Alabama Title, Tax & Registration Guide

• Motor vehicles more than 35 model years old are exempt.
• Travel, folding and collapsible camping trailers more than 20 model years old are exempt.
• Utility and pole trailers are generally exempt; gooseneck utility trailers 20 model years old or newer are not exempt.
• Low-speed vehicles, mini-trucks, qualifying motor-driven cycles, qualifying electric bicycles, implements of husbandry and special mobile equipment are exempt.
• ATVs, ORVs, UTVs, snowmobiles, documented vessels, lifeboats and barges are exempt.
• Manufactured homes model year 1999 and older are exempt from title.

A bill of sale is also required. Out-of-state titles containing bill-of-sale information are accepted for casual sales only.

Foreign vehicles require ownership, customs, NHTSA, EPA, safety, emissions, anti-theft and translation documents as applicable. Documents written exclusively in another language require an English translation.

Electronic signatures may be used on title applications and supporting documents, but not on the physical title or MCO. Scanned or transmitted copies must retain a valid handwritten signature where required.

Proof of ownership must be surrendered. Alabama notifies the prior state and checks NMVTIS before issuing title.

VIN/HIN inspection is required when a vehicle or vessel is titled or registered in Alabama for the first time. State-assigned identifiers are handled through MyDMV or ALEA as applicable.

Replacement title: $15 base plus applicable agent and county-official commissions. The replacement legend protects rights under the original certificate.

Corrected-title applications are processed through a Designated Agent. The current title and supporting statement are submitted. No fee applies when the correction is caused by a department error.

Lemon Law, Rebuilt, Salvage, Previously Salvage, Flood Damage, Reconstructed, Specially Constructed, Assembled, Frame Change, Parts Only, Undisclosed Lien, Surety Bond, Electronic Title, Multiple Owners and odometer brands.

A secured party may repossess after default without judicial process if there is no breach of peace. MVT 15-1, assigned title and required fees are used. The first recorded lienholder does not need a subordinate lien release.

An unrecorded lienholder must first obtain title in the lienholder’s name. Out-of-state repossessions require equivalent documentation and a certified bill of sale when the affidavit does not transfer the unit.

• Alabama does not provide a transfer-on-death title beneficiary procedure.
• Notarization of the title assignment is not generally required.
• Odometer disclosure is required unless an exemption applies.
• Individuals must title a vehicle in their name before a later transfer when reassignment space is exhausted.

Commercial vessels expire in October. Commercial and fleet vehicle registrations generally expire November 30. IRP expiration follows the assigned renewal month.

Fleet operators may use the Fleet Online Registration and Tax system. IRP is administered through DOR Motor Carrier Services. Tax proof, Alabama title or application and carrier lease documentation may be required.

Nonresident vehicles not used for hire or commercial purposes may generally operate up to 30 consecutive days if properly registered in the home state and reciprocity applies.

• Late registration: $15 plus interest in qualifying delinquency cases.
• IRP trip or IFTA fuel permit: $20; combined permit: $40; generally valid seven days.
• Mule tag: $300 for qualifying for-hire truck tractors within the statutory operating area.
• Manufactured-home moving permit: $10; dealer exemption applies.
• Federal Form 2290 proof is required for trucks and truck tractors at 55,000 lbs. GVW or more.

• The 2.0% state automotive rate is added to applicable local tax.
• Credit may be available for an eligible trade-in, adaptive equipment and tax paid to a reciprocal state.
• Alabama dealers collect applicable state, city and county tax.
• Nonresident drive-out exemptions require timely removal, reciprocity and a completed DOC-1; exclusions apply.
• Casual manufactured-home sales are generally subject to state tax, with a Morgan County exception noted in the source document.

Class I — 30%: motor vehicles owned by public utilities and used in that business.

Class II — 20%: motorcycles, utility trailers, RVs, certain leases, trucks over 8,000 lbs. GVW and commercial-use vehicles.

Class IV — 15%: private passenger vehicles, SUVs, vans and qualifying private-use pickups 8,000 lbs. GVW or less.

Formula: market value × assessment ratio × applicable millage decimal. Exact county, school and municipal tax districts must be confirmed.

Qualifying lessors with an Alabama Rental Tax Number may purchase inventory exempt from sales tax when the rental transaction is subject to rental tax. The state vehicle lease/rental rate is generally 1.5% plus local rental tax. Short- and long-term sourcing rules differ.

Self-propelled campers, farm trucks and farm tractors may qualify for prorated fees. Newly acquired vehicles and vehicles first brought into Alabama may also qualify for proration.

Registration-fee refunds generally require a qualifying disposal before the effective registration year and are issued only when the refund is at least $10.

Vessel title eligibility depends on construction date, principal-use date, length, horsepower and statutory exclusions. The title application base fee is $20; Designated Agent and LPIO commissions may each be $5.

Applications are generally due within 20 days after transfer or Alabama becoming the state of principal use. A vessel without a HIN must obtain a state-assigned HIN through ALEA before title application.

• Model year 2000 and newer homes are titled, one title per unit.
• First title, transfer and cancellation base fee: $20; $5 supports the Alabama Housing Foundation.
• Owner-occupied singlewide registration: $24; doublewide or larger: $48.
• Commercial singlewide: $48; doublewide or larger: $96.
• Base registration is reduced to 75% for homes 10–19 years old and 50% for homes 20 years old or older.
• Qualifying owners age 65 or older may be exempt from the owner-occupied registration fee but remain subject to a $5 issuance fee.
• Title may be cancelled when permanently affixed to real property through the required MyDMV process.

MVT 5-5 Odometer Disclosure; MVT 5-6 Next of Kin; MVT 5-7 Assignment Correction; MVT 5-13 Power of Attorney; MVT 8-3 Dealer Reassignment; MVT 8-4 Secure POA; MVT 10-1 Surety Bond; MVT 15-1 Repossession; MVT 32-13B Abandoned Bill of Sale; MVT 40-1E Stolen-Unrecovered; MVT 41-1 Salvage; MVT 41-5 Non-Total Loss; ADV-MVA1; MVR-10; DOC-1; and ST: EX-1.