Madison County, AL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

The Legislature declared in Section 45-45-173 that accumulated junk, inoperable vehicles and litter in unincorporated Madison County threaten public safety, health, scenic beauty and property values, and are a public nuisance. 01(a) makes it unlawful for an owner or person in charge of a building, lot, junkyard or other premises to fail to keep it clean and free of garbage, refuse, litter, junk, debris, salvaged materials, household furniture, trash, used tires, inoperable motor vehicles, appliances, rags, paper, cardboard, and any other nondecorative matter, including material that lets water accumulate or shelters insects or rodents, generates odors, hurts the neighborhood's appearance and property values, or threatens anyone's health and safety.

Two narrow carve-outs apply under subsection (b): businesses whose primary work is burning or incinerating wood, salvage or construction debris, and farm buildings, farm equipment, and farm materials stored around farm buildings on a farm. 04: the Madison County Commission itself brings a civil action in the Circuit Court of Madison County to abate or enjoin the nuisance, and the court can assess the full cost of abatement, including attorney's fees, court costs and all other litigation expenses, against the person maintaining the violation. These sections trace to Act 92-502 (1992) and Act 93-709 (1993) and apply only outside any municipality's corporate limits, since Huntsville and Madison enforce their own codes inside city limits.