Annexation of Territory by Municipalities Generally.

Ala. Code tit. 11, tit. 2, ch. 42, art. 1

in effect

Ala. Code § 11-42-1 Applicability of Provisions of Article; Provisions of Article Not Exclusive.

11-42-1. Applicability of Provisions of Article; Provisions of Article Not Exclusive. Any town or city may from time to time extend its corporate limits in the manner set forth in this article, but the provisions of this article shall not preclude any city or town from extending its corporate limits in any other way or manner that may be authorized by law. (Code 1907, §1070; Code 1923, §1764; Code 1940, T. 37, §134.)

Ala. Code § 11-42-2 Annexation Election and Proceedings Generally; Proceedings Where Parties Consent to Annexation.

11-42-2. Annexation Election and Proceedings Generally; Proceedings Where Parties Consent to Annexation. Whenever the council shall pass a resolution to the effect that the public health or public good requires that certain territory (described in the resolution) shall be brought within the limits of the city or town: (1) It shall be the duty of the mayor to certify a copy of such resolution to the judge of probate of the county in which the land proposed to be annexed is situated, and said certified resolution shall have attached thereto a plat or map of said territory, which certified resolution and plat or map shall be filed by the judge of probate. (2) Except as provided in subdivision (9) of this section, the judge of probate shall, not less than 10 nor more than 15 days from the date of the filing of such resolution, make and enter an order upon the minutes of said court, directing and ordering an election to be held by the qualified electors residing within the territory described not less than 20 days nor more than 40 days from the date of the making of the order. The said judge shall give notice of the holding of such election by publication in a newspaper published within the city or town whose limits are proposed to be extended if a newspaper is published therein, and if no newspaper is published in such municipality, then by posting notice at three public places in such municipality, which notice shall state the day on which such election is to be held, the voting place or places and the boundaries within which voters must reside to vote at the respective voting places, which must be within the territory proposed to be brought into the city or town, and such notice must give a description of the territory proposed to be annexed and must state that a map of such territory is on file in the office of the judge of probate of said county, open to the inspection of the public. (3) The judge of probate may designate as many places within the territory proposed to be annexed as he may deem necessary for the convenience of the voters and must designate the boundaries within which the voters must reside to vote at the respective voting places and shall appoint three inspectors of election, two clerks, and one returning officer for each voting place. The inspectors shall manage the election at the respective voting places at which they are appointed as inspectors. (4) Each qualified elector who has resided within the boundaries of the territory proposed to be brought into the city or town for three months next preceding the election may vote at such election, but must vote at the voting place designated by the judge of probate for voters in the territory in which he resides. (5) The election to determine whether or not the proposed territory shall be brought within such corporate limits must be conducted in all respects as provided by the general election laws and under the same sanctions and penalties, except as changed by the provisions of this article, and except that an official ballot need not be provided. (6) Each voter may furnish his own ballot with the following words written or printed thereon: “For annexation,” if he desires to vote in favor of annexing the territory to the city or town or “against annexation,” if he desires to vote against annexing the territory to the city or town. It shall not be necessary for the ballot to be of any particular size, form, or color. (7) The inspectors at the respective voting places must, as soon as the polls are closed, ascertain and certify the results of the election at their respective voting places to the judge of probate and deliver the same to the returning officer, who must at once return the same to the judge of probate, and the judge of probate must canvass the return as made by the inspectors and if it appears that a majority of the votes cast at the election were “for annexation,” the judge shall make and enter an order on the records of the probate court adjudging and decreeing the corporate limits of the city or town to be extended so as to embrace the territory described in the resolution and designated on the plat or map attached to the resolution and must cause the certified resolution and the map and all orders or decrees or judgments to be recorded in the records in his office, and from the time of the entry of such order such territory shall be a part of and within the corporate limits of the city or town. If it appears that a majority of the votes cast at the election are “against annexation,” the judge of probate shall make and enter an order on the records of the court adjudging and decreeing that a majority of the votes at such election were cast against coming into the corporate limits of the city or town and that the territory described and designated in the resolution and plat or map attached shall not form a part of or be embraced in the city or town until it may thereafter be brought into the city or town as a part thereof. (8) The result of such election may be contested by any qualified elector voting at the election in the manner provided for contest of general municipal elections, making the city or town the contestee. The city or town at whose instance the election is held shall pay all costs and expenses incident to the election. (9) If within 10 days from the date of the filing of the resolution as provided in subdivision (1) of this section, each of the qualified electors who reside in the territory described appears before the said judge of probate and consents to the annexation in writing, then no election shall be held. Upon determining that each of the qualified electors in the said territory has so consented to the annexation, the judge of probate shall make and enter an order on the records of the probate court setting forth such findings and adjudging and decreeing the corporate limits of the city or town to be extended so as to embrace the territory described in the resolution and designated on the plat or map attached to the resolution and must cause the certified resolution and map and all orders or decrees or judgments to be recorded in the records in his office, and from the time of the entry of such order such territory shall be a part of and within the corporate limits of the city or town. (10) The plat or map filed with the certified copy of the resolution as required in subdivision (1) of this section, shall show accurately the territory proposed to be embraced within the corporate limits, including all subdivisions into lots, blocks, streets, and alleys within such territory, if any, and an accurate description by metes and bounds of the boundary of such territory, which territory must be contiguous to the boundary of and form a homogeneous part of the city or town and may extend to or around the boundary line of any other city or town, but is not to embrace any territory within the corporate limits of another municipality. No platted or unplatted territory shall be included within such boundary unless there are at least two qualified electors residing, according to a government survey, on each quarter of each quarter section or part thereof of such platted or unplatted land who assent thereto in writing by signing said petition, together with the consent of the persons, firms, or corporations owning at least 60 percent of the acreage of such platted or unplatted land, such consent to be signified by their signing said petition. Proof of residence and qualification as electors of petitioners and of persons affected shall be made to the judge of probate by affidavit or otherwise, as he may direct. When determining the ownership of the land within such boundary, the persons, firms, or corporations assessing the same for taxation shall be accepted by the probate judge as prima facie the owners thereof. (Code 1907, §1071; Code 1923, §1765; Code 1940, T. 37, §135; Acts 1953, No. 842, p. 1132; Acts 1965, No. 402, p. 578.)

