6 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Mobile County, Alabama.
Verified from official government sources
Alabama has no statewide short-term rental permit, and unincorporated Mobile County requires none. A host needs only a state lodgings-tax account; the county issues no STR license and cannot zone rentals in unincorporated areas.
No short-term rental noise rule exists in unincorporated Mobile County. Guests answer to the same state disorderly-conduct law as everyone else, Ala. Code §13A-11-7, which makes unreasonable noise a Class C misdemeanor.
Ala. Code §13A-11-7
A person commits the crime of disorderly conduct if, with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, he or she does any of the following: (1) Engages in fighting or in violent tumultuous or threatening behavior. (2) Makes unreasonable noise. ... Disorderly conduct is a Class C misdemeanor.
Short-term rentals owe Alabama's 4% state lodgings tax under Ala. Code §40-26-1, plus Mobile County and city lodgings taxes. Stays of 180 continuous days or more are exempt.
Ala. Code §40-26-1
There is levied and imposed, in addition to all other taxes of every kind now imposed by law, a privilege or license tax upon every person, firm, or corporation engaging in the business of renting or furnishing any room or rooms, lodging, or accommodations to transients ... in an amount to be determined by the application of the rate of five percent of the charge for such room, rooms, lodgings,...
No Alabama statute and no Mobile County ordinance set short-term rental parking. In unincorporated areas guests park on-site or on the road freely, limited only by HOA covenants and any city rule.
No Alabama statute and no Mobile County ordinance cap short-term rental occupancy. In unincorporated areas the practical ceiling is the property's septic system, sized under Alabama Department of Public Health rules, plus any HOA limit.
Alabama sets no short-term rental insurance mandate, and unincorporated Mobile County requires none. Coverage is a private matter: platform host protection plus a landlord or STR policy, since homeowner policies exclude rental activity.
1 cities in Mobile County have their own short-term rentals rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Mobile County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Mobile County Ordinance Hub →