HB371 Summary

• Amends Alabama Code Sections 23-4-5 and 23-4-20 to allow any party affected by a governing body's decision to vacate or deny vacation of a street, alley, or highway to appeal to circuit court within 30 days.

• Requires governing bodies to hold a public hearing within 90 days of receiving a vacation petition, with notice provided to abutting owners and entities with facilities in the public right-of-way at least 30 days prior.

• Establishes that petitions to vacate unpaved county roads are automatically deemed approved 150 days after submission unless the county commission denies the petition with specific written findings of fact.

• Allows county commissions to deny unpaved road vacation petitions only if they make findings that the vacation will deprive other property owners of reasonable ingress/egress, substantially harm public health or safety (police, fire, emergency medical, school bus, or sanitation services), and that road use is more than minimal.

• Becomes effective immediately upon passage and gubernatorial approval.