Code of Alabama - Title 32: Motor Vehicles and Traffic - Chapter 8 - Uniform Certificate of Title and Antitheft Act

• Article 1 General Provisions.
• Section 32-8-1 Short title
  This chapter may be cited as the Alabama Uniform Certificate of Title and Antitheft Act.
• Section 32-8-2 Definitions
  For the purpose of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly...
• Section 32-8-3 Powers and duties of department
  (a) The department shall prescribe and provide suitable forms of applications, certificates of title, notices of security interests, and all other notices and forms necessary...
• Section 32-8-6 Transaction fees; commissions; disposition of funds; disclosure of information
  (a) There shall be paid to the department for issuing and processing documents required by this chapter a fee of fifteen dollars ($15) for each...
• Section 32-8-7 Additional commission fee
  The probate judge or other county official who is authorized and required by law to issue license plates and who is required to process applications...
• Section 32-8-8 Right of inspection for violations
  (a) Any sheriff, deputy sheriff, policeman of an incorporated municipality or duly authorized representative of the Department of Public Safety or Department of Revenue of...
• Section 32-8-9 Forms and rules
  The department shall provide each designated agent with the forms and rules and regulations provided for in this chapter.
• Section 32-8-10 Enforcement of chapter
  The department is charged with the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter and it is hereby authorized and empowered to call upon any and...
• Section 32-8-11 Aiding, abetting, etc., in violations
  A person who, whether present or absent, aids, abets, induces, procures, or causes the commission of an act which if done directly by him, would...
• Section 32-8-12 Offenses constituting felonies
  A person is guilty of a Class C felony who, with fraudulent intent: (1) Alters, forges, or counterfeits a certificate of title; (2) Alters or...
• Section 32-8-13 Offenses constituting misdemeanors
  A person is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor who: (1) With fraudulent intent, permits another, not entitled thereto, to use or have possession of...
• Section 32-8-14 Penalties
  Repealed by Act 2009-281, p. 472, §3, effective July 1, 2009.
• Article 2 Certificate of Title.
• Section 32-8-30 Certificate required for certain motor vehicles and travel trailers; penalty
  (a) Except as provided in Section 32-8-31, every owner of a motor vehicle which is in this state and which is required to be registered...
• Section 32-8-31 Exemptions
  No certificate of title shall be issued under this chapter for any of the following: (1) A vehicle owned by the United States or any...
• Section 32-8-32 Prerequisite to issuance of license plates
  (a) No motor vehicle license (or license plate) shall be issued and no motor vehicle license (or license plate) shall be transferred for use on...
• Section 32-8-33 Prerequisite to assessment for ad valorem taxes
  No motor vehicle required to be titled under the provisions of this chapter shall be assessed for ad valorem taxes by a tax assessor, director...
• Section 32-8-34 Designated agents of department; bond of title service providers
  (a) Each judge of probate, commissioner of licenses, director of revenue, or other county official in this state authorized and required by law to issue...
• Section 32-8-35 Application for first certificate
  (a) The application for the first certificate of title of a vehicle in this state shall be made by the owner to a designated agent,...
• Section 32-8-36 Application for certificate with bond or cash
  If the department is not satisfied as to the ownership of the vehicle or that there are no undisclosed security interests in it, the department...
• Section 32-8-37 Check of vehicle identification number against list of stolen vehicles; issuance of certificate; records
  (a) The department upon receiving an application for certificate of title shall check the vehicle identification number shown in the application against the record of...
• Section 32-8-38 Use of duplicate copy of application as permit to operate motor vehicle; return of duplicate and tags upon refusal to issue certificate
  (a) The rules and regulations promulgated by the department shall make suitable provisions for the use by an applicant of the duplicate copy of his...
• Section 32-8-39 Contents and effect of certificate
  (a) Each certificate of title issued by the department shall contain: (1) The date issued; (2) The current legal name and current address of the...
• Section 32-8-40 Distinctive certificates for certain vehicles
  If the department is not satisfied that there are no undisclosed security interests created before this chapter takes effect in a previously registered vehicle, the...
• Section 32-8-41 Delivery of certificate
  The certificate of title shall be mailed to the first lienholder named in it or, if none, to the owner. If the certificate of title...
• Section 32-8-42 Refusing certificate
  The department shall refuse issuance of certificate of title if any required fee is not paid or if the department has reasonable grounds to believe...
• Section 32-8-43 Certificates lost, stolen, mutilated, etc
  (a) If a certificate of title is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed or becomes illegible, the first lienholder or, if none, the owner or legal...
• Section 32-8-44 Transfer of ownership - Generally
  (a) If an owner transfers his interest in a vehicle, other than by the creation of a security interest, he shall, at the time of...
• Section 32-8-45 Transfer of ownership - To or from dealer; records
  (a) If a dealer buys a vehicle and holds it for resale and procures the certificate of title from the owner or the lienholder within...
