Bessemer, AL Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Housing code adopted
- 2015 International Property Maintenance Code
- No garbage container fine
- $5.00 per Sec. 18-177
- Storing rubbish on premises
- $10.00 fine
- Dumping/spilling on street
- $20.00 fine
- Who may cite
- Any city employee, per Sec. 18-177(b)
Summary
Bessemer's Sec. 18-176 adopts the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code as the city's housing code, and Sec. 18-177 backs it with a printed citation schedule: $2 for a defective or nonapproved garbage container, $5 for having none at all, $10 for storing rubbish on the premises, and $20 for dumping or spilling a load onto a city street.
Sec. 18-176. - Adoption. The 2015 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code, published by the ICC is hereby adopted by reference pursuant to Code of Ala. 1975, § 11-45-8 and is incorporated as is set out and fully herein. ... Sec. 18-177. Schedule of minimum penalties and fines for violations of housing code; citations. (a)There is hereby established a schedule of minimum penalties and fines for violations of offenses defined in the housing code of the city and for the dumping of rubbish or spilling loads from trucks onto city streets or in an unauthorized place within the city limits. The schedule of fines is as follows:(1)Defective or nonapproved garbage container .....$2.00(2)No garbage container .....$5.00(3)A person storing rubbish on his premises .....$10.00(4)Truck or vehicle dumping rubbish in an unauthorized place .....$20.00(5)Truck spilling loads onto city street .....$20.00
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Republication).
Full Breakdown
Article VII of Chapter 18, the city's Housing Code, adopts the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code by reference at Sec. 18-176, again under the authority of Code of Ala. 1975, § 11-45-8, so the IPMC's occupancy, sanitation and maintenance standards apply to every dwelling in the city rather than being rewritten into the local code. Sec. 00 apiece for a truck or vehicle dumping rubbish in an unauthorized place or spilling a load onto a city street. Subsection (b) authorizes the city clerk and treasurer to have citations printed reflecting those fines, and any city employee, not only a housing inspector, may issue one upon observing a violation.
Enforcement of the broader IPMC standards, covering habitability defects like inadequate heat, unsafe wiring or unsanitary units, runs through the building department under the general Chapter 18 inspection and notice procedures, since Sec. 18-176 does not carve out a separate enforcement track for housing code violations beyond this citation schedule.
Violations & Fines
A defective or nonapproved garbage container draws a $2.00 citation and having none at all draws $5.00; storing rubbish on one's own premises is $10.00, and dumping rubbish or spilling a load onto a city street each carries a $20.00 fine under Sec. 18-177. Any city employee who observes the violation, not just a code inspector, may issue the citation once the city clerk and treasurer has had it printed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What housing code governs rental units in Bessemer?
What fine do I get for not having a garbage container?
Can anyone write me a housing-code citation, or only an inspector?
Sources & Official References
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