You get an Alabama license plate at your county tag office, and the clock starts the day the car becomes yours. You have 20 calendar days to get a plate after buying a vehicle, or 30 days if you just moved here with an out-of-state registration. After that, the plate renews once a year in a month set by the first letter of your last name. Miss either deadline and the state adds a $15 penalty plus interest.
That penalty is the most avoidable charge on this page.
Fast answer
- Plates come from your county’s license plate issuing official, also called the tag office, under rules set by the Alabama Department of Revenue, or ALDOR.
- Deadline after buying a vehicle is 20 calendar days. New residents get 30 days from the date the vehicle enters Alabama.
- Your renewal month depends on the first letter of your last name, and registration expires on the last day of that month.
- Alabama requires one plate, on the rear. No front plate.
- Personalized plates allow 5 to 7 characters and cost about $50 a year extra in the counties that publish the number.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Who issues the plate? | Your county tag office, under ALDOR rules |
| Deadline after buying a vehicle | 20 calendar days |
| Deadline after moving to Alabama | 30 days from when the vehicle enters the state |
| When you renew | The month tied to the first letter of your last name |
| Late penalty | $15 plus interest |
| Temporary tag | Good for 20 days, $2.25 |
| Plates on the car | One, on the rear |
| Vanity plate length | 5 to 7 characters, depending on plate type |
Who Issues License Plates In Alabama?
Alabama has no single DMV counter for plates. ALDOR’s Motor Vehicle Division sets the designs and fees. Your county’s license plate issuing official takes your money and hands you the plate. In some counties that office sits under the probate judge. In others, it’s a license commissioner or revenue commissioner. In Dothan, for example, it’s the Houston County probate office at 462 N. Oates St., open Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m..
Driver licenses come from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, known as ALEA, and ALEA doesn’t issue plates. If you’re standing in a driver license line to renew a tag, you’re in the wrong building.
From here on, this guide calls the county office the tag office.
The order never changes. First you apply for the title. Then the office checks your Alabama insurance and inspects the vehicle if it changed hands. You pay the fees and ad valorem tax, and you leave with a plate and a receipt. Then you renew every year in your month. Most of this page follows that sequence.
Alabama License Plate Options And Types In 2026
Alabama issues at least 12 kinds of plates, from the standard passenger plate to fleet, dealer and taxi plates. Most drivers only ever touch two kinds: the standard passenger plate and maybe a college or vanity plate. But Alabama issues many more. Some explain plates you see on the road, like fleet plates or county cars with plates ending in CO.
ALDOR’s own license plate page is the authority on which ones you can order today.
| Plate type | Who it’s for | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Standard passenger | Any private car or pickup | Current design issued from January 2022 |
| Personalized or vanity | Anyone who reserves a message | 5 to 7 characters, about $50 a year extra |
| Distinctive or specialty | Supporters of a cause, college or group | Extra fee, part of it goes to the sponsor |
| Military and veteran | Service members, veterans, Gold Star families | Needs an affidavit from a Veterans Service Office |
| Disability | Drivers with a certified disability | Form MVR 32-6-230, signed by a physician |
| Vintage vehicle | Vehicles over 30 years old | $10, permanent, limited use |
| Motorcycle | Motorcycles | $15 registration |
| Commercial: truck, bus, taxi | Commercial vehicles | Separate designs and their own fee classes |
| Fleet | Business fleets | Renews October or November |
| Dealer, dealer transit, manufacturer | Licensed dealers and manufacturers | Dealer and manufacturer plates are $25, or $17 for motorcycles |
| Government | State, county, municipal and utility vehicles | County plates end in CO, municipal in MU on the examples shown |
| Temporary tag | Buyers waiting on a permanent plate | 20 days, $2.25 |
The dealer and manufacturer fees come from ALDOR’s plate fee FAQ. It also says those fees “cannot be refunded or prorated.” Photographed examples show the CO and MU endings: 49436CO on a county vehicle and 56427MU on a city one. I didn’t find ALDOR stating that as a rule, so treat it as a pattern, not a guarantee.
