Alabama Ordinances (2026)

Alabama enforces statewide minimum building, energy, and manufactured-home standards through the Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission and the state-adopted residential code. Tiny homes built on permanent…

Alabama Code Sections 13A-11-14 and 13A-11-241 criminalize animal cruelty and neglect statewide, capturing hoarding conduct that deprives animals of food, water, shelter, or veterinary care.

Alabama Code Title 2, Chapter 14 requires all beekeepers to register colonies with the Department of Agriculture and Industries and complies with state apiary inspection and disease control standards.

Alabama's Right to Farm Act protects agricultural operations from nuisance suits and limits municipal restrictions on bona fide farms, while statewide livestock laws govern fence-out and stock-running rules.

Alabama law requires dogs over three months to be vaccinated against rabies and prohibits dogs from running at large in certain circumstances, while leash specifics remain local.

Alabama prohibits possession, sale, and importation of many nonindigenous and venomous species under Department of Conservation regulation 220-2-.26, applying uniformly statewide regardless of municipal…

Alabama Department of Conservation regulations restrict baiting and feeding of deer and other game animals statewide during hunting seasons, with separate rules on bear feeding and migratory bird baiting under…

Alabama delegates most setback regulation to municipalities under Code Title 11 zoning enabling acts, but the statewide adopted residential building code imposes minimum separation distances for fire safety…

Alabama medical cannabis dispensaries operate only under Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission licenses with statewide siting standards including 1,000-foot school buffers; cities may add zoning restrictions or…

Alabama prohibits all home cultivation of cannabis statewide. Even patients enrolled in the medical cannabis program cannot grow plants at home; only licensed cultivators authorized by the Alabama Medical…

Alabama Code Section 11-45-1 grants municipalities police-power authority to enact juvenile curfew ordinances, but state law defines child status under the Alabama Juvenile Justice Act (Ala. Code Title 12…

Alabama's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act recognizes the FAA as the sole regulator of the airspace and bars local no-fly zones (Ala. Code § 23-1-388), leaving commercial drone flight governed by FAA Part 107…

Alabama's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act (Ala. Code § 23-1-388) recognizes the FAA as sole regulator of the airspace and bars local no-fly zones, so cities cannot ban recreational drone flight. Hobby pilots…

Alabama's Uniform Minimum Wage and Right-to-Work Act (Ala. Code § 25-7-40 et seq.) preempts cities and counties from setting a local minimum wage. Alabama has no state minimum wage, so the federal $7.25 rate…

Alabama's Uniform Minimum Wage and Right-to-Work Act (Ala. Code § 25-7-41) preempts cities and counties from mandating paid sick leave, paid family leave, or other employment benefits beyond state and federal…

Alabama's Uniform Minimum Wage and Right-to-Work Act (Ala. Code § 25-7-41) preempts local governments from imposing predictive-scheduling, fair-workweek, or shift-notification mandates on private employers.

Alabama's Coastal Area Management Program, administered by ADEM under Code §9-7, regulates development in Mobile and Baldwin counties' coastal zones, requiring permits for construction near beaches, dunes, and…

Alabama law and ADEM regulations require erosion and sediment control on construction sites statewide, mandating Best Management Practices, certified personnel, and routine inspections for any earth…

Alabama participates in the National Flood Insurance Program through ADECA's Office of Water Resources, requiring local floodplain ordinances meeting FEMA minimums; municipalities cannot opt out without losing…

Alabama enforces stormwater management statewide through ADEM's NPDES permits, requiring construction sites over one acre and MS4 communities to implement erosion controls, sediment basins, and…

Alabama's partition-fence law (Ala. Code § 35-7-1 et seq.) makes a boundary fence between improved lands a shared expense of adjoining owners, with § 35-7-3 apportioning costs. Alabama is a fence-in state…

Alabama enforces residential swimming pool barrier rules through the statewide adopted International Residential Code, requiring four-foot fences, self-closing gates, and self-latching mechanisms around…

