Decatur, AL Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

The weed and rubbish rules in § 16-14 apply to premises, defined as any lot, yard, plot, tract, parcel or other piece of land within the City of Decatur, Alabama, so a vacant lot carries the same duty as a house lot. The owner, or any person in control of or in charge of the property, must keep weeds, grass and non-ornamental plant growth from becoming a nuisance, and growth of weeds over twelve (12) inches in height that is not ornamental is a weed nuisance by definition.

Subsection (e) sets the exemptions that matter most for unimproved land. Property in its natural condition is exempt, and the code defines that as uncultivated and unseeded land still in a state of nature, adding that growth on land once cleared or plowed is not a natural condition. Property located outside any improved subdivision, more than one hundred (100) feet from any boundary of a lot with a dwelling and more than one hundred (100) feet from any commercial enterprise, is also exempt. A cleared lot inside a platted subdivision or beside a home does not qualify.

Under subsection (f), a weed nuisance can be declared a public nuisance by the governing body of the city and abated at the cost of the person last assessed for ad valorem taxes, as provided in Act No. 95-500 of the Alabama Legislature. The same subsection names the community preservation board as the administrative official for that purpose, while subsection (k) names the community development director or a designee as the enforcing official.

Section 16-13 backs this up: if the owner fails or refuses to abate after notice, the city is authorized to do the work at the owner's expense, with the cost a lien on the property collected like any other debt. Section 16-14.1 adds that owners must also maintain any right-of-way or easement located on their land.