Most of these have a section below. Commercial truck, bus and taxi plates get only this table. The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs puts registration at $15 to $890, depending on the vehicle. A car owner won’t get anywhere near the top of that range.
What Does An Alabama License Plate Look Like?
The current standard plate went out starting in January 2022. It shows a sunrise over a beach, with “ALABAMA” in blue across the top. The bottom reads “www.alabama.travel,” and “Heart of Dixie” sits inside a heart in the bottom right corner. It replaced a mountain scene design.
Why Is The Sticker On Alabama Plates Yellow?
Since the 2022 rollout, every Alabama expiration sticker is yellow. If you saw a yellow corner on a recent Alabama plate, that was the sticker. Two older plates really were yellow, though: the 1971 and 1975 issues were black on yellow. More on those in the history section.
Is Alabama Getting New License Plates In 2027?
Probably, but nothing is official yet. Under current law, the standard design changes every five years, which is why the 2022 plate replaced the mountain scene. A bill to stretch that to ten years, HB376, passed the Alabama House 99-3 on April 1, 2025. The last action I could find was the Senate placing it on its calendar on April 9, 2025, and I didn’t find it becoming law.
So a new standard design in 2027 fits the five-year cycle, and Facebook posts are already showing one. But as of September 23, 2026, I couldn’t find an ALDOR memo announcing it. Don’t plan around a screenshot. When a real design is coming, ALDOR sends tag offices a memo first. It did exactly that for the UA plate in 2025.
How Do You Get An Alabama License Plate After Buying A Car?
You have 20 calendar days from the date you acquire a new or used vehicle to get a plate. Day 21 is when the $15 penalty and interest start to apply. Go to the tag office in the county where you live, and do it in this order:
- Apply for the title. ALDOR says the title application comes first for any vehicle under Alabama’s title law. A designated agent files it, and a dealer often does this part for you.
- Bring proof you own the vehicle. ALDOR’s examples include a bill of sale and a manufacturer’s certificate of origin.
- Have Alabama liability insurance before you walk in. The office checks it through the Online Insurance Verification System, called OIVS, and if OIVS can’t find your policy, they’ll ask for your insurance card.
- Let the licensing official inspect the vehicle. ALDOR requires an inspection when ownership changes.
- Pay the fees and the ad valorem tax, then take your plate and receipt.
One odd extra applies to big rigs. Trucks and truck tractors at 55,000 pounds or more also need proof that the federal heavy vehicle use tax was paid on IRS Form 2290.
Documents Needed For An Alabama License Plate
- The title, or the title application if a dealer is handling it
- A bill of sale or the manufacturer’s certificate of origin
- Your Alabama insurance card, in case OIVS doesn’t match your policy
- Your current plate, if you’re moving it from a car you sold or traded
- Form 2290 proof, only for trucks at 55,000 pounds or more
Alabama Temporary Tags: 20 Days For $2.25
An Alabama temporary tag is good for 20 days and costs $2.25. Of that, $1.50 goes to the state’s road and bridge fund and 75 cents goes to the county. Dealers, designated agents and licensing officials can all issue them.
The limits matter more than the price. A dealer or designated agent can’t renew a temporary tag or hand you a second one. Only the licensing official can, and even then the total can’t pass 60 days for one vehicle, in 20-day pieces. The same rule sets a fine of up to $500 for driving on an expired temporary tag or lying to get one.
Personalized plate orders are the other time you’ll see one. The tag office gives you a 60-day temporary plate while the real one is made.
How Long Do New Residents Have To Register A Car In Alabama?
You have 30 days from the date your vehicle enters Alabama. That applies if it has a valid registration from another state and isn’t a commercial vehicle. Your old state’s plate stays legal during those 30 days. It doesn’t stay legal on day 31, and new residents are one of the groups ALDOR names for the $15 penalty.
