Wheel ScoutWhat an Alabama plate lookup shows
A license plate points to one car. We turn the Alabama plate into the car's 17-character VIN, show you the year, make and model, then read its history: salvage, flood and rebuilt brands, title history by state, odometer readings and theft records. You also see the factory specs and the safety recalls for that model year before you pay. What it never shows is the owner: the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps names and addresses in DMV records private, and we don't sell them.
What an Alabama plate looks like
Alabama issues one plate, and it goes on the rear. Section 32-6-51 of the Code of Alabama requires the plate on the back of the car; the Department of Revenue's own rule only moves it to the front for truck tractors and certain work trucks whose bumpers or loads would hide a rear plate. A passenger car with no front plate is normal here. Type the plate without spaces or dashes; we find the car.
The state's plate specifications set the rest: a standard plate is 6 by 12 inches, carries up to seven letters and numbers, has the word ALABAMA capitalized between the bolt holes at the top, and has a fully reflective face. The Department's plate rule keeps a design valid for five years unless the Commissioner of Revenue changes it with the Legislative Oversight Committee's approval, so the standard passenger design changes on a slow cycle, and you will see more than one generation of it on the road at once.
In a sale between two people the plate stays with the seller. The seller takes it off and can move it to a newly bought vehicle at the county license office, as long as the old car was sold, junked or destroyed first. The buyer gets a new plate when they register. During the 20-day grace period after the purchase the buyer may drive the car without a plate, but the Department's rule says the ownership paper has to be in the car: the bill of sale, the title application or a temporary tag. The county licensing official can also issue an Alabama temporary license plate; if you get one before the 20 days run out, no late penalty builds up while it is valid.
Alabama title brands: what the lookup can show
Alabama brands a title when a car has been declared a total loss or rebuilt from one. Our $5 report reads the NMVTIS record. That matters more in Alabama than in most states, because the Department of Revenue wired NMVTIS directly into its own title system, ALVIN: the national record is checked before a title application is processed and again before the title prints, and any brand from another state is carried onto the Alabama title. What we show is the same history the state itself relies on.
| Salvage | Alabama's definition is a total loss where the damage is 75 percent or more of the car's fair retail value before the damage, and an insurer or other payee settles for it. A salvage-titled car cannot be registered or driven on Alabama roads until it has been inspected by the Department and a rebuilt title has been issued. |
|---|---|
| Rebuilt | A salvage car restored in Alabama to the condition it was in before the loss. The owner applies for a rebuilt inspection with the salvage title, bills of sale for every replaced component part and the registration receipt that proves they owned the car before the loss, and pays $90: $75 for the inspection and $15 for the title. The Department's rebuilt FAQ says paper applications stopped on April 1, 2024, and applications now go through MyDMV with electronic payment only, though some of its older pages still mention a cashier's check or money order. A state Motor Vehicle Inspector then schedules the inspection, usually within one to two weeks. You cannot drive the car in for a same-day check. |
| Who can rebuild | Only the person who owned the car before it was salvaged can apply as an individual. Anyone else needs a master dealer regulatory license under Section 32-8-87. So if a stranger is selling you a rebuilt car they bought as salvage, ask how it was titled. |
| Junk, parts only, crush | These are not salvage. The Department issues no Alabama title for a car that has a junk certificate, was sold for parts only, or shows a crush disposition in NMVTIS. If the report shows any of these, assume the car will not be titled in Alabama again. |
| Out-of-state brands | Carried forward onto the Alabama title through the NMVTIS check. A flood, salvage or rebuilt brand from another state does not wash off at the state line. |
Alabama also keeps the rebuilt owner honest at registration time: the Department's rule gives a rebuilt car its own 20-day grace period, counted from the date on the new title application, before late penalties start.
