CHEYENNE (AP) - The Wyoming Senate gave preliminary approval Wednesday to allowing counties to step in with regulations whenever land is divided into lots smaller than 140 acres for the purpose of building homes.

Generally counties right now can regulate home lots only if they're smaller than 35 acres.

The subdivision of large ranches outside Cheyenne, Casper and Laramie in recent years has created concern that counties might have trouble providing ambulance, fire protection and other services to thinly spaced homes built on those properties.

Sen. Ken Decaria, D-Evanston, presented the bill. It's sponsored by the Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Interim Committee.

Decaria said some people buy 40-acre properties in Wyoming without first seeing the land.

"People are selling these 40-acre parcels without any regulation," he said.

On Tuesday, the Senate corporations committee voted to expand a loophole into the bill. The change would have let property owners split off and sell as many as 10 lots without regulation, provided they don't sell off more than that within five years.

The original bill provides that counties could exempt subdivision of a parcel of land into five or fewer new parcels.

"I don't think it's very clear, and it seems like a pretty big loophole," said Sen. Mike Massie, D-Laramie, of the 10-lot proposal.

Massie said the bill's intent is to address "urban crawl," where semi-rural housing developments spread across previously empty rangeland.

The Senate also rejected a change proposed by Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, to prohibit landowners from selling off more than 10 parcels within a township, an area covering 36 square miles. Sen. Curt Meier, R-LaGrange, said that would have trampled on landowners' rights.

The bill needs two more votes to clear the Senate and head to the House.