Construction of Code and Statutes.

Ala. Code tit. 1, ch. 1

in effect

Ala. Code § 1-1-1 Meaning of Certain Words and Terms.

1-1-1. Meaning of Certain Words and Terms. The following words, whenever they appear in this code, have the following meanings unless otherwise apparent from the context or otherwise explicitly defined: (1) BOY. A human male who has not yet reached adulthood. (2) FATHER. The male parent of a child or children. (3) FEMALE. When used in reference to a natural person, an individual who has, had, will have, or would have, but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, the reproductive system that at some point produces ova. (4) GIRL. A human female who has not yet reached adulthood. (5) JURY or JURIES. Includes courts or judges in all cases when a jury trial is waived, or when the court or judge is authorized to ascertain and determine the facts as well as the law. (6) MALE. When used in reference to a natural person, an individual who has, had, will have, or would have, but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, the reproductive system that at some point produces sperm. (7) MAN. An adult human of the male sex. (8) MONTH. A calendar month. (9) MOTHER. The female parent of a child or children. (10) PERSON. Includes an individual, corporation, partnership, company, or other business entity. (11) PERSONAL PROPERTY. Includes money, goods, chattels, things in action and evidence of debt, deeds, and conveyances. (12) PROPERTY. Includes both real and personal property. (13) REAL PROPERTY. Includes lands, tenements, and hereditaments. (14) SEX. When the term is used to classify or describe a natural person, the state of being male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth. (15) SIGNATURE. Includes a mark when an individual cannot write, if his or her name is written near the mark and witnessed by an individual who writes his or her own name as a witness. (16) STATE. When applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. (17) UNITED STATES. Includes the territories thereof and the District of Columbia. (18) WOMAN. An adult human of the female sex. (19) YEAR. A calendar year, except whenever the word “year” is used in reference to any appropriations for the payment of money out of the treasury, the term shall mean a fiscal year. (Code 1852, §§1, 2, 4-8; Code 1867, §§1, 2, 4-8; Code 1876, §§1, 2, 4-8; Code 1886, §§1, 2, 4-8; Code 1896, §§1, 2, 4-8; Code 1907, §§1, 2, 4-8; Code 1923, §§1, 2, 4-9; Acts 1927, No. 625, p. 716; Code 1940, T. 1, §2; Acts 1951, No. 268, p. 551; Act 2025-3; §3.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-1.1 Sex-Based Terminology; Legislative Findings and Intent.

1-1-1.1. Sex-Based Terminology; Legislative Findings and Intent. (a)(1) The purpose of Act 2025-3 is to bring clarity, certainty, and uniformity to the laws of Alabama regarding sex discrimination, equality of the sexes, and benefits or services specifically provided to males and men and to females and women. (2) Act 2025-3 applies wherever state law classifies individuals on the basis of sex or otherwise mentions individuals as being male or female, men or women, or boys or girls. (b) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) Men and women are legally equal but are not physically the same. (2) The State of Alabama has an important interest in preventing unjust sex discrimination and in maintaining safety, privacy, and fairness for both sexes. (3) Inconsistencies in court rulings and policy initiatives regarding sex discrimination and common sex-based words have endangered women’s rights and resources and have put the existence of private, single-sex spaces in jeopardy. (4) There are only two sexes, and every individual is either male or female. The term “sex” is objective and fixed. Individuals with differences in sex development, also known as “DSDs” or “intersex conditions,” are not a third sex. Individuals with a congenital or medically verifiable DSD diagnosis must be accommodated consistent with state and federal law. (5) With respect to equality of the sexes, the term “equal” does not mean “same” or “identical.” (Act 2025-3, §§1, 2.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-2 Tenses; Gender; Singular and Plural; Joint Authority.

1-1-2. Tenses; Gender; Singular and Plural; Joint Authority. Words used in this Code in the past or present tense include the future, as well as the past and present. Words used in the masculine gender include the feminine and neuter. The singular includes the plural, and the plural the singular. All words giving a joint authority to three or more persons or officers give such authority to a majority of such persons or officers, unless it is otherwise declared. (Code 1852, §§1, 3; Code 1867, §§1, 3; Code 1876, §§1, 3; Code 1886, §§1, 3; Code 1896, §§1, 3; Code 1907, §§1, 3; Code 1923, §§1, 3, 9533; Code 1940, T. 1, §1.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-3 “Blind Person” Defined; How Blindness Proved.

