Rent control rules in Birmingham, AL — also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances — limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Alabama §11-80-11.5, enacted in 2024, bars Birmingham and every other Alabama municipality from adopting rent control, rent stabilization, or any cap on private residential lease rates. Pre-existing local proposals were nullified.
The 2024 statute, signed into law amid rising housing costs, blocks any Alabama city or county from regulating rent levels on private dwellings. Birmingham, despite housing-affordability advocacy, cannot pass rent stabilization, vacancy control, or anti-gouging rent caps. Alabama is a Dillon's Rule jurisdiction (AL Const. Art. IV §104), so cities lack inherent power and must follow state grants and prohibitions. The law does not bar the city from offering voluntary tenant-landlord mediation, housing counseling, or below-market subsidies through Birmingham's Department of Community Development, which uses HUD funding pathways.
Any local rent-control ordinance is void on its face under AL §11-80-11.5. A property owner sued under such a rule could remove the case to court for a quick declaratory judgment.
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See how Birmingham's rent control rules stack up against other locations.
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