SB197 Alabama 2024 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Tim MelsonSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2024

Title

Winston County; former county road in Tidwells Yellow Creek Subdivision No. 2 intersecting Lewis Smith Lake, road vacated, constitutional amendment.

Summary

This bill would amend the Alabama Constitution to vacate a portion of former Winston County Road 1 near Tidwells Yellow Creek Subdivision No. 2 and transfer ownership of that land to adjacent landowners, removing it from public road status.

What This Bill Does

It would close, vacate, and abandon the specified portion of former Winston County Road 1 from its intersection with Lot 6 to its intersection with Lewis Smith Lake. The underlying land would vest in the abutting landowner(s) as fee simple ownership. Winston County would be divested of all public rights and liabilities for that portion. The amendment would be presented to voters in a statewide election, and if ratified, the Code Commissioner would place the amendment in the constitution and may perform non-substantive stylistic revisions.

Who It Affects

• Abutting landowners along the vacated road segment who would receive fee simple ownership of the land formerly part of the road.
• Winston County, which would lose public rights and liabilities for the vacated portion.
• Alabama voters who will participate in the constitutional amendment election to decide whether the change should be adopted.

Key Provisions

• Vacate, close, and abandon the portion of former Winston County Road 1 from its intersection with Lot 6 of Tidwells Yellow Creek Subdivision No. 2 to its intersection with Lewis Smith Lake (also known as 234 Winston County Road 3139).
• The underlying fee simple ownership of that land portion would vest in the abutting landowner or landowners.
• Winston County would be divested of all public rights and liabilities for that portion.
• After ratification, the Code Commissioner shall number and place the amendment in the constitution and may perform nonsubstantive revisions (style, spelling, cross-references, etc.).
• Section 2 establishes an election to be held under specified constitutional sections with a ballot description and Yes/No options.
• Section 3 states the amendment becomes valid when approved by a majority of the qualified electors voting on it.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Winston County