Birmingham, AL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

5 (Unsafe Buildings, Systems and Public Nuisances). 1 covers buildings that are unsafe, unsanitary, lack adequate egress, or are hazardous due to inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence or abandonment but do not yet rise to a public nuisance; these are declared illegal and must be repaired, rehabilitated or demolished after written notice from the Building, Code, or Fire Official. 1 takes over: the Building Official must notify, by certified or registered mail, the person last assessed for state property taxes and all mortgagees of record, giving a reasonable time of not less than 30 days to remedy the unsafe condition or demolish the structure, or the city will demolish it and assess the cost against the property.

Notice must also be posted at or within three feet of a building entrance within three working days of mailing. 2 lets any interested party file a written request for a City Council hearing within the notice period, which pauses the process until the Council rules; the Council then decides, in a hearing held five to thirty days after the request, whether the building is a public nuisance and, if so, orders demolition by city forces or contract. 3 gives anyone aggrieved by the Council's decision ten days to appeal to Circuit Court by filing notice of appeal and a cost bond.

4 fixes the city's costs by Council resolution, offsets them with any salvage proceeds, and turns the balance into a special assessment lien against the property, superior to all liens except tax liens, filed with the Judge of Probate of Jefferson County.