HB340 Alabama 2014 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Steve McMillan

Republican

Co-Sponsor

Dan Williams

Session

Regular Session 2014

Title

Municipalities, weeds, abatement, alternative procedures to declare a public nuisance after prior abatement

Summary

HB340 lets municipalities create alternative rules to re-declare and re-abate overgrown grass or weeds as a public nuisance after a prior abatement on the same property, with the new costs handled as a weed lien.

What This Bill Does

It authorizes municipalities to adopt by ordinance alternate procedures to declare overgrown grass or weeds a public nuisance and to abate under those procedures, but only after the property has previously been abated and a lien has been filed under existing law. After such an abatement, the costs are assessed and collected as a weed lien in the same way as the current process. The bill also allows these costs to be assessed against property purchased by the State or a purchaser at a tax sale, and states that redemption does not discharge the lien, meaning the purchaser takes the property subject to the lien. The act excludes Class 7 municipalities and any municipality that had already adopted alternate procedures before the act’s effective date, and it becomes effective immediately after governor approval.

Who It Affects

• Municipalities (city or town governments): may adopt alternate abatement procedures for properties that have been previously abated, changing how repeat nuisance abatement is handled.
• Property owners and buyers (including those purchasing at tax sales or redeeming properties): may face weed liens for abatement costs, and the lien remains with the property even after tax sales or redemption.

Key Provisions

• Section 1(a): Allows municipalities to adopt ordinance-based alternate procedures to declare and abate overgrown grass or weeds after a prior abatement for the same property.
• Section 1(b): Requires abatement costs to be assessed as a weed lien, and permits these costs to be placed against property owned by the State or a tax-sale purchaser; redemption does not discharge the lien, and the purchaser takes the property subject to the lien.
• Section 1(c): Excludes Class 7 municipalities and those that already adopted alternate procedures before the act’s effective date.
• Section 2: The act becomes effective immediately upon passage and governor approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Municipalities