1-1-3. “Blind Person” Defined; How Blindness Proved. (a) As used in this Code or any statute of this state heretofore or hereafter enacted, unless the context requires a different meaning, the term “blind person” means a natural person who has no vision or whose vision with correcting glasses is so defective as to prevent the performance of ordinary activities for which eyesight is essential, or who has central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting glasses, or whose central visual acuity is more than 20/200 in the better eye with correcting glasses but whose peripheral field has contracted to such an extent that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees. (b) The condition of blindness may be proved by a blind person claiming any rights or benefits provided under any statute of this state by certificate of a duly licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist. (c) Nothing herein contained shall prevent the Alabama State Department of Human Resources from establishing a different definition of blindness for use in determining eligibility for blind assistance under the program administered by it as provided for in Section 38-4-1, or from establishing procedures and qualifying personnel to determine the existence of blindness within such definition so established for such purpose or from reviewing any such determination so made to determine the correctness of such decision in its supervisory power in the administration of the blind assistance program. (Acts 1959, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 70, p. 246.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-4 Computation of Time.

1-1-4. Computation of Time. Time within which any act is provided by law to be done must be computed by excluding the first day and including the last. However, if the last day is Sunday, or a legal holiday as defined in Section 1-3-8, or a day on which the office in which the act must be done shall close as permitted by any law of this state, the last day also must be excluded, and the next succeeding secular or working day shall be counted as the last day within which the act may be done. In designating the hours of the day, the time used shall be that of the ninetieth degree of longitude west of Greenwich, otherwise known as central standard time; provided, that whenever daylight saving time shall be in effect within the state, the time used shall be that known as central daylight time. (Code 1852, §11; Code 1867, §11; Code 1876, §11; Code 1886, §11; Code 1896, §11; Code 1907, §11; Code 1923, §13; Code 1940, T. 1, §12; Acts 1953, No. 668, p. 926.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-4.1 Oberservation of Daylight Saving Time Year-Round Upon Act by United States Congress.

1-1-4.1. Oberservation of Daylight Saving Time Year-Round Upon Act by United States Congress. If the United States Congress amends 15 U.S.C. § 260a to authorize states to observe Daylight Saving Time year-round, the State of Alabama shall adopt Daylight Saving Time as the year-round standard of time for the entire state and all of its political subdivisions. (Act 2021-421, §1.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-6 Certain Acts or Omissions Not Public Offenses.

1-1-6. Certain Acts or Omissions Not Public Offenses. Acts or omissions to which a pecuniary penalty is attached, recoverable by action by a person for his own use, or for the use, in whole or in part, of the state, or of a county or municipal corporation, are not public offenses within the meaning of this Code. (Code 1852, §4; Code 1867, §3543; Code 1876, §4097; Code 1886, §3700; Code 1896, §4651; Code 1907, §6755; Code 1923 §3873; Code 1940, T. 1, §6.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-8 When Penal Acts Take Effect.

1-1-8. When Penal Acts Take Effect. No penal act shall take effect until 60 days after the approval thereof, unless otherwise specially provided in the act. (Code 1867, §§3544, 3955; Code 1876, §4448; Code 1886, §3705; Code 1896, §5540; Code 1907, §7805; Code 1923, §5531; Code 1940, T. 1, §8.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-9 Existing Rights, Remedies and Defenses Preserved.

1-1-9. Existing Rights, Remedies and Defenses Preserved. This Code shall not affect any existing right, remedy or defense, nor shall it affect any prosecution now commenced, or which shall be hereafter commenced, for any offense already committed. As to all such cases, the laws in force at the adoption of this Code shall continue in force. But this section does not apply to changes in forms of remedy or defense, to rules of evidence, nor to provisions authorizing amendments of process, proceedings or pleadings in civil cases. (Code 1852, §10; Code 1867, §10; Code 1876, §10; Code 1886, §10; Code 1896, §10; Code 1907, §10; Code 1923, §11; Code 1940, T. 1, §9.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-10 Repeal of Uncodified Statutes of Public, General, and Permanent Nature; Certain Statutes Saved from Repeal.