Expect the same inspection as a buyer. The licensing official looks at the vehicle before issuing an Alabama registration. Your insurance also has to be an Alabama policy that OIVS can verify.
Put the date the car crossed the state line in your phone. Day 30 is the last day, and a move has a way of eating a month.
How Do You Transfer A License Plate To A New Car In Alabama?
In Alabama, a standard plate stays with you when you sell the car. When you replace a vehicle, you move your current plate to the new one. The state fee is $1.25, plus any local fee your county adds. The 20-day window applies here too. ALDOR’s penalty FAQ lists “fails to timely transfer a valid license plate to a newly acquired vehicle” as its own reason for the $15 charge.
How Much Is A License Plate In Alabama?
The state registration fee for a passenger car or pickup is $23 to $105. Your receipt will be bigger than that. The county adds its own fees and also collects ad valorem tax, which is a property tax on the vehicle.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Registration, passenger car or pickup | $23 to $105 |
| Registration, motorcycle | $15 |
| Battery electric vehicle | $203, since July 1, 2023 |
| Plug-in hybrid | $103, since July 1, 2023 |
| Temporary tag | $2.25 |
| Plate transfer | $1.25 state fee plus local fees |
| Personalized plate | $50 a year on top of standard fees, plus a one-time $5 |
| College plate | $50 a year on top of standard fees |
| Vintage vehicle plate | $10, one time |
| Dealer or manufacturer plate | $25, or $17 for motorcycles |
| Late registration or renewal | $15 plus interest |
| Replacement plate or decal | Set by your county office |
The $50 personalized fee comes from county pages. Blount and Madison both list it, but ALDOR’s own FAQ only says “an annual additional fee.” Madison County adds one catch. The $50 college plate fee isn’t prorated like standard fees, so buying one in month eleven of your cycle still costs the full $50.
Electric cars pay the most.
A battery electric car pays $203 a year in registration fees, roughly nine times the $23 bottom of the passenger range. ALDOR set that on July 1, 2023, and plug-in hybrids pay $103.
Why Is My Alabama Car Tag More Than $23?
Because of ad valorem tax. It’s the part of the bill most people don’t expect, and it’s usually the biggest line. The math has two steps. Madison County’s license department lays it out. Multiply the car’s market value by its property class rate. Then multiply that by your local millage rate.
A private passenger vehicle owned by a person is Class IV, assessed at 15 percent. Most other vehicles, including motorcycles and leased cars, are Class II at 20 percent. Public utility vehicles are Class I at 30 percent.
Madison County’s worked example is a $20,000 car in Huntsville. That’s $3,000 assessed, times a 0.0580 rate, for $174 a year. The same car in the city of Madison, at a 0.0695 rate, pays $208.50. In unincorporated Madison County, at 0.0335, it pays $100.50. So two neighbors across a city line can be $108 apart every year for the same car, before the $23 registration fee even shows up.
That’s why I won’t give you one total for your car, and why a calculator that doesn’t know your city is guessing.
Alabama License Plate Renewal By Last Name
Alabama renews registrations on a staggered schedule, January through November, based on the first letter of the owner’s last name. Your registration expires on the last day of that month. If your month is April, the deadline is April 30.
| First letter | Renewal month |
|---|---|
| A, D | January |
| B | February |
| C, E | March |
| F, G, N | April |
| H, O | May |
| I, M | June |
| L, P | July |
| J, K, R | August |
| Q, S, T | September |
| U, V, W, X, Y, Z | October |
| Leased, commercial and fleet vehicles | October or November, expiring November 30 |
Look at the table before you guess. The months don’t follow the alphabet: A and D share January, B gets February alone, and N jumps ahead to April with F and G. That’s why “I’m an M, so it’s probably around July” goes wrong. M is June.
How Do You Renew Your Alabama License Plate Online?
ALDOR’s Vehicle Licensing Offices page lists every county, and counties that renew online have a link next to their name. When I checked on September 23, 2026, most counties had one, including Jefferson, Madison, Mobile and Baldwin. ALDOR’s own portal is MyDMV, which it points to for online motor vehicle services.
