Ala. Code § 22-21-72
Whenever any number of natural persons, not less than three, shall file with the county commission of any county in this state an application in writing for authority to incorporate a public corporation for hospital purposes in the manner provided in this section, and if it shall be made to appear to the county commission of such county that each of said persons is a duly qualified elector of, and owner of property in, said county and if the county commission of the county shall adopt a resolution, which shall be duly entered upon the minutes of such county commission, wherein it shall be declared that it will be wise, expedient and necessary that such a corporation be formed and that the persons filing said application shall be authorized to proceed to form the corporation, then said persons shall proceed to become the incorporators of the corporation in the manner provided in this section. If it is proposed that the corporation shall exercise its corporate functions in a portion only of the county and not in the county as a whole, the application provided for in this section shall so state and shall set forth a brief description of the area in which it is proposed that such corporate functions be exercised. If the application shall contain a statement that it is proposed that the corporation will exercise its functions in a portion only of the county, then it must be made to appear to the county commission of the county that each of the persons signing the application is a resident of, and the owner of property in, the said portion of the county; and if the application does not contain such a statement, then it will be presumed that it is proposed that the corporation will be authorized to exercise its functions in the county as a whole. No corporation shall be formed under this division unless the application provided for in this section shall be made and unless the resolution provided for in this section shall be adopted.
Ala. Code § 22-21-72 (1975)