Registering and titling a vehicle in Alabama: new residents, purchases and renewals
How to title and register a vehicle in Alabama after buying it or moving from another state, where to go, the insurance check, renewal months and license plates, from the Alabama Department of Revenue.
Guide · Alabama · Vehicle registration · Titles · updated October 29, 2026
In Alabama, vehicle titles are issued by the Motor Vehicle Division of the Alabama Department of Revenue (ALDOR). Registration and license plates (tags) are handled locally, by the license plate issuing official in your county. Driver licenses are a separate agency, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. This guide covers where to go, what to do after buying a vehicle or moving to Alabama, and how renewals and plates work.
Where to go
ALDOR says you register a vehicle through the license plate issuing office in the county where you live. A business registers in the county where the vehicle is used. In Jefferson County, ALDOR notes that several cities also process registration renewals for their own residents: Clay, Hoover, Irondale and Vestavia Hills. ALDOR's vehicle licensing offices page lists every county office with its phone number and address. It also links to online renewal for counties that offer it.
Titles are applied for through a designated agent of ALDOR, not directly with the state. Designated agents include:
- County license plate issuing officials
- Licensed Alabama motor vehicle dealers
- Banks, credit unions and other financial institutions located in Alabama
For driver license offices, see the Alabama DMV office list on this site.
What you need before you can register
ALDOR lists these prerequisites:
- A title application, if the vehicle needs an Alabama certificate of title. The title application has to be completed before the registration can be processed.
- A VIN and ownership document inspection, when the vehicle does not need a title and only a registration is issued. The licensing official or a deputy inspects the vehicle and your ownership papers, such as a bill of sale, each time ownership changes. No inspection is needed for a renewal.
- Alabama liability insurance. The vehicle must be covered by an Alabama liability insurance policy before it is registered. Licensing officials try to verify it through the state's Online Insurance Verification System. If they cannot, you must show proof, most commonly your insurance card.
Once these are met, the licensing official collects the registration fees and ad valorem taxes and issues your plate. ALDOR says Alabama law does not provide for emissions testing of motor vehicles.
Buying a vehicle
ALDOR says anyone who acquires a new or used vehicle must get a license plate within 20 calendar days of the date of acquisition. You can register without penalty or interest within that window. If the 20th day falls on a Sunday, a legal holiday or a day the office is closed, the deadline moves to the next working day.
To apply for the title, you surrender to the designated agent:
- The manufacturer's certificate of origin or the certificate of title, either in your name or assigned to you
- Any documents that support the transfer of the vehicle to you
If the vehicle is registered in a state that does not title such vehicles, you surrender the registration documents that show ownership instead. More documents may be needed if it is unclear whether the vehicle meets federal and state safety, emissions and anti-theft standards.
Licensed Alabama dealers are designated agents, so when you buy from one, the dealer can take your title application.
ALDOR lists a $15 title application fee for a motor vehicle. A designated agent adds $1.50 as a commission. A county license plate issuing official may collect another $1.50, and some counties charge local fees, so ask your county office.
Moving to Alabama
ALDOR cites Section 40-12-262 of the Code of Alabama: if your non-commercial vehicle has a valid registration from another state, you have 30 days from the date the vehicle enters Alabama to register it. Contact your county licensing official for help. A vehicle that needs an Alabama title needs a title application through a designated agent before it can be registered, and it must be covered by Alabama liability insurance.
For your driver license, see the Alabama driver license guide.
Renewing your registration
Alabama uses a staggered system. Registrations renew from January through November, depending on the first letter of the owner's last name. They expire on the last day of the renewal month. ALDOR gives this example: if your last name begins with F, G or N, you renew in April, and the old registration expires on April 30. Leased, commercial and fleet vehicles renew in October and November and expire on November 30.
You renew with your county license plate issuing office. Some counties offer online renewal, and ALDOR's vehicle licensing offices page links to it where available. No vehicle inspection is needed to renew, but the insurance check still applies.
License plates
- Plates stay with you. ALDOR says you must remove the plates when you sell or dispose of a vehicle. You may be able to transfer them to a vehicle you acquire; ask your county office.
- Personalized plates can be reserved online through ALDOR's plate reservation system, which is open to all Alabama registrants.
- Specialty plates: ALDOR's License Plates page shows plate designs and registration fees.
Replacing a lost title
The titled owner or the recorded lienholder can apply for a replacement title online through ALDOR's Public Title Portal. The application fee is $15 and is non-refundable. Any designated agent can also process a replacement title application. ALDOR's Motor Vehicle page also links to a title application status check.
For what to bring to other offices, see the Alabama DMV visit guide.