Use the link from ALDOR’s list. Private services such as eTags also handle renewals, but they aren’t your county.
Online or in person, your Alabama insurance still has to verify through OIVS.
Is There A Grace Period For Alabama Tag Renewal?
ALDOR doesn’t list one. Its FAQ charges $15 plus interest to anyone who misses their renewal month. Another FAQ says registrations expire on the last day of that month. I’d treat the last day as the real deadline and not rely on anything a clerk told a neighbor once.
Alabama Personalized License Plates: Reserve First, Then You Have 5 Days
Check and reserve your message online first, on ALDOR’s Plate Reservation and Ordering System, called PROS, or through MyDMV. Once ALDOR approves it, you have five calendar days to go to your tag office and place the order. After that, the message goes back to the public.
- Search your message on PROS and pick the plate design it goes on, since the character limit depends on the design.
- Submit the reservation and wait for ALDOR’s approval.
- Within five calendar days of approval, go to your tag office and pay the registration fees, taxes and personalized fee.
- Leave with a registration receipt and a 60-day temporary plate.
- Watch the mail. The plate ships from the manufacturer to you, usually within 6 to 8 weeks.
Calendar days, not business days
ALDOR’s FAQ says five calendar days. Blount County’s page says five business days. Go by ALDOR’s shorter reading, because a reservation approved on a Thursday is gone by Tuesday under the calendar-day rule.
How Many Letters Can Be On A License Plate In Alabama?
- 5 to 7 letters and numbers, depending on the plate category
- No special characters, and no letter O, which gets converted to a zero. I’ve only seen the O rule on Blount County’s page, so confirm it when PROS checks your message.
- ALDOR rejects messages it considers “offensive to the peace and dignity of the State of Alabama,” and it can revoke one it already approved
- A revoked message can’t be reissued in the same license year
So on an Alabama vanity plate, there’s no O to mix up with a zero. It also means nobody can read your plate two ways, which is the whole point of the rule.
How Much Is A Custom License Plate In Alabama?
Using Blount County’s numbers of $50 a year plus a one-time $5, a personalized plate costs $255 over five years. Some people will happily pay that for seven characters. If you’re on the fence, the standard plate does exactly the same legal job.
Keeping Or Transferring Your Personalized Message
You lose the message if the registration goes unrenewed for two consecutive license years, and it becomes available to anyone else.
Transfers are narrower than for standard plates. The rule allows four cases. You trade in a car you own alone. A jointly owned car becomes owned by one person. A sole proprietor moves the car into a business name. Or the plate goes to your spouse or child.
And there are no refunds. Shelby County’s replacement FAQ says fees paid for personalized or specialty plates can’t be refunded once the registration is issued.
Alabama Specialty License Plates: College, Military And Cause Plates
ALDOR calls specialty plates “distinctive” plates and keeps the full list, with the fee and eligibility for each, on its license plate page. Part of the extra fee goes to the plate’s sponsoring organization, which is why universities and charities want one. ALDOR’s 2022 distinctive plate sheet runs alphabetically from Alabama Bicentennial to the National Wild Turkey Federation, with more than 40 designs.
The University of Alabama plate is the one people actually buy. In fiscal 2025 it had 121,114 registrations, the most of any college plate, against 85,709 for Auburn. Alabama registered 6,422,608 vehicles that year, so roughly 1 in 53 vehicles on the road carried a UA plate. The same report listed 81,619 Disabled Veteran-Army plates and 46,008 Helping Schools plates.
University Of Alabama And Other College License Plates
College plates in Madison County cost $50 a year on top of standard fees, and many can be personalized for the same $50. Alabama has had college plates for at least 13 schools. They cover Alabama State, Auburn, Huntingdon, Jacksonville State, Montevallo, Oakwood, Stillman, Troy and Tuskegee, plus UA, UAB, North Alabama and South Alabama. There’s also an Educator plate that sits in the same group on that page.
