Alabama
Summary
Alabama is a non-home-rule (Dillon's Rule) state, so zoning authority exists only where the Legislature has expressly delegated it. The primary enabling statute is the Municipal Zoning Enabling Act, codified at Ala. Code §§ 11-52-70 to 11-52-84 (Title 11, Chapter 52, Article 4), which traces to 1923 Act 443 and follows the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act model. It delegates general zoning power to municipal corporations: § 11-52-70 grants the basic power to divide the municipality into districts and regulate structures and uses, § 11-52-72 ties regulations to a comprehensive plan and public-welfare purposes, and § 11-52-73 supplies the core grant to regulate height, lot coverage, density, and use. Alabama counties have no general zoning authority; a county may exercise zoning only when specifically authorized by local legislation or a local constitutional amendment, which is why county zoning in Alabama is piecemeal rather than uniform.
The delegation
Verification
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All elements of the claim are confirmed against current (2025) Code of Alabama and secondary sources. (a) Real, current statute: Ala. Code §§ 11-52-70 to 11-52-84 exist in the current 2025 Code of Alabama, located in Title 11 (Counties and Municipal Corporations), Sub-title 2 (Provisions Applicable to Municipal Corporations Only), Chapter 52 (Planning, Zoning and Subdivisions), Article 4 (Zoning). The range 11-52-70 through 11-52-84 inclusive is correct; § 11-52-84 is the last section (savings clause: existing regulations not repealed). Confirmed via Justia 2025 code listings. (b) Genuinely the zoning enabling authority: Yes. This is the Municipal Zoning Enabling Act. § 11-52-70 grants each municipal corporation the basic power to divide its territory into business/industrial/residential districts and regulate structures and uses. § 11-52-72 ties regulations to a comprehensive plan and public-welfare purposes. § 11-52-73 supplies the core grant to regulate building height, lot coverage (percentage of lot occupied), density of population, lot size, yards/open space, and use — matching the claimed descriptions. Traces to 1923 Act 443, following the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act model (confirmed by Alabama League of Municipalities "Zoning in Alabama" materials). (c) Authority model: Accurate. Alabama is a non-home-rule / Dillon's Rule state (Alabama Constitution of 1901; confirmed by multiple sources including Encyclopedia of Alabama, PARCA, and the Alabama County Commissioners Handbook). Counties have no general grant of zoning power and may zone only when specifically authorized by local legislation or a local constitutional amendment, making county zoning piecemeal. The municipal_delegation model with counties only by local act is correct.