Alabama · Ala. Code §§6-6-540–6-6-543, 6-6-560–6-6-562Alabama quiet title: the statutory action, the 30-day fraudulent-deed hearing and the in rem action

A person in peaceable possession of Alabama land, actual or constructive, claiming to own it, may sue to settle the title when someone else claims or is reputed to own it, an interest in it, or a lien on it, and no action is pending to test that claim (Ala. Code §6-6-540(a)). The complaint describes the land with certainty and calls on the defendant to set out its claim and the instrument it comes from; the defendant's answer must specify the claim and its source (§§6-6-541, 6-6-542). Either party may ask for a jury on the facts, and the judgment declaring what interest, if any, the defendant has is binding on all parties (§6-6-543). An owner may bring an expedited quiet title action in the circuit court where the land lies on a claim that the title was fraudulently conveyed: the court sets a preliminary hearing no later than 30 days after service, and if it finds an attempted fraudulent conveyance from a plaintiff who held legal title, it restores the plaintiff's title and rights; one petition can cover several parcels, and the Administrative Office of Courts provides a simplified form (§6-6-540(b)). Separately, a person in actual peaceable possession – or, when no one is in possession, a person who has held color of title and paid the taxes for ten or more consecutive years – may file a verified in rem complaint against the land and all claimants, naming those who possessed, claimed or paid taxes in the last ten years, with guardians ad litem for unknown or incapacitated parties (§§6-6-560–6-6-562).