The University of Alabama plate got a new design that tag offices started issuing on June 1, 2025.
Alabama Veteran And Military License Plates
This is the biggest family of specialty plates. There’s a separate design for each branch: Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. Then come the war plates, for World War II, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan and Operation Enduring Freedom. Last are plates like Combat Wounded, Active Reserve, Disabled Veteran and Gold Star Family.
Getting one is a two-stop job. First you get an affidavit from an Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Veteran Service Office, then you take it to your tag office. Bring a copy of your DD Form 214, deployment orders or a signed letter from your unit commander. Bring your driver license too. It lists registration fees of $15 to $890 depending on the vehicle. The eligibility rules for each plate are in Admin. Code 810-5-1-.232.
The Disabled Veteran plate carries “DV” before the number, which is a quick way to recognize one on the road.
Forever Wild, Cause And Hobby Plates
The rest of the list is wide. Cause plates include Breast Cancer Research, Curing Childhood Cancer, Drive Out Ovarian Cancer, Ronald McDonald House Charities and In Memory Of. Outdoor plates include Forever Wild, the Alabama Wildlife Federation, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Coastal Conservation Association and Protect Our Environment. Then there are the ones you’d never guess, like Square & Round Dancers, Amateur Radio and Save the Saturn V.
“Dare to Explore” is one of these too. It’s a space-themed specialty plate with a rocket on it, not a slogan on the standard plate.
New Alabama License Plates For 2025, 2026 And 2027
- The redesigned University of Alabama plate went out from June 1, 2025
- A Protect Wildlife plate started July 1, 2026
- A blackout specialty plate arrives January 1, 2027. Act 2026-381 created it to fund scholarships for families of long-serving police officers
- Firefighter plate fees go from $1 to $10 on January 1, 2027, while retired professional firefighters stay at $1, under Act 2026-243
- A distinctive plate decal for people with invisible disabilities and their primary caregivers starts January 1, 2027, under Act 2026-541
Is There A Black License Plate In Alabama?
Yes, starting January 1, 2027, as a specialty plate you choose and pay for. Act 2026-381 created the blackout plate, and its money goes to scholarships for the families of long-term law enforcement officers. It doesn’t replace the standard plate, and it won’t be the free default.
California took a different route years ago. Its DMV already sells an official black plate, the 1960s Legacy design, and our guide to California’s legal black plate explains how that program works.
Until then, black Alabama plates you come across fall into two groups. Some are the old black-on-white issues, like 1974’s, which had black letters on a white background. The others are novelty and aftermarket plates sold as decoration.
A decorative black plate isn’t a registration. Section 32-6-51 requires the plate “furnished by the Department of Revenue.” A store-bought black replica on your bumper doesn’t meet that, however good it looks.
Alabama Disability License Plates And Placards
Alabama has three kinds of disability parking credentials. There’s a temporary placard and a permanent decal with placards. Groups that transport people with disabilities can get an organization decal. All of them start with form MVR 32-6-230, taken to your tag office.
Shelby County’s FAQ spells out the details that trip people up. The physician has to sign the form, not stamp it, and mark the disability as permanent or temporary. Temporary placards come in six-month increments only, and a request for longer voids the application. Have a disability plate in your name? You can get one placard. With no plate and a permanent condition, you can get two. A photo of the form taken on a phone isn’t accepted, though a scan of the signed original emailed in is.
The symbol is changing. Since January 1, 2026, new placards and decals carry a new, more active symbol under Act 2024-346. Older ones keep the old wheelchair design until they renew in 2027.
I didn’t find a published fee for disability plates or placards on ALDOR’s page, so ask your tag office before you go.
Alabama Vintage Vehicle License Plates
A vehicle over 30 years old can get a permanent vintage vehicle plate for a $10 registration fee. No yearly renewal. The catch is in how you can drive it.
