Alabama Code Sections 13A-11-14 and 13A-11-241 criminalize animal cruelty and neglect statewide, capturing hoarding conduct that deprives animals of food, water, shelter, or veterinary care.
Section 13A-11-14 makes cruelty to animals a Class B misdemeanor for unjustifiable injury or failure to provide necessary sustenance and shelter. Section 13A-11-241 elevates aggravated cruelty to dogs and cats to a Class C felony when conduct causes serious physical injury or death through torture or extreme deprivation, common in hoarding cases. Section 3-1-13 authorizes humane officers to seize neglected animals and obtain court-ordered forfeiture and care reimbursement. Although Alabama has no hoarding-specific statute, prosecutors apply the cruelty statutes uniformly to hoarders, and these laws apply regardless of city-level animal regulations.
Class B misdemeanor for neglect, Class C felony for aggravated cruelty, animal forfeiture, restitution for care costs, and prohibition on future ownership.
See how Madison's animal hoarding rules stack up against other locations.
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