House Bill 498 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Napoleon BracyRepresentative

Democrat

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

City of Prichard; public nuisance defined, city enforcement authorized, procedures provided for

Summary

The bill would let the City of Prichard declare certain private-property conditions as public nuisances, require removal or abatement, and place a nuisance lien on the property to recover cleanup costs through the county tax system.

What This Bill Does

It defines specific nuisances (overgrown weeds, debris, and inoperable vehicles) and authorizes the city to declare them nuisances and require abatement. It establishes a notice and hearing process for property owners, and allows the city to abate the nuisance if the owner does not. Costs of abatement can be turned into a nuisance lien on the property, collected by the Mobile County tax system, and foreclosed like taxes if needed; the lien is subordinate to existing mortgages and may be redone through the court system.

Who It Affects

• Property owners in the City of Prichard, whose properties may be declared nuisances and subject to abatement orders, hearings, and nuisance liens for cleanup costs.
• Mobile County Revenue Commissioner and mortgage lenders, who would handle collection of nuisance lien costs through ad valorem tax bills and may enforce the lien through foreclosure procedures similar to those used for taxes; liens are subordinate to prior mortgages.

Key Provisions

• Defines administrative, enforcing, and tax collecting officials who implement the act and clarifies their roles.
• Allows the city to declare as public nuisances: (a) weed growth with seeds, fire risk weeds, or other noxious weeds; (b) abandoned debris on property; (c) inoperable vehicles on private property, with specific conditions and exceptions for temporary conditions or certain business premises.
• Requires written notice to the property owner with a 10-day abatement window (may extend up to 28 days) and a posted notice on the property; notice targets the last person assessed for ad valorem taxes unless ownership has changed.
• Provides for an administrative hearing to contest the nuisance determination, with a written decision within five days after the hearing; decisions can be appealed to the Circuit Court of Mobile County with certain procedural limits.
• If a nuisance is found and abatement is ordered, the city may abate the nuisance and bill the owner for costs, creating a nuisance lien on the property that is subordinate to prior mortgages; the county adds the lien costs to the property tax bill for collection.
• The nuisance lien can be foreclosed like ad valorem taxes; redemption does not discharge the lien, and satisfaction of the lien must be recorded when paid.
• Effective date set for June 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Mobile County