Vintage plates are for club events, shows, tours, parades and taking the car somewhere for maintenance or repair. They’re not for general transportation, and ALDOR’s rule names work, school and shopping as examples of what’s off-limits. The vehicle also needs the original, or substantially similar, body, chassis, engine and transmission.
Own a 1976 or older vehicle? You have a second option. You can use an original Alabama plate from the car’s model year, with a vintage decal. The plate has to be readable and match the vehicle type. So if you find a legible 1975 original of the right type, your 1975 car can wear black-on-yellow again. That’s probably the best-looking option in Alabama motor vehicle law.
Unlike a standard plate, a vintage plate stays with the vehicle when you sell it.
Alabama License Plate Numbers By County
On a standard Alabama plate, the number at the start is the county code. Code 1 is Jefferson, 2 is Mobile and 3 is Montgomery. Those were the three biggest counties when the system started in 1941. Codes 4 through 67 go to the rest in alphabetical order. A plate that starts with 47 is from Madison County, home to Huntsville.
The rest of the plate is a serial, in formats such as 1A2345B for smaller counties and longer letter-heavy runs for big ones like Madison. Serials skip the letters I, O and Q. Historically, code 70 went on replacement plates from 1948, and code 80 on supplemental plates from 1966.
Jefferson still being number 1 isn’t a ranking, by the way. It was set in 1941 and never re-sorted. A 2023 ComebackTown column noted that Montgomery officials would fight to keep their number 3.
Why Do Alabama License Plates Start With A0?
I couldn’t find ALDOR or any county explaining the “A0” or “AO” prefix. The best clue is a photographed Alabama fleet plate that reads A0CN6XD, with a 2027 date. Apportioned plates also run on five-year terms ending 2017, 2022 and 2027. So a plate starting with A0 is most likely a fleet or apportioned plate, not a county-coded one. That’s my reading of collector photos, not an official answer.
| Code | County | Code | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson | 35 | Greene |
| 2 | Mobile | 36 | Hale |
| 3 | Montgomery | 37 | Henry |
| 4 | Autauga | 38 | Houston |
| 5 | Baldwin | 39 | Jackson |
| 6 | Barbour | 40 | Lamar |
| 7 | Bibb | 41 | Lauderdale |
| 8 | Blount | 42 | Lawrence |
| 9 | Bullock | 43 | Lee |
| 10 | Butler | 44 | Limestone |
| 11 | Calhoun | 45 | Lowndes |
| 12 | Chambers | 46 | Macon |
| 13 | Cherokee | 47 | Madison |
| 14 | Chilton | 48 | Marengo |
| 15 | Choctaw | 49 | Marion |
| 16 | Clarke | 50 | Marshall |
| 17 | Clay | 51 | Monroe |
| 18 | Cleburne | 52 | Morgan |
| 19 | Coffee | 53 | Perry |
| 20 | Colbert | 54 | Pickens |
| 21 | Conecuh | 55 | Pike |
| 22 | Coosa | 56 | Randolph |
| 23 | Covington | 57 | Russell |
| 24 | Crenshaw | 58 | Shelby |
| 25 | Cullman | 59 | St. Clair |
| 26 | Dale | 60 | Sumter |
| 27 | Dallas | 61 | Talladega |
| 28 | DeKalb | 62 | Tallapoosa |
| 29 | Elmore | 63 | Tuscaloosa |
| 30 | Escambia | 64 | Walker |
| 31 | Etowah | 65 | Washington |
| 32 | Fayette | 66 | Wilcox |
| 33 | Franklin | 67 | Winston |
| 34 | Geneva |
Alabama License Plate Lookup: What Is Public And What Is Not
You can check whether a personalized message is free on PROS at no cost. You can also read the county off a plate with the table above. Getting the owner’s name and address from a plate number is a different matter.
A federal law blocks that: the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. §2721. States can release personal details from vehicle records only for permitted uses, such as a court case or an insurance claim. Curiosity about the car that cut you off isn’t on the list.
If you need an owner’s details after a crash, the legal route is the police report and your insurance company. They can get what a lookup site can’t lawfully hand to a stranger.
