Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area — Non-Regulatory Heritage Designation (AL)

Tracked preemption from the Alabama overlay bundle.

Overview

Effective
2023-01-05
Sunset
Authority
federal
Scope
state:AL

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

city.in_alabama_black_belt_national_heritage_area == True

Preempted fields

1 field on the base district schema is rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
base_districts[*].national_heritage_area_designationoverridenon_regulatory_partnership_designation_19_countiesNHA designation does not impose federal land-use controls; it authorizes federal matching grants for heritage-tourism partnerships under the NPS National Heritage Area program.

Citation

Authority source
National Heritage Area Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-339, Title VIII §8001 et seq., establishing the Alabama Black Belt NHA); administered by the National Park Service
§ P.L. 117-339 §8001 et seq.; NHA System established by P.L. 117-339
https://www.nps.gov/places/alabama-black-belt-national-heritage-area.htm

Research notes

Tracked because the task brief flagged it. National Heritage Area designation is partnership-based, not regulatory — NPS does not own land or impose zoning. Designation covers 19 counties: Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Washington, Wilcox. Local governments may voluntarily adopt heritage overlays referencing the NHA but are not required to. Selma, Marion, Demopolis, Eutaw, Greensboro, Selma Historic District lie within. Useful as a city_attribute trigger for downstream tourism/heritage overlays.