2023 Code of Alabama › Title 11 - Counties and Municipal Corporations. › Title 2 - Provisions Applicable to Municipal Corporations Only. › Chapter 48 - Public Improvements and Assessments Generally. › Article 1 - General Provisions. › Section 11-48-4 - General Powers of Municipalities as to Public Improvements.

Section 11-48-4
General powers of municipalities as to public improvements.
All cities or towns in this state may design or cause to be designed, contract for and execute or cause to be executed a contract for the construction of the following named improvements or reimprovements to the streets or any portions thereof and the following named sewers or sewer systems and the following named water and gas mains and service connections. All cities or towns in this state having a population of 60,000 inhabitants or more according to the most recent federal census may design or cause to be designed, contract for and execute or cause to be executed a contract for the construction of the following named drainage improvements or drainage systems or reclamation systems and the filling in of swamps or inundated or overflowed or submerged lands within the limits of such municipality. All cities or towns in this state may design or cause to be designed, contract for and execute or cause to be executed a contract for the construction of the following named ornamental lighting systems or white way systems of lighting and also for the construction, acquisition, improvement, and extension of seawalls, dikes, levees, and embankments within the limits of the municipality for protection against streams, rivers, waters, floods, tides, seas, and waves in such manner and with such material as such city or town may prescribe. Each city or town in this state may cause the cost and expense of all or any part of any improvement or reimprovement which it is authorized to make under the provisions of this section to be assessed against the property abutting on said street, avenue, alley, highway, or other public place so improved or upon or along which such ornamental lighting system or white way is constructed or served by said water and gas mains and service connection or drained, served or benefited by said sewer or sewers or drained by such drainage system or reclaimed or elevated by such reclamation system or by the filling in of the same or protected or improved by such seawalls, dikes, levees or embankments to the extent of the increased value of said property by reason of the special benefits derived from said improvements.
(1) The opening, widening and extending of streets, avenues, alleys, highways and other public places and construction or reconstruction of improvements to streets, avenues, alleys, highways or other public places by filling, grading, leveling, graveling, slagging, cherting, macadamizing, paving, sidewalking, curbing, guttering, draining, or otherwise improving any street, avenue, alley, highway, or other public place; provided, that the cost and expense or any part thereof may be assessed against the property abutting on the portion of such street so opened, widened, extended or improved to the extent of the increased value thereof by reason of the special benefits derived therefrom.
(2) The construction or reconstruction of sanitary sewers or sanitary sewer systems, including sewage treatment or sewage disposal plants; provided, that the cost and expense or any part thereof may be assessed against the property drained, served, or benefited by said sanitary sewers or sanitary sewer systems to the extent of the increased value thereof by reason of the special benefits derived therefrom.
(3) The construction or reconstruction of storm water sewers, main trunk storm sewers and storm water sewer systems; provided, that the cost and expense or any part thereof may be assessed in fair proportion against the district and against every piece of property therein drained, served, or benefited by said storm water sewers, main trunk storm water sewers or storm water sewer system to the extent of the increased value thereof by reason of the special benefits derived from such improvement.
(4) The construction or reconstruction of combined sanitary and storm water sewers or combined sanitary and storm water sewer systems, including sewage treatment or sewage disposal plants; provided, that the cost and expense or any part thereof may be assessed against the property within said corporate limits, drained, served, or benefited by said sewers or sewer systems, including sewage treatment or disposal plants, to the extent of the increased value thereof by reason of the special benefits derived from such improvement.
(5) The construction or reconstruction of storm water sewers or drains or lateral storm sewers in connection with the improvement or reimprovement of streets for the purpose of properly draining said streets and the property abutting thereon; provided, that the cost and expense or any part thereof of said storm water sewers or drains or lateral storm sewers may be assessed against the property abutting on the portions of said streets so drained, served or benefited to the extent of the increased value thereof by reason of the special benefits derived from such improvement.
(6) The construction or reconstruction of outlets for such sewers or sewer systems, either sanitary, storm, water, or combined, including sewage treatment and sewage disposal plants, whether within or without the corporate limits; provided, that the cost and expense or any part thereof may be assessed against the property, within or without said corporate limits, drained, served, or benefited by said sewers or sewer system outlets, including sewage disposal plants, to the extent of the increased value thereof by reason of the special benefits derived from such improvement.
(7) The construction or reconstruction of water and gas mains in the streets and of water and gas service connections from the publicly or privately owned water and gas main located in any street, avenue, alley, highway, or other public place to the property line of property abutting on such street; provided, that the cost and expense or any part thereof of said water and gas mains and water and gas service connection or connections may be assessed against the property so served or connected to the extent of the increased value thereof by reason of the special benefits derived from such improvement.
(8) In cities having a population of 60,000 or more according to the most recent federal census, the construction or reconstruction of a system or systems of drainage of swamps or inundated or overflowed land within the limits of such municipality, and the filling in, elevating or reclaiming of such lands; provided, that the cost and expense thereof or any part of such cost and expense may be assessed in fair proportion against the property drained, served or benefited or increased in value or filled in, elevated or reclaimed by such improvement, to the extent of the increased value thereof by reason of the special benefits derived from such improvement.
(9) The construction, acquirement, improvement, reimprovement, or extension of seawalls, dikes, levees, or embankments within the limits of such municipality for the purpose of protection against storms, rivers, waters, floods, waves, tides, or seas; provided, that the cost and expense of such improvement or any part thereof may be assessed against the property within the corporate limits of such municipality protected or specially benefited by such improvement to the extent of the increased value of such property by reason of the special benefits derived from such improvement.
(Code 1907, §1359; Acts 1911, No. 273, p. 371; Code 1923, §2174; Acts 1927, No. 639, p. 753; Code 1940, T. 37, §513.)