The annexation process typically begins when a request for annexation is made from land owners who want to live inside the city limits of Arab and gain access to all City services and benefits. The Planning Commission and City Council review annexation requests very thoroughly and carefully, because every new addition becomes a part of Arab’s long-term plan.  

The Process

State law provides two methods by which cities can annex land that is contiguous with its existing limits:

• by an annexation referendum
• by petition of the owners of all the land proposed for annexation

The City of Arab primarily uses the latter method, which requires the following procedure:

The property owner provides the Planning staff with a copy of the recorded deed for the land to be annexed, as well as an Application for Annexation, and a plat of the land, if available.  All documents MUST be signed by all land owners and notarized.  

If the land is in fact outside the city limits and is determined by staff to be contiguous with the existing city limits, that is, if it touches or is directly across, it undergoes a thorough internal review process to determine if annexation is appropriate based on a number of considerations. Those considerations include the ability to serve the area, the benefit to the City, and the potential impact to Arab City Schools.  

If the review determines that the annexation would be beneficial to the City, then the request becomes a Petition for Annexation and is forwarded to the Planning Commission for their review prior to recommendation to the City Council.

The planning staff then prepares an ordinance for annexation of the land and places it on the Regular Meeting agenda for the City Council’s consideration and final vote. The annexation takes effect on the date of its approval by the City Council. The process typically takes about two months.  

There is no fee for land annexation.