Rental Property Rules in Alabama (2026)
21 rules on the books across Alabama, 9 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Rent Control
Local limits on how much landlords can raise rent each year, including which properties are covered and exemptions for newer buildings.
Just Cause Eviction
Protections requiring landlords to have a valid reason to evict tenants, such as nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or owner move-in.
Rental Registration
Requirements for landlords to register rental properties with the city, including inspection programs, fees, and occupancy standards.
Auburn
Some RestrictionsEvery owner who rents residential property in Auburn, whether a house, apartment, condo, room, dorm or mobile home…
Read full rule →Hoover
Some RestrictionsEvery owner of residential rental property in Hoover must register it with the building inspections department, list…
Read full rule →Security Deposit Rules
Caps on how much landlords may collect as security deposits, return deadlines, itemized-deduction requirements, and tenant remedies for wrongfully withheld deposits.
Rent Increase Notice
How much advance written notice a landlord must give before raising the rent on a month-to-month or expiring lease, and how state notice rules differ from any local rent-control caps.
Landlord Entry & Notice
How much advance notice a landlord must give before entering an occupied unit, the permitted reasons (repairs, showings, inspections), allowed hours, and the emergency exceptions under state law.
Repairs & Habitability
The implied warranty of habitability, how long a landlord has to fix essential services (heat, water, plumbing, mold), and tenant remedies such as repair-and-deduct, rent withholding, or breaking the lease.
Alabama: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsAla. Code § 35-9A-204 requires Alabama landlords to keep rentals habitable, comply with health-and-safety codes, and…
Read full rule →Auburn
Some RestrictionsAuburn's rental habitability rules require every landlord to supply heat from September 1 through May 1, keeping…
Read full rule →Bessemer
Some RestrictionsBessemer's Sec. 18-176 adopts the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code as the city's housing code, and Sec…
Read full rule →Birmingham
Some RestrictionsBirmingham's adopted 2015 International Property Maintenance Code sets minimum habitability standards for rented…
Read full rule →Hoover
Some RestrictionsHoover has adopted the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code as its Property Maintenance Code, setting minimum…
Read full rule →Huntsville
Some RestrictionsHuntsville's Minimum Housing Standards code requires every rental dwelling unit to have working plumbing, hot water…
Read full rule →Mobile
Some RestrictionsMobile requires landlords who agree to furnish heat to maintain 68°F in rented dwelling units from October 1 through…
Read full rule →Montgomery
Some RestrictionsMontgomery, Alabama sets a minimum number of toilets landlords must install by dwelling type, from one per private…
Read full rule →Tuscaloosa
Some RestrictionsTuscaloosa's Property Maintenance Code singles out rental housing for extra electrical safety standards: local…
Read full rule →Vestavia Hills
Some RestrictionsVestavia Hills folds its property maintenance standards into the building code adopted at Code of Ordinances § 5-71(b)…
Read full rule →Late Fees & Grace Periods
Whether late rent fees are capped, any required grace period before a fee can be charged, and limits on bounced-check (NSF) and other add-on charges under state law.
Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate
Notice required to end a month-to-month tenancy, the rules and penalties for breaking a fixed-term lease early, and early-termination protections for active-duty military, domestic-violence survivors, and medical hardships.
Eviction Notice & Process
The notice a landlord must give before filing to evict, pay-or-quit and cure-or-quit periods, no-cause termination notice, how long the court eviction process takes in this state, and the tenant's options to respond or cure.
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
When an occupant without a lease gains legal protections, the line between a trespasser and a squatter, how many years of continuous possession adverse possession requires in this state, and how an owner lawfully removes a squatter.