What an Alabama title transfer costs
Buying from an individual, the buyer pays everything at the county License Plate Issuing Official's office, which in Alabama is a designated agent of the Department of Revenue. Amounts are from the Department's own fee pages; the county adds its local fees and has the final word on those.
| Title application | $15 for a motor vehicle, plus the $1.50 commission every designated agent adds. The license office may add another $1.50 to cover processing and mailing, and some counties add a local fee on top. Replacement titles are also $15 and the fee is not refundable. |
|---|---|
| Casual sales tax | Alabama taxes a car bought from someone who is not a dealer at 2 percent of the price for the state, plus whatever county and city rates apply where you live. This is the casual sales and use tax, and the county licensing official collects it when you register the car. The buyer pays it, not the seller. |
| Registration | $23 for a standard passenger automobile. Pickups run $23 to $105 by weight and motorcycles are $15. On top of the registration fee the county collects ad valorem (property) tax on the vehicle every year. |
| Late penalty | $15 plus interest if you register more than 20 calendar days after the purchase. The interest is figured at the federal underpayment rate, which the Department publishes each quarter. If you had a plate to transfer from a car you sold and missed the 20 days, the same $15 applies as a transfer penalty. |
| Rebuilt inspection | $90, which includes the $15 title. |
| Cars more than 35 model years old | No Alabama title is required or issued, so there is no title fee. The county registers the car on a bill of sale. Any title already in force stays valid. |
Alabama forms and deadlines
| The 20-day clock | You have 20 calendar days from the purchase to register the car without penalty or interest. The Department's rule starts counting the day after you buy it, and if the 20th day lands on a weekend, holiday or a day the office is closed, the next business day counts. If you bought the car in another state and drove it there first, the clock starts the day after it enters Alabama. |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Alabama titles are applied for only through a designated agent: the county License Plate Issuing Official, a licensed Alabama dealer, or an Alabama financial institution. For a sale between two people that means the county license office. The agent must submit the application within 10 calendar days of creating it, and the Department normally issues the title within 10 to 15 business days after that. |
| The title itself | The seller assigns the title to you on the back, and every assignment has to be filled in completely or the title application is rejected. If two buyers are joined by "and" on the title application, both sign it; joined by "or," one signature is enough. The assignment does not need to be notarized. Assignment mistakes are corrected on form MVT 5-7, signed by both seller and buyer; mistakes on the face of the title need a corrected title. |
| Vehicle inspection at registration | For a car that needs no title, such as one more than 35 model years old, the licensing official or a deputy inspects the vehicle and its ownership papers each time ownership changes, before registering it. This is a look at the car and its VIN against the paperwork, not a safety test, and it is not repeated at renewal. |
| Insurance | The car must carry an Alabama liability policy before it can be registered. The office checks the Online Insurance Verification System first and asks for your card if the system cannot confirm coverage. |
| Address | The owner needs a physical Alabama address on the title. A P.O. box can be a mailing address only when there is no lienholder. |
| No title at all | If the paperwork chain is broken, the Department may require a surety bond: request form MVT 10-1A through the Surety Bond Portal, complete MVT 10-1 with the insurer, and apply for the title within 90 days of the bond date. |
| Seller died | Letters testamentary if the estate was probated; otherwise a Next of Kin Affidavit (MVT 5-6) and a death certificate. |
Inspections in Alabama
Alabama has no safety inspection and no emissions test. The Department of Revenue's registration FAQ says it plainly: emissions testing is not a prerequisite for registration because Alabama law does not provide for one. The only inspections the state runs are the licensing official's VIN check when an untitled older car changes owners and the Motor Vehicle Inspector's rebuilt inspection for salvage cars.
That leaves the checking to you. Nobody in Alabama has looked at this car's brakes, tires, frame or airbags since it left the dealer, unless the seller paid a shop to. Run the plate here for the title and odometer history, then put the car on a lift at a shop you choose before money changes hands. If the seller will not allow that, you have your answer.
Before you meet an Alabama seller
- Run the plate or the VIN here first, before the deposit. Match the year, make, model and trim to the car in front of you.
- Match the VIN on the dashboard, the driver door sticker and the title. On a car too old to need a title, the county official checks the VIN against the bill of sale, so a mismatch stops the sale at the counter.
- Match the name on the title to the seller's ID. An Alabama title has to be assigned by the owner shown on it, and a car more than 35 model years old needs a bill of sale from that owner.
- Count the model years. Not more than 35 model years old means an Alabama title is required. Older than that, the county registers it on the bill of sale alone, which makes the $5 history check your only paper trail.
- Look for a lienholder. If one is printed on the title, you need the release before the county will transfer it.
- Ask about the brand. A rebuilt title should come with a story that matches the rules above: the seller owned the car before the loss, or holds a master dealer license. If the story does not fit, the title may not either.
- Plan the 20 days. Bring the assigned title, bill of sale, proof of insurance and your ID to the county license office, and budget for the 2 percent state tax plus local tax, the $15 title and the $23 tag plus property tax.
