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

Sec. 1 makes it unlawful for any person owning, residing on, or having charge or control of any premises or vacant lot within the city to allow any litter or accumulation of trash, storm debris, or construction debris on that property, with a narrow exception for trash set out for pickup on regularly scheduled collection days in an authorized manner. The rule targets unimproved and vacant parcels as directly as occupied ones: an empty lot that has become a dumping ground for construction debris or storm-damaged material is treated the same as an occupied yard piled with household trash.

Enforcement follows the same abatement track as the neighboring weed ordinance: under Sec. 13-68(a), once a citation, summons, or written or oral notice issues for a Sec. 1 violation, the owner or person in control has 48 hours to remove the litter, trash, or debris; if it is not removed by the deadline, the city may perform the work itself at the owner's expense, and that expense becomes a lien on the lot enforceable like any other debt. Sec. 13-69 separately authorizes the city attorney or a designee to file that lien.

A companion section, Sec. 2, separately bans leaving household appliances or furniture exposed to the elements outside any dwelling, showing the city treats outdoor accumulation of debris, trash, and unweatherproofed household items as related but distinct property-maintenance problems.