• Section 32-8-46 Transfer of ownership - By operation of law
  (a)(1) If the interest of an owner in a vehicle passes to another other than by voluntary transfer, the transferee shall, except as hereinafter provided...
• Section 32-8-47 Transfer of ownership - When department to issue new certificate
  (a) The department, upon receipt of a properly assigned certificate of title, with an application for a new certificate of title, the required fee and...
• Section 32-8-49 Suspension or revocation of certificates
  (a) The department shall suspend or revoke a certificate of title, subject to the appeal provisions of Chapter 2A of Title 40, when authorized by...
• Article 3 Security Interests.
• Section 32-8-60 Excepted liens and security interests
  This chapter does not apply to or affect any of the following: (1) A lien given by statute or rule of law to a supplier...
• Section 32-8-60.1 Security interest not created where rental price may be adjusted by reference to amount realized upon sale
  In the case of motor vehicles as defined in Section 32-8-2(10), notwithstanding any other provision of law, a transaction does not create a sale or...
• Section 32-8-61 Perfection of security interests
  (a) Unless excepted by this section, a security interest in a vehicle for which a certificate of title is required by the terms of this...
• Section 32-8-62 Procedure when owner creates security interest
  If an owner creates a security interest in a vehicle: (1) The owner shall immediately execute the application in the space provided therefor on the...
• Section 32-8-63 Assignment by lienholder
  (a) A lienholder may assign, absolutely or otherwise, his security interest in the vehicle to a person other than the owner without affecting the interest...
• Section 32-8-64 Release of security interest
  (a) Upon the satisfaction of a security interest in a vehicle for which the certificate of title is in the possession of the lienholder, he...
• Section 32-8-64.1 Satisfaction of security interest after 12 years
  Except for liens and security interests listed on certificates of title for manufactured homes, travel trailers, or vehicles that weigh more than 12,000 pounds gross...
• Section 32-8-64.2 Release of certain liens
  (a) Except for liens and security interests listed on certificates of title for travel trailers or vehicles that weigh more than 12,000 pounds gross weight,...
• Section 32-8-65 Duty of lienholder to disclose information
  A lienholder named in a certificate of title shall, upon written request of the owner or of another lienholder named on the certificate, disclose any...
• Section 32-8-66 Exclusiveness of procedure
  The method provided in this article of perfecting and giving notice of security interest in motor vehicles required to be titled under the terms of...
• Section 32-8-67 Filing and recording of notices of security interests; examination of record
  (a) The department shall file each notice of security interest received by the department with the required fee and maintain a record of all notices...
• Section 32-8-68 Recording and releasing security interests by electronic means
  Notwithstanding any requirement in this chapter that a lien on a motor vehicle shall be noted on the face of the certificate of title, if...
• Article 4 Antitheft Laws.
• Section 32-8-80 Exceptions from provisions of article
  This article does not apply to the following unless a title certificate has been issued on such vehicles under this chapter: (1) A vehicle moved...
• Section 32-8-81 Unauthorized use of vehicles
  A person not entitled to possession of a vehicle who, without the consent of the owner and with intent to deprive him or her, temporarily...
• Section 32-8-82 Unauthorized receiving or disposing of vehicles
  A person not entitled to the possession of a vehicle who receives, possesses, conceals, sells, or disposes of it, knowing it to be stolen or...
• Section 32-8-83 Unauthorized damaging or tampering with vehicles
  (a) A person who, willfully and without right to do so, damages a vehicle or damages or removes any of its parts or components is...
• Section 32-8-84 Unclaimed motor vehicles; suspension of registration of stolen or converted vehicles
  (a) The following shall be considered an unclaimed motor vehicle: (1) A motor vehicle left unattended on a public road or highway for more than...
• Section 32-8-85 False report of theft or conversion
  A person who knowingly makes a false report of the theft or conversion of a vehicle to a peace officer or to the department is...
• Section 32-8-86 Removed, falsified or unauthorized identification number, registration or license plate; seizure of vehicle, part, etc., when number altered, etc.; disposition of forfeited property
  (a) A person who willfully removes or falsifies an identification number of a vehicle, engine, transmission or other identifiable component part of a vehicle is...
• Section 32-8-87 Dismantling, destroying, changing identity of vehicle; certificate requirements; insurance claims; "total loss"; removal of identification numbers, plates, etc.; transfer of salvage vehicles; inspections; "component parts"; rebuilt vehicles; flood vehicles; online verifications
  (a) Each owner of a motor vehicle and each person mentioned as owner in the last certificate of title who scraps, dismantles, destroys, or changes...
• Section 32-8-88 Motor vehicle theft facility prohibited; definitions; seizure and forfeiture of property; disposition of proceeds of forfeiture sale
  (a) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) A theft facility means any area, building, storage lot, field, or any...

Last modified: May 3, 2021