Tuscaloosa, AL Invasive Plant Rules: Bamboo Restrictions (2026)

Tuscaloosa's vegetation-nuisance ordinance, City Code Sec. 13-67, folds a running-bamboo restriction into its general weeds-and-brush rule. It is unlawful for anyone owning, residing on, or having charge or control of any premises or vacant lot in the city to plant or allow bamboo within fifty feet of any residential property line, right-of-way, or public utility easement. The same section caps weeds, grass, and kudzu at 12 inches and bars downed trees or limbs left standing to the extent they harbor mosquitoes, rodents, or reptiles. No notice or warning is required for the city to write a violation, because the growth itself is unlawful the moment it exceeds these limits.

Once a violation is cited, Sec. 13-68 sets the abatement clock: the owner or occupant has 48 hours from a mailed letter, oral notice, a posted notice, or the issuance of a citation or summons, to cut the vegetation or clear the bamboo. Bamboo removal specifically must include cutting to ground level, removing the cut bamboo, removing the rhizomes, and poisoning or cutting any regrowth until the rhizomes are eliminated, a higher bar than simply mowing it down. If the deadline passes, the city can do the work itself and place the cost as a lien on the lot, collectible like any other debt, with the city attorney authorized under Sec. 13-69 to file that lien. A third violation for unlawful vegetation growth on the same property within a calendar year escalates automatically to a citation or summons to Tuscaloosa Municipal Court rather than another abatement notice.