleaning and facility-support services.
The Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors said the law does not define every situation that could qualify as routine or regular maintenance and encouraged contractors with questions to contact the board before bidding on or beginning work.
ASVAB Testing In Public High Schools
Senate Bill 158 requires Alabama public high schools to designate a day during the fall semester for military recruiters to administer the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, commonly known as the ASVAB.
Participation by students remains voluntary.
Sex Crime And Child Protection Changes
Act 2026-375 makes broader changes to provisions of Alabama law dealing with sex offenses and child protection.
The legislation amends portions of the state's sex offender laws and other statutes involving sex crimes, victims and mandatory child abuse reporting.
Film Production Tax Changes
Act 2026-540 changes Alabama's tax treatment of certain payments associated with film and other qualified production projects.
Beginning Oct. 1, certain payments to so-called loan-out companies can count toward qualifying production expenditures only when the production company withholds and remits the required Alabama taxes.
New Tobacco Permit
Act 2026-50 establishes a new permit classification for interstate tobacco warehousers that purchase tobacco products from manufacturers for resale to permitted wholesalers in Alabama.
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