§ 26-35-601 - Personal property taxes to be collected with real estate taxes.
26-35-601. Personal property taxes to be collected with real estate taxes.
(a) Each county collector in this state shall be charged with the responsibility of collecting personal property taxes shown to be due by the taxpayer as reflected by the records in the county collector's office at the time the taxpayer pays the general taxes due on real estate.
(b) Any county collector willfully accepting payment of general real estate taxes without requiring the payment of personal property taxes due as reflected by the records in the county collector's office shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined in a sum not less than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100).
(c) (1) Except as provided in subdivisions (c)(2)-(4) of this section, it is the intention of this section to require the collection of personal property taxes as reflected by the records in the office of the county collector and to prevent a taxpayer from paying and the county collector from receiving payment of general real estate taxes without payment of personal property taxes if any personal property taxes are shown to be due.
(2) The provisions of this section shall not prevent any person, firm, partnership, or corporation from paying general real estate taxes on property securing the payment of indebtedness due the person, firm, partnership, or corporation seeking to pay the taxes.
(3) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, a county collector shall accept payment of general real estate taxes on a parcel of property at the time the ownership of the property is being transferred if the taxpayer transferring title to the property has paid all delinquent personal property taxes.
(4) Furthermore, a purchaser in a foreclosure sale shall not be responsible for the payment of the personal property taxes required to be paid by this section.