Alabama licenses fireworks manufacturers and retailers statewide through the State Fire Marshal under Title 8, Chapter 17, but Ala. Code § 8-17-217 expressly preserves local ordinances that further restrict or…

Alabama requires a state burn permit from the Alabama Forestry Commission for most outdoor burning of forest, grass, woods, and brush during fire season, applying universally across counties and unincorporated…

The Alabama Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board regulates the storage, handling, transportation, and installation of propane and LP-gas systems statewide under Title 9, Chapter 17, with uniform requirements that…

Alabama's State Forestry Commission may declare a drought emergency by regulation under Ala. Code § 9-13-141, making all outdoor burning unlawful in the affected counties. Such declarations - often issued…

Alabama allows permitless concealed carry of handguns for lawful adults, while still issuing optional permits for reciprocity, with state preemption blocking local restrictions.

Alabama law preempts most local firearm regulations, reserving authority over guns, ammunition, and accessories exclusively to the state legislature under Code Section 13A-11-61.3.

Alabama generally permits open carry of firearms for lawful adults, with local governments preempted from imposing stricter regulations under Code Section 13A-11-61.3.

Alabama Code Section 13A-11-73 allows lawful adults aged 19 and over to carry a handgun in a vehicle without a permit, subject to state preemption.

Every food truck in Alabama must hold a mobile food establishment permit from the Alabama Department of Public Health under Admin. Code Chapter 420-3-22, operate from an approved commissary, and meet uniform…

Under the Alabama Homeowners' Association Act, an association has a lien on each lot for unpaid assessments, plus interest and costs the declaration allows. The lien is recorded in probate within 12 months and…

The Alabama HOA Act requires associations to give members and prospective buyers key records within 30 days of a written request (Ala. Code § 35-20-13) and to send notice of the first board-election meeting…

The Alabama HOA Act makes the recorded declaration the controlling document and lets the board enforce covenants by assessing reasonable penalties after a hearing under Ala. Code § 35-20-11. The Act itself…

Under Ala. Code § 35-20-11, an Alabama HOA board may assess "reasonable penalties" for violations of the declaration or board rules, but only after the member is given an opportunity to be heard and to be…

Alabama places few statutory limits on HOA authority. Ala. Code § 35-1-5 voids any covenant that bars flying a U.S. flag up to 40 square feet. But Alabama has no solar-access, clothesline, EV-charging, or…

Alabama's Cottage Food Law (Ala. Code § 22-20-5.1) lets home producers sell shelf-stable foods like baked goods, jams, and candies without a commercial kitchen. A 2021 amendment removed the old $20,000 sales…

Alabama's Department of Human Resources licenses family child care homes caring for one or more unrelated children more than four hours a day (up to six children); seven to twelve children makes it a group day…

Alabama Code Title 31 Chapter 13 requires every employer in the state to enroll in and use the federal E-Verify program to confirm employee work authorization.

Alabama Code Title 31 Chapter 13, the Beason-Hammon Act, prohibits municipalities and counties from adopting sanctuary policies that limit immigration enforcement cooperation.

Alabama's Forest Resources Act and Right-to-Farm Act limit local regulation of timber harvesting and silvicultural tree cutting on land classified as forest or agricultural. Municipalities cannot prohibit bona…

The Alabama Water Resources Act (Ala. Code Title 9, Chapter 10B) gives the Office of Water Resources authority to declare drought stages and trigger conservation measures. Local water restrictions must operate…

Aircraft noise regulation in Alabama is preempted by federal law under the Federal Aviation Act and FAA regulations. Cities and counties cannot impose binding restrictions on aircraft operations, flight paths…

Alabama state law treats persistent barking dogs as a private nuisance actionable under Alabama Code Section 6-5-120. Cities adopt specific decibel and duration rules, but the underlying nuisance cause of…

Alabama law sets statewide procedures for handling abandoned vehicles, requiring notice to owners, lienholders, and the Department of Revenue before any sale or title transfer can occur through licensed…