Ala. Code § 11-42-3 Subsequent Extensions of Corporate Limits; Requirement as to Resolutions, Orders, or Notices Under Article.

11-42-3. Subsequent Extensions of Corporate Limits; Requirement as to Resolutions, Orders, or Notices Under Article. (a) Any city or town having extended its corporate limits under the provisions of this article or other law may again extend its corporate limits under this article or under any other law authorizing an extension of corporate limits by such city or town. (b) In every proceeding to extend the corporate limits of any city or town under the provisions of this article, the council of such city or town shall declare in each and every resolution provided for in this article and the probate judge shall declare in each and every order directing and ordering an election to be held under this article, and in every notice given under this article, and in every order made and entered on the records of the probate court under this article, that such resolution, order, or notice, as the case may be, is passed, entered, or given under the provisions of this article. (Code 1907, §1072; Code 1923, §1766; Code 1940, T. 37, §136.)

Ala. Code § 11-42-4 Subsequent Elections Not to Be Held Within 12 Months of Preceding Election.

11-42-4. Subsequent Elections Not to Be Held Within 12 Months of Preceding Election. After an election has been held in any territory under the provisions of this article or any other law, no other or subsequent election shall be ordered or held for the same territory or any part thereof within 12 months next after said election. (Code 1907, §1073; Acts 1909, No. 200, p. 197; Code 1923, §1767; Code 1940, T. 37, §137.)

Ala. Code § 11-42-5 Validation of Certain Prior Annexations.

11-42-5. Validation of Certain Prior Annexations. Every annexation undertaken prior to May 31, 2023, under any statutory procedure for annexation by any municipality and which the annexation procedure has been completed, notwithstanding any irregularity or defect in the procedure, is ratified and confirmed and given effect in all respects as if all provisions of law relating to the annexation proceeding had been duly and legally complied with. This section shall not apply to any annexation or attempted annexation which, prior to May 31, 2023, has been held invalid by the Supreme Court of Alabama or by the Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama or by a final judgment of the circuit court in the county in which the annexation was completed and from which judgment an appeal was not taken to the Supreme Court of Alabama or the Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama within the time provided by law for taking appeals, or to any annexation the validity of which is an issue in a pending action commenced prior to May 31, 2023. Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter the provisions of Article 5, commencing at Section 11-49-80, of Chapter 49, which requires a municipality to assume responsibility for roads annexed into the municipality under certain circumstances. (Acts 1977, No. 752, p. 1290; Acts 1987, No. 87-796, p. 1569; Acts 1993, No. 93-569, p. 948, §1; Act 98-487, p. 932, §1; Act 2011-214, p. 400, §1; Act 2023-335, §1.)

Ala. Code § 11-42-6 Bill to Contain Accurate Description of Territory and Plat or Map; Copies of Map to Be Furnished to Judge of Probate; Notice of Intention to Apply for Local Law Annexing Territory.

11-42-6. Bill to Contain Accurate Description of Territory and Plat or Map; Copies of Map to Be Furnished to Judge of Probate; Notice of Intention to Apply for Local Law Annexing Territory. (a) Any bill introduced in the legislature which attempts to annex territory to any municipality or to otherwise change the boundary lines of any municipality shall contain an accurate description of the territory proposed to be annexed to or removed from such municipality together with a plat or map of such territory attached; showing its relationship to the corporate limits of the municipality to which such territory is proposed to be annexed. Copies of such map shall also be furnished to the judge of probate for the county or counties wherein the territory proposed to be annexed to or removed from the municipality is located. (b) The publication of notice of intention to apply for any local law annexing territory to any municipality or otherwise changing the boundary lines of any municipality shall, in addition to all other requirements provided by law, state that a map showing what territory is to be annexed to or removed from such municipality is on file in the office of the judge of probate in the county or counties wherein such territory is located and that such map is open to the inspection of the public. (Acts 1986, No. 86-535, p. 1038.)

Ala. Code § 11-42-7 Legislative Reapportionment Office to Be Notified of Annexation or Deannexation.

11-42-7. Legislative Reapportionment Office to Be Notified of Annexation or Deannexation. Any municipality which annexes property into the municipality or deannexes property from the municipality shall notify the Legislative Reapportionment Office of such action within seven days of the final action. The municipality shall provide all census blocks involved in the annexation or deannexation to the Legislative Reapportionment Office so that the office may maintain accurate information concerning the corporate limits of each municipality located within the state. A municipality’s failure to notify the Legislative Reapportionment Office as provided herein shall not be grounds to challenge or invalidate the annexation or deannexation. (Act 2006-249, p. 452, §1.)

Source: Alabama Legislature (alison.legislature.state.al.us)URL: https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabamaFetched: 10/20/2026