Tuscaloosa, AL Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Base code
- 2021 International Property Maintenance Code
- Appliance disconnects
- Required, per 2020 NEC
- GFCI zones
- Bathrooms, 6ft of kitchen sink, wet areas
- Appeal window
- 20 days, Construction Board of Appeals
- Enacted
- Ord. No. 9157, 1-11-22
Summary
Tuscaloosa's Property Maintenance Code singles out rental housing for extra electrical safety standards: local disconnects on every major appliance and GFCI protection on bathroom, kitchen-sink and outdoor wet-location receptacles, on top of the general International Property Maintenance Code.
(f)Section 605 is amended to add the subsection 605.1.1 as follows: "Section 605.1.1 Installation. In buildings and structures used as rental property, local disconnects shall be required for all major appliances. These disconnects shall conform to the 2020 National Electric Code." (g)Section 605 is amended to add the subsection 605.2.1 as follows: "Section 605.2.1 Receptacles. In buildings and structures used as rental property, receptacles in bathrooms, within six foot of the kitchen sink(s) and outside in wet locations shall be equipped with ground fault circuit interrupters."
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 102).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 6-50 adopts the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code by reference as the Tuscaloosa Property Maintenance Code, governing habitability and property upkeep citywide and in the police jurisdiction. Sec. 6-51 then amends that code with rental-specific requirements. 1, requiring that in buildings and structures used as rental property, local disconnects be installed for all major appliances, conforming to the 2020 National Electric Code. 1, requiring that in rental property, receptacles in bathrooms, within six feet of kitchen sinks, and outside in wet locations be equipped with ground-fault circuit interrupters.
These sit alongside other Sec. 1 requiring excessive weeds or vine growth on a building be removed. Appeals from a code official's habitability decision 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.
Violations & Fines
Violating any Property Maintenance Code provision, including the rental-specific electrical safety amendments, is a misdemeanor under Sec. 6-52, punished as provided in Sec. 1-8, with each day of noncompliance treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tuscaloosa require GFCI outlets in rental units?
Do rental appliances in Tuscaloosa need their own disconnects?
Where do tenants or landlords appeal a habitability violation notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tuscaloosa
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