1-1-10. Repeal of Uncodified Statutes of Public, General, and Permanent Nature; Certain Statutes Saved from Repeal. Subject to the provisions of this section, or as may be otherwise provided in this Code, all statutes of a public, general and permanent nature, not included in this Code, are repealed. The foregoing provisions of this section shall not repeal, nor be construed to repeal, local, private or special statutes; nor statutes which relate to or apply to only one county, municipality, political subdivision, district or territory; nor statutes which apply to one or more counties, municipalities, political subdivisions, districts or territories on the basis of population; nor statutes in effect on the effective date of this Code which apply to one or more judicial circuits of the state, whether by specific reference thereto, or the basis of population or by some other method of identification or classification; nor statutes in effect on the effective date of this Code which establish the amount or rate of salary or compensation of any state officer or employee or any other person whose salary or compensation is paid, in whole or in part, by the state, or which establish minimum or maximum amounts of salary or compensation, or which provide additional compensation for the performance of specified services or duties; nor statutes relating to the swamp and overflowed lands; nor statutes relating to the public debt or authorizing the issuance of bonds or other evidence of indebtedness by the state or any county, municipality, political subdivision or agency thereof; nor statutes appropriating funds; nor any act submitting an amendment to the Constitution or any act to be effective upon the adoption of such an amendment to the Constitution; nor statutes becoming effective after the effective date of this Code. (Code 1852, §10; Code 1867, §10; Code 1876, §10; Code 1886, §10; Code 1896, §10; Code 1907, §10; Code 1923, §11; Code 1940, T. 1, §9.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-11 Repealed Laws Not Revived.

1-1-11. Repealed Laws Not Revived. All laws and all statutes or parts of statutes which are repealed or abrogated by this Code, or are repugnant to any law repealed by this Code and which have not been reenacted or consolidated, shall continue to be so repealed or abrogated. (Code 1907, §13; Code 1923, §15; Code 1940, T. 1, §10.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-13 Previous Validating Acts Not Repealed.

1-1-13. Previous Validating Acts Not Repealed. The omission from this Code of any acts heretofore passed which validated any bonds, notes, warrants, certificates or other evidences of indebtedness issued by any city, town, county, county board of education, city board of education or other political subdivision of the state shall in no way operate or be construed to repeal or destroy the effect of any and all of such validating acts where said validating acts have been otherwise lawfully passed and are not in conflict with the Constitution of the United States or the State of Alabama. (Code 1940, T. 1, §15.)

Ala. Code § 1-1-14 Classification and Organization of Code; Notes and Catchlines of Sections Not Part of Law.

1-1-14. Classification and Organization of Code; Notes and Catchlines of Sections Not Part of Law. (a) The classification and organization of the titles, chapters, articles, divisions, subdivisions and sections of this Code, and the headings thereto, are made for the purpose of convenient reference and orderly arrangement, and no implication, inference or presumption of a legislative construction shall be drawn therefrom. (b) Unless otherwise provided in this Code, the descriptive headings or catchlines immediately preceding or within the text of the individual sections of this Code, except the section numbers included in the headings or catchlines immediately preceding the text of such sections, do not constitute part of the law, and shall in no manner limit or expand the construction of any such section. All historical citations and notes set out in this Code are given for the purpose of convenient reference, and do not constitute part of the law.

Ala. Code § 1-1-15 References to Sections, Titles, Etc.

1-1-15. References to Sections, Titles, Etc. (a) Unless otherwise indicated in the context, references in this Code to titles, subtitles, chapters, articles, divisions, subdivisions or sections shall mean titles, subtitles, chapters, articles, divisions, subdivisions or sections of this Code. (b) Whenever any reference is made to any portion of this Code or any other law, the reference applies to all amendments thereto.

Ala. Code § 1-1-16 Severability of Provisions of Code and Statutes.

1-1-16. Severability of Provisions of Code and Statutes. If any provision of this Code or any amendment hereto, or any other statute, or the application thereof to any person, thing or circumstances, is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect the provisions or application of this Code or such amendment or statute that can be given effect without the invalid provisions or application, and to this end, the provisions of this Code and such amendments and statutes are declared to be severable.

Source: Alabama Legislature (alison.legislature.state.al.us)URL: https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabamaFetched: 10/20/2026