Color code probation in Alabama is a random drug and alcohol testing program for people placed on probation or parole for an alcohol- or drug-related offense. Each participant is assigned a color, calls a toll-free number every day to hear which colors have been selected, and reports for a urine test that same day if their color is called.1Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles. Alabama Certain Enforcement Supervision You pay for the testing yourself unless the court finds you indigent, and a failed test starts a chain of mandatory treatment requirements that, if ignored, can put you in prison.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-23-7 – Mandatory Drug Testing at Own Expense for Person Convicted of Alcohol or Drug-Related Offenses and Placed on Probation or Parole
Who Has to Participate
The program comes from Alabama’s Mandatory Treatment Act, codified at Alabama Code 12-23-7. If you are convicted of any offense related to alcohol or drugs and the court places you on probation or parole, you must participate.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-23-7 – Mandatory Drug Testing at Own Expense for Person Convicted of Alcohol or Drug-Related Offenses and Placed on Probation or Parole There is no opt-out.
The rule is not limited to felonies. A misdemeanor DUI or a drug possession charge puts you in color code the same way a felony trafficking conviction does, as long as the offense is tied to alcohol or drug use and your sentence includes probation or parole.
How the Daily Call-In Works
You get a color. Every day, you call a toll-free number and listen to a recorded message announcing which colors are being tested.1Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles. Alabama Certain Enforcement Supervision If your color is on the list, you report to your designated testing site that same day, during the hours set for your location.3United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Drug Testing
Testing runs seven days a week. Weekend hours are typically 8:00 a.m. to noon, with no extensions.3United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Drug Testing Colors carry names like watermelon, teal, and brown, and the selection is random. Most participants end up testing roughly once a week, but you could be called multiple times in a week or go several days without being selected.
If you cannot call in or cannot report when your color comes up, contact your probation officer immediately. A no-show is treated seriously and can be reported as a violation.
What It Costs
You pay for the testing.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-23-7 – Mandatory Drug Testing at Own Expense for Person Convicted of Alcohol or Drug-Related Offenses and Placed on Probation or Parole The per-test fee is due the same day you are tested.3United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Drug Testing The amount varies by county and program. On top of individual test fees, you typically owe a monthly monitoring fee, plus court costs and probation supervision fees. A week with two or three tests adds up fast.
If you fail a test, the costs get worse. You then owe for a treatment assessment and any recommended treatment, all on top of ongoing testing.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-23-7 – Mandatory Drug Testing at Own Expense for Person Convicted of Alcohol or Drug-Related Offenses and Placed on Probation or Parole
Prescription Medications
Legitimate prescriptions can produce a positive result. Opioid painkillers, some anxiety medications, ADHD stimulants, and even certain over-the-counter cold medicines are common culprits. Disclose every prescription to your probation officer and to the testing site before you are tested, and bring documentation from the prescribing doctor. Handling this in advance is far easier than trying to dispute a positive result after it has been reported.
Alabama does not currently allow participants to seek an independent test at an outside hospital or lab to challenge a positive result. Some court referral programs will run a confirmatory in-house test, but you cannot count on it. That makes upfront disclosure of prescriptions the practical safeguard.
What Happens When You Fail a Test
A positive result triggers a specific sequence under the statute:
- Cooperate with a qualified evaluator for a treatment assessment covering your substance use and any co-occurring mental health issues.
- Complete whatever treatment the assessment recommends. That may be counseling, outpatient therapy, inpatient rehabilitation, or support groups. You follow the plan you’re given.
- Pay for the assessment, the treatment, and continued testing, unless the court has found you indigent.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-23-7 – Mandatory Drug Testing at Own Expense for Person Convicted of Alcohol or Drug-Related Offenses and Placed on Probation or Parole
Failing to complete the treatment, or failing to pay for it when you can, is itself a probation violation.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-23-7 – Mandatory Drug Testing at Own Expense for Person Convicted of Alcohol or Drug-Related Offenses and Placed on Probation or Parole This is where most people get into serious trouble. A single failed test alone may not put you in jail. Ignoring the treatment that follows can.
When a Violation Can Send You to Prison
Alabama Code 15-22-54 governs probation revocation, and the consequences depend on the kind of violation.4Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 15-22-54 – Period of Probation
A failed or missed test, standing alone, is generally a technical violation. For most probationers, a technical violation carries a cap of 45 consecutive days in a county jail or residential transition center, after which probation continues automatically.4Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 15-22-54 – Period of Probation The court cannot fully revoke your probation for technical violations until you have already been through three separate periods of confinement under that provision. Time spent in custody awaiting the revocation hearing counts toward the 45 days.
The 45-day cap does not apply if the court finds you failed to complete a court-ordered treatment program. In that situation the judge can revoke probation outright and order you to serve the balance of your original sentence.4Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 15-22-54 – Period of Probation The same is true if you are arrested for a new offense or abscond from supervision. For certain violent felonies and sex offenses, revocation is mandatory rather than discretionary.
That’s the pipeline that matters. A positive test triggers mandatory treatment. Failing to finish the treatment is treated as failing a court-ordered program. Failing a court-ordered program strips away the 45-day cap and puts full revocation on the table. If you test positive, completing the treatment plan is not optional, no matter how burdensome it feels.
Indigency Exemption
Alabama law says you cannot be punished for being unable to pay. If the court determines you are indigent, you are exempt from paying for the treatment assessment, the recommended treatment, and monitoring by court referral officers.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-23-7 – Mandatory Drug Testing at Own Expense for Person Convicted of Alcohol or Drug-Related Offenses and Placed on Probation or Parole The court makes that finding by looking at your income, assets, and obligations.
Raise indigency early, before you fall behind. Without a formal finding, nonpayment is a violation in its own right. The statutory protection exists; the work is getting the court to recognize your status on the record before a violation petition lands.