Where these Alabama facts come from
Read on the state's own pages on October 31, 2026. Fees and rules change; the county tax office has the final word on the day you file.
- Alabama Department of Revenue: prerequisites for registering a vehicle
- Alabama Department of Revenue: cost of an Alabama certificate of title
- Alabama Department of Revenue: casual sales tax
- Alabama Department of Revenue: salvage and rebuilt vehicles
- Alabama Department of Revenue: rebuilt inspection FAQs
- Alabama Department of Revenue: rule 810-5-1-.211, registration periods, delinquency, penalty and interest
- Alabama Department of Revenue: which vehicles must be titled
- Alabama Department of Revenue: standard passenger plate and registration fees
- Alabama Department of Revenue: license plate design specifications
- Alabama Department of Revenue: 2023 designated agent training manual
- Alabama Department of Revenue: NMVTIS in the Alabama title system
Look up a plate from another state
The reports
Works for Alabama plates and every other state. You see the car before you pay.
Basic history report
By VIN or license plate · official NMVTIS record · shows right away
- Salvage, junk, flood and rebuilt title brands
- Title history by state, with dates
- Odometer readings and rollback flags
- Total-loss records from insurers
- Theft check
- Market value for the car
Full vehicle history report
By VIN or license plate · Not instant: emailed or texted to you within two hours
- Every owner, how they used it (personal, lease, rental or fleet) and where
- Accidents and damage reports
- Title brands: salvage, junk, rebuilt, flood, fire, hail, lemon
- Odometer readings over time, checked for rollbacks
- Service and maintenance history
- Open recalls and common owner complaints for the model
Alabama license plate lookup questions
How do I look up an Alabama license plate?
Type the plate above with Alabama selected. We turn it into the car's VIN and show the year, make and model at no charge, then the $5 report shows its title brands, odometer readings, total-loss records and theft check from the NMVTIS record, the same national record the Alabama Department of Revenue checks before it issues a title.
How much does it cost to transfer a car title in Alabama?
The title application is $15 plus a $1.50 designated agent commission, and the county may add another $1.50 and a local fee. You also pay casual sales tax of 2 percent for the state plus local rates, the $23 registration fee for a passenger car, and the vehicle's ad valorem tax. Register within 20 calendar days or a $15 penalty plus interest is added.
Do I pay sales tax on a car I buy from an individual in Alabama?
Yes. Alabama's casual sales and use tax applies to any vehicle bought from someone who is not a licensed dealer. The state rate is 2 percent of the price, counties and cities add their own rates, and the county licensing official collects all of it when you register the car.
Does Alabama require a vehicle inspection?
No. There is no safety inspection and no emissions test; the Department of Revenue says Alabama law does not provide for one. The licensing official does look at the car and its VIN when an untitled older car changes owners, and salvage cars must pass a state rebuilt inspection before they can be titled again.
Can a salvage car be driven in Alabama?
Not until it is rebuilt. A salvage title means a total loss with damage of 75 percent or more of the car's fair retail value. The owner who had it before the loss, or a licensed master dealer, applies for a rebuilt inspection, pays $90, and the state inspects the car. Only then is a rebuilt title issued and the car can be registered.
Does a car more than 35 model years old need an Alabama title?
No. Section 32-8-31 exempts motor vehicles more than 35 model years old from titling. The county registers them on a bill of sale, and the cutoff moves forward every January 1 based on the manufacturer's model year. That is exactly the kind of car where a $5 history check earns its keep, because there is no title to read.
Can I find the owner of an Alabama plate?
No. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps owners' names and addresses in Alabama's motor vehicle records private, and no legitimate plate lookup shows them. You see the car, not the person.
Who runs vehicle titles in Alabama?
The Alabama Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division, issues titles and sets the rules. Your county License Plate Issuing Official acts as the Department's designated agent, takes the application, collects the taxes and fees, and hands you the plate.
More ways to check a car
Find the deal, then check it.
Wheel Scout alerts you the moment an underpriced car posts on Marketplace, OfferUp or Craigslist near you, and runs the history right in the app.
The basic history report uses NMVTIS data from an approved NMVTIS data provider. NMVTIS records come from states, insurers and salvage yards; not every event is reported to it. Vehicle specs and recalls come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Wheel Scout is not affiliated with any marketplace or government agency. Wheel Scout is not affiliated with the Alabama Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division.