Tuscaloosa, AL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Sec. 6-50 adopts the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, published by the International Code Council, as the 'Tuscaloosa Property Maintenance Code,' governing the city and its police jurisdiction. Sec. 6-51 amends the model code with Tuscaloosa-specific rules: subsection 302.4.1 requires that excessive weeds or vine growth on a building be removed unless deliberately maintained as landscaping, and requires that any growth allowed to remain be kept neat enough that it does not cause a blighting effect. Subsection 302.7.1 requires abandoned slabs, foundations, sidewalks, driveways, and other structure remnants to be removed and the surface returned to a natural state once no primary structure remains, subject to the building official's approval of any other proposed use. Subsection 302.3.1 requires parking lots to be kept free of trash, debris, and potholes, with markings and lighting maintained in good order.

Rental housing carries added duties under Sec. 6-51: local electrical disconnects for major appliances, GFCI protection near kitchen sinks and in bathrooms, and AC-powered, interconnected smoke alarms with battery backup. Appeals from a code official's order go to the Construction Board of Appeals, sitting as the Property Maintenance Board of Appeals, on a written application filed within 20 days of the decision, notice, or order.

Sec. 6-52 makes any violation of the adopted code a misdemeanor, punishable under the general penalty provision, Sec. 1-8, and treats each individual requirement violated, and each day a violation continues, as its own separate offense, so a single blighted property can generate multiple daily counts until it is brought into compliance.