Are Digital License Plates Legal In Alabama?
I didn’t find an Alabama law or ALDOR memo authorizing digital license plates as of September 23, 2026. The digital bill in the news this year was about driver licenses. The Alabama House passed it in January 2026. A digital license is not a digital plate, and §32-6-51 still calls for the plate ALDOR furnishes.
Alabama License Plate Laws For Displaying Your Plate
Alabama requires one plate on the rear of the vehicle, and it has to stay plainly visible. Breaking that rule is a misdemeanor under Section 32-6-51.
Does Alabama Require A Front License Plate?
No. Alabama requires one plate, on the rear. Drivers who move here from the West Coast notice this first, because California license plate rules call for a plate on the front and the back of most cars. The law is Section 32-6-51 of the Code of Alabama. It says the plate must be “attached and plainly visible on the rear end” of the vehicle.
The penalty is harsher than most people expect. It’s a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500, plus a ban on driving in Alabama for 60 days to six months.
Alabama License Plate Frame And Cover Law
I didn’t find a separate Alabama statute that names tinted covers or plate frames. The test in §32-6-51 is “plainly visible,” and that’s what an officer will judge at the roadside. A frame that clips the “Heart of Dixie” slogan is one thing. A smoked cover over the characters is different. That’s how you end up arguing about one word with someone holding a ticket book.
How Do You Replace A Lost, Stolen Or Peeling Alabama Plate?
Fill out ALDOR form MV 40-12-265-1, the Application for Replacement Credentials, and take it to your tag office in person. The form says the replacement fee “is determined by local licensing office,” so the price depends on your county.
A few rules decide how smooth this goes:
- A damaged plate, which ALDOR calls “mutilated,” has to be handed over before the office issues a new one. If you can’t hand it in, the office revokes that registration in its records.
- Replacing a lost or stolen plate for the third time requires a police report.
- Someone else can go for you with form MVT 5-13. It’s a power of attorney, and it has to say they can get a replacement plate or decal.
- Did your renewal decal get lost in the mail? Shelby County lets a parent, spouse or child pick up the replacement without a notarized power of attorney. You still pay the replacement fee.
Peeling counts as damage too. Replace the plate before it gets hard to read, because a plate you can’t read isn’t “plainly visible” anymore.
What Happens To Your Plate When You Sell The Car?
A standard Alabama plate goes with you, not with the buyer. Take it off before the car leaves your driveway. Then move it to your next vehicle within 20 days, for $1.25 plus county fees.
Two exceptions are worth knowing. A vintage plate stays with the vehicle when it’s sold, by statute. A personalized message can move only in the four situations listed in the personalized section.
Sold a car and didn’t buy another? I couldn’t find an ALDOR page that says what to do with the spare plate. Ask your tag office before you toss it, since the plate record stays tied to you.
Alabama License Plate History: Colors And Slogans Through The Years
“Heart of Dixie” is the oldest thing on an Alabama plate. A 1951 law put the slogan on plates starting with the 1954-55 issue, and it’s still on the plate today. What changed, almost every year in the 1970s, was the color.
| Year | Look |
|---|---|
| 1970 | Blue on white, “Heart of Dixie” across the top |
| 1971 | Black on yellow |
| 1972 | Black on mint green |
| 1973 | Red on white |
| 1974 | Black on white |
| 1975 | Black on yellow |
| 1976 | Blue on white |
| 1977 | State Capitol dome graphic |
| 2002 to 2008 | “Stars Fell on Alabama” |
| 2009 to 2013 | “Sweet Home Alabama” with a Gulf Coast graphic |
| 2022 to now | Beach scene with alabama.travel |
Which Alabama License Plate Should You Pick?
| If you want | Get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The cheapest legal option | Standard plate | No extra yearly fee on top of registration and ad valorem |
| Your own word or name | Personalized plate | About $50 a year, 5 to 7 characters |
| To back your school | College plate | $50 a year in Madison County, part goes to the school |
| To show your service | Military or veteran plate | Needs a Veteran Service Office affidavit |
| A black plate | Blackout specialty plate | Available from January 1, 2027 |
| Period-correct looks on an old car | Vintage plate or model-year original | $10 and permanent, but limited driving |
| Accessible parking | Disability plate or placard | Form MVR 32-6-230, physician signature |
My pick for most people is the standard plate. It costs nothing extra, and nobody at a traffic stop cares what’s printed on it as long as it’s readable and current.
