Alabama packs nearly all of its rental law into one statute: the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Title 35, Chapter 9A of the Code. It's a landlord-friendly state by national standards, but the Act bites in two specific places: a double-deposit penalty for slow refunds and a three-months'-rent remedy for lockouts. Here's the 2026 picture, with the statute behind every number.

The 60-second Alabama compliance check

  • Deposit cap: one month's rent, with more allowed only for pets, tenant alterations, or unusual liability risks (Ala. Code § 35-9A-201(a)).
  • Deposit return: 60 days from termination and move-out, with a written itemization; miss the window and you owe double the deposit (Ala. Code § 35-9A-201).
  • Entry notice: two days, at reasonable times; emergencies excepted (Ala. Code § 35-9A-303).
  • Nonpayment eviction: a written notice giving seven business days, stating the rent and late fees owed (Ala. Code § 35-9A-421(b)).
  • Lease-violation eviction: also seven business days, and a tenant may only cure twice in any 12 months (Ala. Code § 35-9A-421(a), (d)).
  • Ending a month-to-month: 30 days' written notice from either side; week-to-week needs seven days (Ala. Code § 35-9A-441).
  • Rent control: none, anywhere; Alabama cities and counties are barred from enacting it (Ala. Code § 11-80-8.1).
  • Late fees: no statutory cap and no statutory grace period; your lease controls.

Every number above comes from the current Code. You can read Chapter 9A in full, or keep our Alabama quick-reference page bookmarked for the short version.

Deposits: one month's rent, a 60-day clock, and a double penalty

You can't collect more than one month's periodic rent as a security deposit. The cap has three practical escape hatches: a separate pet deposit, a deposit tied to tenant changes to the unit, and one for genuinely increased liability risks (Ala. Code § 35-9A-201(a)). So on a $1,200 rental, $1,200 is your base ceiling, and a reasonable pet deposit can ride on top of it.

After the tenancy ends and the tenant hands back possession, you have 60 days to mail the refund along with a written itemization of anything you kept for unpaid rent or damage beyond ordinary wear. Mail it to the tenant's last known address. Sixty days sounds generous until unit turns, contractor invoices, and a vacation stack up, so put the deadline on a calendar the day the tenant leaves (Rentari tracks state deposit clocks like this one automatically).

The penalty is what makes Alabama unusual: fail to mail a timely refund or accounting and you owe the tenant double the original deposit (Ala. Code § 35-9A-201). There's a quirk running the other way too. If the tenant never claims the money and the check sits outstanding, the deposit is forfeited back to you after 90 days.

Rent, late fees, and raises: your lease does the heavy lifting

Alabama sets no grace period and no late-fee cap. Rent is due on the date the lease says, and a late fee is enforceable if the lease states it. Keep the fee proportionate anyway: an Alabama judge can still refuse a charge that looks like a penalty rather than a genuine estimate of your costs, and your eviction notice has to state the late fees you're claiming (Ala. Code § 35-9A-421(b)), so a shaky fee can infect an otherwise clean notice.

Rent increases are uncapped, and § 11-80-8.1 blocks any Alabama city from passing rent control. On a month-to-month tenancy, give written notice that lines up with the 30-day termination cycle: the tenant accepts the new rate or the tenancy ends. On a fixed-term lease, the rate is locked until renewal. Neither Mississippi nor Tennessee caps increases either; the whole region prices at market.

Entry: two days' notice, and the front-door note counts

Give at least two days' notice before entering, and come at a reasonable hour (Ala. Code § 35-9A-303). The statute is unusually practical about delivery: posting a note on the primary entry door, stating the time and purpose of entry, is valid notice. If the tenant asked for the repair you're entering to make, consent is presumed. Emergencies need no notice at all. What the statute won't tolerate is using entry to harass a tenant, so space out inspections and keep a log of each visit.

Eviction in Alabama: seven business days, then district court

Alabama runs both major eviction notices on the same clock. Nonpayment gets a written notice terminating the lease no less than seven business days after receipt, and it must state the rent and late fees due; pay in full within the window and the tenancy survives (Ala. Code § 35-9A-421(b)). A material lease violation gets the same seven business days, with a right to cure fixable breaches (Ala. Code § 35-9A-421(a)).

Two limits keep repeat offenders from cycling forever. A tenant can only cure breaches twice in any 12-month period without your written consent, and some conduct gets no cure at all: illegal drug activity, discharging a firearm, criminal assault, or repeating substantially the same violation within six months. Those earn a seven-day termination notice with no second chance (Ala. Code § 35-9A-421(d)).

When a notice expires unresolved, file an unlawful detainer in district court (Ala. Code § 35-9A-461). Only the court and the sheriff can put you back in possession. Changing the locks, cutting the power, or hauling belongings to the curb hands the tenant a claim for up to three months' rent or actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees (Ala. Code § 35-9A-407). A willful holdover cuts the other way: you can recover up to three months' rent from a tenant who stays in bad faith (Ala. Code § 35-9A-441). If you also hold units across a state line, don't assume the ladder matches; Kentucky runs on different notice math.

Disclosures: Alabama keeps the list short

Before the tenancy begins, disclose in writing the name and address of the property manager and of the owner or the owner's agent authorized to receive notices (Ala. Code § 35-9A-202). That's essentially the whole state list. Federal law adds one more for pre-1978 buildings: the lead-based paint disclosure and EPA pamphlet.

A move-in condition checklist isn't required, but with a double-deposit penalty in play, photos and a signed checklist are the cheapest insurance you can buy. State-specific leases and notice templates live in our forms library.

What changed in 2024 and 2025, and what's pending

The headline change is the squatter law. HB 182 (Act 2024-237), effective June 1, 2024, lets a property owner file a sworn affidavit with local law enforcement to remove an unauthorized occupant without a full eviction case, and it created felony-level crimes around fraudulent deeds and lease documents. Two cautions: it applies to true squatters, not holdover tenants (those still go through court), and a false affidavit is itself a crime.

The 2025 session passed nothing that moves the numbers in this guide; the core Act has been stable since the 2014 rewrite that set the uniform seven-business-day notices. For 2026, watch HB 80, a pending bill that would require notice to evicted tenants about leftover personal property and give landlords and officers civil immunity during writ execution. It is not law as of mid-2026.

Alabama landlord FAQ

How long do I have to return a security deposit in Alabama?

Sixty days from termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession. Mail the refund and an itemized list of deductions to the tenant's last known address. Miss the deadline and you owe double the deposit (Ala. Code § 35-9A-201).

Is there a limit on late fees in Alabama?

No statutory cap and no required grace period. The fee must come from the lease, and your nonpayment notice must state the late fees claimed. Keep the amount defensible as a reasonable estimate of your actual cost of chasing late rent.

How many days' notice before an eviction for nonpayment?

Seven business days, in writing, stating rent and late fees owed. If the tenant pays everything within the window, the lease continues. If not, you file an unlawful detainer in district court; plan on several weeks start to finish for a contested case.

Can I raise the rent as much as I want?

Yes. Alabama has no rent caps and state law forbids local rent control (Ala. Code § 11-80-8.1). On month-to-month tenancies, give written notice on the 30-day cycle; on fixed-term leases, wait for renewal.

Do I owe interest on security deposits?

No. Alabama doesn't require deposit interest or a separate escrow account. Some states do, so don't copy a lease clause written for another market.

This guide is general information for Alabama landlords, not legal advice. Statutes get amended and courts interpret them in ways a summary can't capture, so before acting on a deadline or notice requirement, check the current text of Ala. Code Title 35, Chapter 9A or ask an Alabama landlord-tenant attorney.