Alabama sets no defensible-space mandate, and Lee County requires no residential brush clearing. But clearing land by burning brush, new ground, or woodland over a quarter-acre requires a free Alabama Forestry Commission permit first.
Neither the state nor Lee County imposes California-style defensible-space rules on homeowners; overgrown lots are handled under city nuisance and property-maintenance codes, not a fire-clearance requirement. What is regulated is burning to clear vegetation. Under Ala. Code §9-13-11, an owner burning new ground, fields, grasslands, or woodlands must first obtain a burn-permit number from the Alabama Forestry Commission, free by phone. Fires under a quarter-acre are exempt. In Lee County's pine woodlands, the Commission suspends permits under fire-alert and drought conditions. Chipping or hauling debris avoids the permit question entirely.
Burning to clear land without a Forestry Commission permit, or during a fire alert, brings state penalties, plus liability and suppression costs if the fire escapes into surrounding pine.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Lee County, AL
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Lee County, AL
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Lee County, AL
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Lee County, AL
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Lee County, AL
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Lee County, AL
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See how Lee County's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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