Mistakes That Cost Alabama Drivers Money
- Waiting past day 20 after buying a car. The $15 penalty plus interest starts on day 21.
- Guessing your renewal month from the alphabet. M renews in June, not July.
- Assuming there’s a grace period. ALDOR doesn’t list one.
- Renewing through a private site that ranks above your county and adds its own fee.
- Letting a PROS approval sit for a week. The reservation lasts five calendar days.
- Letting a vanity plate lapse for two years and losing the message to someone else.
- Driving a vintage-plated car to work every day. The plate is for shows, parades, club events and repairs.
- Covering the characters with a smoked cover and finding out what “plainly visible” means at the roadside.
- Budgeting $23 for a tag and forgetting ad valorem tax, which was $174 on Madison County’s $20,000 Huntsville example.
Alabama License Plate FAQs
Can I Drive On My Old State’s Plate After Moving To Alabama?
Yes, for 30 days from the date the vehicle entered Alabama, as long as that out-of-state registration is still valid. If your old registration expires during those 30 days, the shortcut ends with it.
What Does Fleet Mean On An Alabama License Plate?
Fleet plates belong to vehicles registered as part of a business fleet, which has its own section of the tax code, §40-12-308. Fleet vehicles skip the last-name schedule and renew in October or November, expiring November 30.
Which Tag Jobs Can’t Be Done Online?
A personalized plate order has to be placed at the tag office after PROS approves your message. A replacement plate needs form MV 40-12-265-1 handed in person, or by someone holding an MVT 5-13 power of attorney. Most counties handle plain renewals online.
Why Do Alabama License Plates Start With 47?
Because 47 is Madison County’s code, and that’s where Huntsville is. Madison has issued so many plates that it moved into letter-heavy serial formats smaller counties never reach.
Can A Dealer Give Me A Second Temporary Tag?
No. Under Admin. Code 810-5-1-.228, dealers and designated agents can’t renew a temporary tag or issue a successive one. Only the licensing official can, up to 60 days total for one vehicle.
Does A College Plate Cost The Same Everywhere?
Madison County lists $50 a year on top of standard fees and notes it isn’t prorated. I only confirmed that figure with Madison County, so check ALDOR’s plate list or your own tag office for other counties.
Is “Dare To Explore” On Every Alabama Plate?
No. It’s the name of a separate space-themed specialty plate. The standard plate’s slogan is “Heart of Dixie.”
How Many Vehicles Are Registered In Alabama?
6,422,608 in fiscal 2025, according to the registration data AL.com reported.
Can I Use An Old 1970s Plate On My Classic Car?
Yes, if the vehicle is a 1976 or older model. The plate must be an original Alabama plate from that model year. It also has to be readable and match the vehicle type. You add a vintage decal, and the same limits on everyday driving apply.
Do I Need To Go In Person For A Disability Placard?
Not always. Shelby County accepts a scan of the original physician-signed MVR 32-6-230 by email, but it rejects a phone photo of the form. Rules can differ by county, so check yours.
References
Checked September 23, 2026. County figures come from the county offices named in the text.
- Alabama Department of Revenue. License plates. revenue.alabama.gov/license-plates/
- Alabama Department of Revenue. Motor vehicle registration fees. revenue.alabama.gov/tax-types/motor-vehicle-registration-fees/
- Alabama Department of Revenue. In what months are license plates renewed? revenue.alabama.gov/faqs/in-what-months-are-license-plates-renewed/
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