Tuscaloosa, AL Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 25-107(a)(2)-(3)
- ADU short-term rental
- Prohibited outright
- Owner-in-ADU workaround
- Also prohibited
- Districts covered
- Every district allowing an ADU
- Penalty basis
- Citywide general penalty, Sec. 1-8
- Ordinance basis
- Ord. No. 9572, eff. 12-17-24
Summary
Tuscaloosa flatly bars using an accessory dwelling unit as a short-term rental, and bars the reverse arrangement too: an owner cannot live in the ADU while renting out the principal house short-term. Sec. 25-107(a)(2)-(3) applies in every district where an ADU is permitted.
2.An accessory dwelling unit may not be used as a short-term rental use.3.The owner of the lot may not reside in the accessory dwelling unit and use the principal dwelling as a short-term rental use.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 102).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 25-107(a) governs accessory dwelling units citywide, and its second and third numbered standards target short-term rental use specifically. " Read together, the two rules block both directions of the same scheme, an owner cannot rent the ADU nightly or weekly to visitors, and an owner cannot dodge that ban by moving into the smaller unit and instead running the short-term rental out of the main house. Because these standards live in Sec. 25-107(a) rather than in a district-specific subsection, they apply uniformly in every zoning district where Table V-5 permits an ADU at all, CN, SFR-4, SFR-5, MR-1, MR-2, D, DP, DHE, GPD and RPD, not just the D, DHE and DP districts singled out for the separate owner-occupancy rule in subsection (a)(4).
The provision does not define "short-term rental use" within Sec. 25-107 itself, but its plain language sweeps in any lodging arrangement of the kind commonly booked through vacation-rental platforms rather than a standard month-to-month or longer lease. The ban was adopted with the citywide Unified Development Ordinance rewrite, Ord. No. 9572, Sec. 2, effective December 17, 2024.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 25-107(a) sets no independent fine for renting an ADU short-term; a violation is prosecuted under the citywide general penalty in Sec. 1-8, a fine of up to $500 plus up to six months of confinement or hard labor at the trial judge's discretion, with each day the short-term listing remains active treated as a new, separate offense. An owner disputing a short-term-rental finding can appeal the zoning officer's decision to the zoning board of adjustment under Sec. 25-45.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I list my Tuscaloosa accessory dwelling unit on a short-term rental site?
Can I move into my Tuscaloosa ADU and rent out my main house short-term instead?
Does the Tuscaloosa ADU short-term rental ban apply everywhere ADUs are allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tuscaloosa
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