§ 36-16-8 — Property Inventory Control Division - Establishment of Control of State Personal Property; Property Managers; Inventories

The Property Inventory Control Division shall establish a control in the following manner of all nonconsumable state personal property not exempt under Section 36-16-11.
(1) The head of each department or agency of the state shall designate one of its employees as property manager for the department or agency. Except for books, the property manager shall make a full and complete inventory of all nonconsumable personal property and certain other items of personal property deemed important or sensitive enough by the Property Inventory Control Division to be included in the inventory of state property of the value of five hundred dollars ($500) or more owned by the state and used or acquired by the department or agency. The inventory shall show the complete description, manufacturer’s serial number, cost price, date of purchase, location, and custodial agency, responsible officer, or employee, and the state property control marking. A copy of the inventory shall be submitted to the Property Inventory Control Division on October 1 and April 1 of each year. Each inventory shall show all property acquired since the date of the last inventory. When any inventory fails to show any property shown on the previous inventory, then a complete explanation accounting for the property or the disposition thereof shall be attached to the inventory and submitted to the Property Inventory Control Division. All property managers shall keep at all times in their files a copy of all inventories submitted to the Property Inventory Control Division, and the copies shall be subject to examination by any and all state auditors or employees of the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.
(2) Each property manager shall be the custodian of, and responsible for, all property in his or her department or agency. When any property is entrusted to other employees or officers of the department or agency, the property manager shall require a written receipt of the property so entrusted, which receipt shall be executed by the person receiving the property. In that event, the property manager shall be relieved of responsibility of the property, and the employee or officer of the department or agency shall be responsible for the property.
(3) No property, except property being transferred to the Department of Archives and History under Section 41-6-10, shall be disposed of, transferred, assigned, or entrusted to any other department, agency, or employee thereof without the written permission of the Director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs or the Governor of the State of Alabama or the designee of either of them.
(4) Biannually, the Property Inventory Control Division shall conduct an inventory of all state personal property excluding historical materials in the custody of the Department of Archives and History and historical materials in the custody of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Commission, holding every officer or employee strictly accountable for all personal property assigned to his or her custody.
(5) No later than November 30 of each new fiscal year, the State Auditor shall report in writing to the Governor all losses and missing items of state property valued at more than five hundred dollars ($500) as revealed by the most recent inventory of state personal property.
(6) Whenever any property manager ceases for any reason to be the property manager of his or her department or agency, the director of the department or agency shall immediately notify in writing the Property Inventory Control Division. The division shall immediately check the inventories of all property in the department or agency, and the successor to the property manager shall execute a written receipt for all property received by him or her or coming into his or her custody or control. The last payment of salary due the property manager shall be withheld until a complete check of the inventory of the property has been made and approved. In the event of any shortages, the property manager shall be held strictly accountable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the property manager shall not be held accountable for property entrusted to any other employee or officer of the department or agency and for which he or she holds the written receipt of the employee or officer.

Legislative History

(Acts 1949, No. 627, p. 967, §1; Acts 1985, No. 85-665, p. 1057, §1; Acts 1992, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 92-719, p. 220, §1; Acts 1995, No. 95-147, p. 209, §1; Acts 1997, No. 97-642, p. 1174, §1; Act 97-946, p. 518, §1; Act 2025-70, §2.)