Lee County, AL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Enacting act
- Act 99-411 (1999)
- Covers
- buildings, lots, junkyards
- Trigger conditions
- pest harborage, odor, value loss
- Enforcement path
- Circuit Court civil action
- Violator pays
- abatement costs plus attorney's fees
- Territorial scope
- unincorporated Lee County only
Summary
Lee County's Public Nuisance - Premises law makes it unlawful for any property owner in the unincorporated county to let junk, litter, standing water or rotting debris pile up on a lot, building or junkyard when it shelters pests, throws off odors, offends the neighborhood, or drags down nearby property values.
It is unlawful and constitutes a public nuisance for the owner or the person designated by the owner in charge or in control of a building, lot, junkyard, or other premises, within the unincorporated territory of Lee County to fail to keep the building, lot, junkyard, or premises clean and free from junk and litter, including, but not limited to, discarded tires, and any materials within which water may accumulate or which may shelter or encourage the growth of insects or rodents, or materials which generate obnoxious odors, or which offend the aesthetics of the community, and which thereby cause a substantial diminution in the value of other property nearby or which threaten the health and safety of any citizen.
Full Breakdown
01 of Act 99-411 (1999) declares it unlawful and a public nuisance for the owner, or the person the owner has designated to be in charge, of a building, lot, junkyard or other premises in unincorporated Lee County to fail to keep it clean and free of junk and litter, including discarded tires, and free of any materials in which water can accumulate or that may shelter or encourage insects or rodents, generate obnoxious odors, or offend the aesthetics of the community, when that condition causes a real drop in the value of nearby property or threatens public health and safety.
04 lets the commission file a civil action in the Circuit Court of Lee County to abate or enjoin the nuisance rather than issue a criminal citation. The court can assess every cost of abating the nuisance against the property owner, including attorney's fees, court costs, and all expenses of remedying or cleaning up the source of the problem. 03, all enforced the same way. None of it reaches Auburn, Opelika or the county's other incorporated cities, which each maintain their own property-maintenance codes.
Violations & Fines
The statute does not set a fixed dollar fine. The county's remedy is a Circuit Court civil action under Section 45-41-170.04 to abate the nuisance, and a court order against the property owner can require the property to be cleaned up while making the owner pay every abatement cost, the county's attorney's fees, and all court costs of the litigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly counts as a nuisance property under this law?
Who decides my property is a nuisance and what happens next?
Is there a set fine for violating the premises nuisance law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lee County
Compare Lee County to another location·View the Alabama property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.