2014 Code of Alabama
Title 35 - PROPERTY.
Chapter 8B - COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS.
Section 35-8B-1 - Definitions; sale of alcoholic beverages.

Section 35-8B-1Definitions; sale of alcoholic beverages.

(a) "Community development district" shall mean a private residential development that: (1) Is a size of at least 250 acres of contiguous land area; (2) has at least 100 residential sites, platted and recorded in the probate office of the county as a residential subdivision; (3) has streets that were or will be built with private funds; (4) has a social club with: (i) an 18-hole golf course of regulation size; (ii) a restaurant or eatery used exclusively for the purpose of preparing and serving meals, with a seating capacity of at least 60 patrons; (iii) social club memberships with at least 100 paid-up members who have paid a membership initiation fee of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) per membership; (iv) membership policies whereby membership is not denied or impacted by an applicant's race, color, creed, religion, or national origin; and (v) a full-time management staff for the social activities of the club, including the management of the premises where food and drink are sold.

(b) "Community development district" also means privately owned property used for social purposes that: (1) Is a size of at least 250 acres of contiguous land area; (2) is located in a dry county that has one or more wet municipalities, but outside the corporate limits of any municipality; (3) is a social club with: (i) An 18-hole golf course of regulation size; (ii) a marina and boat storage facility with at least 35 spaces; (iii) a clubhouse with more than 20,000 square feet; (iv) a restaurant or eatery used exclusively for the purpose of preparing and serving meals, with a seating capacity of at least 88 patrons; (v) at least 600 paid-up golf or social members who have paid a membership initiation fee of not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) per family or individual membership; (vi) membership policies whereby membership is not denied or impacted by an applicant's race, color, creed, religion, or national origin; and (vii) a full-time management staff for the social activities of the club, including the management of the premises where food and drink are sold.

(c) In addition to the limitations specified in Section 35-8B-3, with regard to a community development district defined in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, alcoholic beverages shall be sold only for on-premises consumption, as defined in Section 35-8B-3 (3), and in regard to a community development district defined in subsection (b), alcoholic beverages shall not be sold within 3,000 feet of the south right-of-way of any state or federal highway adjacent to any such district.

(d) "Community development district" also means a private residential development that may or may not include additional contiguous privately-owned property used for residential, social, commercial, or charitable purposes that: (1) Is the size of at least 650 acres of contiguous land area, but may also contain non-contiguous land if so divided by a public highway which shall be made part of the district per the articles of establishment; (2) is located in a dry county that has one or more wet municipalities, but may be outside the corporate limits of any municipality or within the corporate limits of a municipality; (3) has the following: (i) At least a 9-hole golf course; (ii) an amenity complex to include a fitness center and a swimming pool; (iii) a clubhouse with at least 7,000 square feet; (iv) a restaurant or eatery used for the purpose of preparing and serving meals, with a seating capacity of at least 50 patrons; (v) a recreational lake of at least 30 acres; (vi) at least 200 paid-up golf or club memberships paid initially by either the developer, residential landowners, or commercial entities located within the district at the rate of at least five hundred dollars ($500) per membership provided the developer reserves the right through residential and commercial lease and purchase agreements to require additional membership and initiation fees and further provided the developer has the discretion to restrict use of the golf course to district landowners and guests or at the developer's discretion to extend use of the golf course to the general public subject to fees set and determined by the developer which may differ from fees applicable to residential and commercial lease and purchase agreements; and (vii) membership policies whereby membership is not denied or impacted by an applicant's race, color, religion, or national origin; (4) may include a multi-purpose use entertainment facility with a minimum capacity to accommodate at least 7,500 patrons; and (5) may include commercial establishments. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages, including draft or keg beer, by licensees of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board shall be authorized in a community development district defined under this subsection and Section 35-8B-3 shall not apply.

(e) "Community development district" also means a commercial district located in a wet county that does not authorize Sunday sales and outside the corporate limits and police jurisdiction of any municipality and which has a restaurant with a seating capacity of at least 120, a grocery-delicatessen, riding stables and riding trails, a community information center, outdoor programming activities, and rural lifestyle demonstrations.

(f) If a community development district is located in any county, including within any wet or dry municipality located within the county, the county shall participate in the distribution of taxes and license fees pursuant to Chapters 3 and 3A of Title 28.

(g) Any alcohol revenues received by a county under Act 2007-417 shall offset in an equal amount any T.V.A. in-lieu-of-taxes payments received by the county. Any T.V.A. in-lieu-of-taxes payments replaced by alcohol revenues under this subsection shall be distributed to T.V.A.-served counties.

(h) If a community development district established prior to June 1, 2014, becomes a new municipality pursuant to Sections 11-41-1 and 11-41-2, the section requiring a vote of the residents of the property described in the petition, the new municipality created thereby shall be wet and the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages therein shall be authorized to the full extent of any other wet municipality. In addition to the other requirements for incorporating into a municipality set forth in Sections 11-41-1 and 11-41-2, the petition shall provide notice to potential voters that if the new municipality is incorporated it shall be wet.

(Acts 1992, No. 92-532, p. 1074, §1; Act 2000-470, p. 892, §1; Act 2004-541, p. 1143, §1; Act 2007-417, p. 869, §1; Act 2012-327, p. 769, §1; Act 2014-87, §1.)