New Alabama Laws in 2025

From lower taxes on food, to higher costs of drugs, shark attacks, and nursing jury members: New Alabama Laws went into effect 1 September or will go into effect 1 October 2025.

Sexist Taxation

- State sales tax on most grocery items will be 2% starting Sept. 1. That’s still 2% more than Florida,

- Sales tax on feminine hygiene products, maternity items and baby goods, including diapers and formula is now gone. Masculine hygiene products still get the full tax.

- Continuing the sexist taxation, state employees and teachers now have paid parental leave. Women get eight weeks after the birth of a child, and men only two weeks. (Sigh)

- More sexism: Nursing mothers are exempt from jury duty entirely, provided they have a doctor's note confirming their continued nursing. But fathers still have to do jury duty.

- There is a new 10-cent-per-milliliter tax on vapor products regardless of the sex of the purchaser.

Cops and Coast Guard

- Police officers immune from criminal liability for their actions in the line of duty. The law sort of restates the existing laws and limits liability to only reckless violation of well-established rights. Most importantly, cops can’t be held criminally liable unless their physical violence to a civilian violates the civilian’s constitutional rights against excessive force. Civil liability seems to remain.

- It was already case law, but now there is a law on the books that is meant to provide legal protection from civil lawsuits for medical professionals who provide free emergency care or first aid in good faith during accidents or disasters.

- Probation and parole officers are now considered law enforcement officers under Alabama law, giving them the same legal status and recognition as other law enforcement personnel. Kinda like the Coast Guards is considered real military.

- Mobile and Baldwin Counties can now send mobile shark attack text alerts. I guess before 1 September it was illegal to send text alerts regarding shark attacks.

- Immigration is the sole right and responsibility of the federal government, but Alabama is wading back into immigration enforcement at the state level, establishing bringing undocumented people into Alabama as a new criminal offense. Be careful who you take on church trips out of state if they plan to ride back with you.

- Local law enforcement must verify arrested individuals’ immigration status with ICE, and a deputy in a local county confirmed that ICE is collecting illegal aliens for essentially any crime if they turn themselves in to resolve a ticket or old crime.

- Now it is a Class A misdemeanor to possess, sell, or distribute nitrous oxide, butyl nitrite, or amyl nitrite for recreational use, while preserving exceptions for legitimate medical, industrial, and commercial applications.

- Elmore County and Escambia County can borrow up to $500 million for new prisons. Kingstown here we come.

- Alabama expanded the list of people who are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. Because people that commit crimes with firearms only get their guns legally.

- It is now a felony to steal or embezzle money from employee retirement plans. I guess I didn’t know I could have been doing that up until now.

No gouging, except prescriptions and most insurance

- Starting now, charging unreasonably high prices for goods, services, or rentals during officially declared states of emergency is unlawful. Not as much teeth as the laws in other states, but it should deter some gouging.

- The state mandated payment of a new dispensing fee of $10.64 per prescription. This was meant to help small pharmacies that weren’t charging the fee to all their customers.

- Possibly the best new law of all is freedom from all the rules that make healthcare insurance so high, but for now it is only for The Alabama Farmers Federation health plans. This was strongly opposed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield who still must charge the higher premiums required by state and federal policies.

- VA Hospitals are notoriously bogged down in bureaucracy and processes designed to delay treatment until it isn’t needed anymore, so Alabama established a new public corporation to create a centralized, comprehensive support system for Alabama's veterans. More bureaucracy or actual help? Time may tell. The Alabama Bar Association seems to be supporting a new veteran's court push as well.

Potpourri

- Alabama now only has two sexes: State entities must classify individuals as either male or female based on biological sex at birth. Of course, the law still maintains provisions for equal rights and accommodations for individuals with differences in sex development

- Medical consent age is now 16 and that law strengthened parental rights in their children's healthcare decisions, but the big one you thought this law was about is not included: Except pregnancy care.

- Gold and silver can be used as money in Alabama but no one is required to accept it unless they specifically agree to do so, so no change here.

- A win for the Swampers in Muscle Shoals, the state's entertainment industry incentives now include music album production alongside existing film incentives.

- Juneteenth is 19 June.

- Birmingham Water Works Board has been mismanaged alongside the Jefferson County Sewer System for decades, and a new law shifts the utility from a city-controlled board of 9 to a regional body of 7 appointed by various local governments.

“Roll Tide” is now the official state greeting, but “War eagle” is an acceptable response.