Vestavia Hills, AL Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

The City of Vestavia Hills adopted the 2021 International Building Code as its building code under Code of Ordinances § 5-71, and section (b) of that ordinance amends IBC section 101.4.4 to write property maintenance into the building code itself. That amendment states that the City of Vestavia Hills Property Maintenance Code governs existing structures and premises, equipment and facilities, light, ventilation, space heating, sanitation, and life and fire safety hazards, and it spells out that owners, operators, and occupants each carry responsibility for keeping a structure in that condition, not only the record owner. That means a landlord cannot point to a tenant's neglect to escape responsibility for basic habitability items such as working ventilation, adequate heat, and sanitary conditions, and a tenant likewise cannot ignore hazards within their own control.

Enforcement sits with the department of building safety's code official, who under section 5-2 may enter any building, structure, or premises in the city to inspect for code compliance and has the duty to enforce every provision of chapter 5. Section 5-1 gives the code official authority to order a contractor or property party to correct nonconforming work on ten days' notice, and continued noncompliance lets the city withhold further permits from that party and ask the city council to bar the contractor from future city projects. Because chapter 5 does not set its own fine schedule for a maintenance violation, a conviction falls back on the Code's general penalty at section 1-5: a fine of $1.00 to $500.00, up to six months of imprisonment or hard labor, or both, at the trial court's discretion.