Hoover, AL Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Section 6-24(a) requires every owner of residential rental property to register each property with the building inspections department within thirty days of the article's effective date, using a signed city form that discloses the owner's identity (including partnership, corporation, or LLC details where applicable), the property's address and bedroom count (or, for multi-family buildings, the unit and bedroom breakdown per building), the person who controls the required tenant log, the property agent if any, the maximum occupancy allowed under the lease, the mortgage holder, and a certification that the owner knows of no code violations.

Owners of multi-family properties file one registration covering all buildings, but the city can revoke the certificate for one building without affecting others. Section 6-24(c) imposes a continuing duty to report changes within fourteen calendar days, and a new owner must register within fourteen days of acquiring the property. Section 6-24(e) and (f) require an annual registration fee set by city council resolution, due at initial registration and renewed yearly under Section 6-25. Section 6-24(g) gives the rental housing inspector thirty business days after an application to either issue a certificate or notify the owner in writing why it was rejected, and Section 6-24(h) makes a certificate valid for twelve months.

Section 6-24(i) makes it an offense to fail to register, fail to update information within fourteen days, or fail to renew, with each day of continued noncompliance a separate offense, and it is separately unlawful to knowingly file a registration application containing false information.