Commission schedules work session to review revised subdivision regulations for April 29

Commissioner Perkins requested and the Chilton County Commission approved a special work session for 6:30 p.m. on April 29, 2025, to review revised subdivision regulations and answer commissioners’ questions.

Perkins said the package handed out to commissioners contains a highlight page summarizing changes that affect the general public and advised that both the highlights and the full document could be posted on the county website. Perkins described a number of substantive edits: redefined terms for “developer” and “subdivision,” new classifications that separate small, family or single-property divisions from commercial development, and explicit exclusions for transfers to family members such as grandchildren, aunts or nieces.

Perkins said the revised regulations are intended to clarify when a property division triggers county oversight — primarily when the owner requests the county accept a newly created road. He said the rules “have taken many hours” with review by local attorneys, engineers and real estate professionals. Other commissioners said the revisions are intended to prevent unscrupulous developers from selling lots and promising county road acceptance after the fact.

The commission approved the motion to set the work session by voice vote and asked staff to post highlight pages and the full documents as PDFs on the commission webpage for public review. Commissioners said the meeting will be a work session to review questions and will not be conducted as a full public hearing format; Perkins said the public may attend and ask questions but the session is primarily for commissioners to go through the changes prior to a later vote.