Under Ala. Code § 35-9A-421 an Alabama landlord must give 7 business days' written notice for unpaid rent (pay or quit) and 7 business days to cure a material lease violation. After the notice expires, the…

Ala. Code § 35-9A-204 requires Alabama landlords to keep rentals habitable, comply with health-and-safety codes, and maintain essential systems. If a landlord fails to fix a material defect, § 35-9A-421 lets…

Alabama's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Ala. Code Title 35, Chapter 9A) provides the exclusive statutory framework for residential evictions. The act sets uniform notice requirements and…

Under Ala. Code § 35-9A-303 an Alabama landlord must give the tenant at least two days' notice and enter only at reasonable times for legitimate purposes such as repairs, inspection, or showings. No notice is…

Alabama's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act sets no maximum late fee and no mandatory grace period. Late fees are governed entirely by the lease; rent is late the day after it is due unless the lease…

Under Ala. Code § 35-9A-441 either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days' written notice and a week-to-week tenancy with 7 days' notice. Breaking a fixed lease early generally requires landlord…

Rent control is illegal at the local level in Alabama. Ala. Code § 11-80-8.1 preempts the field, barring any county, city, town, or municipality from enacting, maintaining, or enforcing an ordinance that…

Alabama's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act sets no specific notice period or dollar limit for raising rent. A landlord generally cannot raise rent mid-lease, but for month-to-month tenancies the…

Alabama caps a residential security deposit at one month's rent under Ala. Code § 35-9A-201, with exceptions for pets, alterations, and added liability risk. Landlords must return the deposit and provide an…

Alabama recognizes two adverse-possession paths: 20 years of open, continuous possession by prescription, or 10 years under Ala. Code § 6-5-200 with color of title recorded, annual tax listing, or title by…

Alabama agricultural zoning interacts with Code Section 6-5-127 Right to Farm, limiting how local zoning changes can be used to declare established farms a nuisance.

Alabama Code Section 6-5-127 protects established farms from nuisance lawsuits when surrounding non-agricultural land use changes, supporting long-term agricultural operations.

Alabama imposes a statewide lodgings tax on rooms and accommodations rented for fewer than 180 continuous days, applying universally to short-term rentals across all municipalities, including Airbnb and Vrbo…

Alabama state law restricts placement of political campaign signs in public rights-of-way, on state highways, and on state property. Cities can regulate residential placement, but content-based restrictions…

Alabama has no statewide law banning plastic bags and no statute preempting local bag rules - a 2019 auxiliary-container preemption bill (SB244) failed to pass. In practice no Alabama city bans or taxes…

Alabama has no statewide ban on polystyrene foam containers and no statute preempting local foam rules; a 2019 auxiliary-container preemption bill (SB244) failed. No Alabama city bans foam cups or takeout…

Alabama has no statewide plastic-straw ban and no statute preempting local straw rules; a 2019 auxiliary-container preemption bill (SB244) failed. No Alabama city restricts single-use straws, so restaurants…

Alabama regulates door-to-door home solicitation sales statewide under the Home Solicitation Sales Act, providing a three-day buyer's right to cancel for purchases over $25, applying universally regardless of…

Alabama has adopted the International Residential Code, which mandates four-foot barriers around residential swimming pools statewide, providing a uniform baseline for pool fencing enforced by local building…

Alabama Administrative Code 420-3-23, enforced by the Department of Public Health, sets statewide standards for water chemistry, lifeguards, signage, and depth markers at all public and semi-public swimming…

Alabama prohibits the sale of tobacco, vapor, and alternative nicotine products to anyone under 21 under Code Section 28-11-13, aligning with federal Tobacco 21 law.

Alabama does not impose a statewide flavored tobacco or vape flavor ban, instead focusing regulation on age limits and retail permits under Code Section 28-11-13.

Alabama regulates the retail sale of vapor products and electronic nicotine devices through Code Section 28-11-13, requiring permits, age verification, and restricted youth marketing.