Tuscaloosa, AL Property Maintenance: Weeds & Overgrown Grass (2026)

The City of Tuscaloosa has its own grass-and-weed ordinance — it does not merely rely on state law. Section 13-67 (Unlawful growth of vegetation) makes it unlawful for any person owning, residing on, or having charge or control of any premises or vacant lot to allow weeds, grass or kudzu to grow over 12 inches in height. The section also bars planting or allowing bamboo within 50 feet of any residential property line, right-of-way or public utility easement, and prohibits letting vines, underbrush, downed trees or limbs become overgrown to the extent they may harbor mosquitoes, other insects, rodents or reptiles or otherwise create a public nuisance or danger to public health, safety and welfare. The ordinance expressly states that no notice is required to constitute a violation. Abatement is governed by Section 13-68: after 48 hours from notice — a citation, mailed notice, oral notice, or notice posted on the property when the owner is unknown — the city may cut the vegetation at the owner's expense, and the cost becomes a lien collectible like any debt. Bamboo removal must include cutting to ground level, removing rhizomes, and treating regrowth. This city standard mirrors Alabama's 12-inch public-nuisance threshold under Code of Ala. 1975 Title 11, Chapter 67.