Your Alabama motor vehicle license plate/decal must be renewed each year. Renewal reminders will be mailed to the last known address as a courtesy at the beginning of the scheduled renewal month.  If you have changed your address since your last renewal or vehicle purchase, please notify the License Commissioner's office at (256) 241-2900.  It is the owner's responsibility to renew your tag/decal during the correct renewal month even if you do not receive a renewal reminder in the mail. The first letter of your last name determines the month in which your renewal is due.  All tag renewals may be processed at the Calhoun County Administration Building or through the mail if you received a renewal reminder for your vehicle.  You can now renew your tag online if you want to save a trip to the administration building, click here.  If you are renewing your tag in person, it is best to come to the administration building between the 10th and the 25th of the month, in order to avoid long lines.

Fees:

The amount you pay to renew your tag is a combination of your ad valorem tax assessment and a license fee.  The ad valorem taxes are determined by multiplying the state-assigned value of your vehicle by the assessment rate (based on the classification of the vehicle), then multiplying the assessed value by the millage rate determined by your address.  Effective, January 1, 2000, all ad valorem taxes are collected at the time of registration.  Please note:  A mail fee of $2.00 is charged for tag renewals processed through the mail.

Tag Renewal Information 

Once a vehicle is registered in your name, it is necessary to renew the registration each year according to the renewal schedule listed below:

All vehicles in Alabama are personal property.  Property tax is paid in advance from the time of registration until your renewal month.

Vehicles:

To renew your registration you must show previous tag receipt in your name or a renewal card, which has been mailed to you as a courtesy by the License Commissioner's Office.  Even if you do not receive a courtesy notice, it is your responsibility to renew your tag before the expiration date.

Note:  Please notice the decal on your license plate.  If the month on your plate has passed, your tag is expired.  Example - if your plate shows August, the renewal must be made before September 1st.  For more information, contact Barry Robertson.

New Law in Effect

A new Alabama Law has changed the policies and procedures surrounding the renewal and transfer of your motor vehicle license plates. Effective January 1, 1998 the plate no longer goes with the vehicle.  In the past, certain distinctive and personalized vehicle plates were transferred from vehicle to vehicle if the owner acquired a different vehicle or, in some cases, if the owner wanted to put the plate on another vehicle he or she owned. However, according to the new law, an owner who trades vehicles must remove the license plates from the previously owned vehicle. Also, if a vehicle is sold or disposed of otherwise, the owner is required to remove the plate. If the owner sells his vehicle, or if it is totally destroyed or junked, he may transfer the plate to a vehicle of the same classification he already owns that is not currently licensed, or to a vehicle of the same classification or higher classification he acquires later in the license year. There are certain limitations and the owner may not transfer the plate to another vehicle he or she owns unless the licensed vehicle has changed ownership.  In the event an owner trades vehicles, the transfer of the plate is the transfer of registration only. This means that an owner must pay the ad valorem tax that is due on the newly acquired vehicle at the time the tag is transferred.  You must keep either an original tag registration form (tag receipt) or a same-sized facsimile in your vehicle at all times. You may be asked to present this form by law enforcement officers at any time. Please note that your tag registration form is not your vehicle title. We do not recommend that you keep your original title in your vehicle under any circumstances.

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