Alabama county codes are the two-digit numbers (01 through 67) that the state assigns to each of its 67 counties and uses on license plates, vehicle registrations, and sales and use tax filings. Jefferson, Mobile, and Montgomery hold 01, 02, and 03 because they were the three most populous counties when the system was set up. Every other county is numbered alphabetically, from Autauga at 04 to Winston at 67.
Full List of Alabama County Codes
The three population-based codes:
- 01: Jefferson
- 02: Mobile
- 03: Montgomery
The remaining 64 counties, in alphabetical order:
- 04: Autauga
- 05: Baldwin
- 06: Barbour
- 07: Bibb
- 08: Blount
- 09: Bullock
- 10: Butler
- 11: Calhoun
- 12: Chambers
- 13: Cherokee
- 14: Chilton
- 15: Choctaw
- 16: Clarke
- 17: Clay
- 18: Cleburne
- 19: Coffee
- 20: Colbert
- 21: Conecuh
- 22: Coosa
- 23: Covington
- 24: Crenshaw
- 25: Cullman
- 26: Dale
- 27: Dallas
- 28: DeKalb
- 29: Elmore
- 30: Escambia
- 31: Etowah
- 32: Fayette
- 33: Franklin
- 34: Geneva
- 35: Greene
- 36: Hale
- 37: Henry
- 38: Houston
- 39: Jackson
- 40: Lamar
- 41: Lauderdale
- 42: Lawrence
- 43: Lee
- 44: Limestone
- 45: Lowndes
- 46: Macon
- 47: Madison
- 48: Marengo
- 49: Marion
- 50: Marshall
- 51: Monroe
- 52: Morgan
- 53: Perry
- 54: Pickens
- 55: Pike
- 56: Randolph
- 57: Russell
- 58: Shelby
- 59: St. Clair
- 60: Sumter
- 61: Talladega
- 62: Tallapoosa
- 63: Tuscaloosa
- 64: Walker
- 65: Washington
- 66: Wilcox
- 67: Winston
How the Numbers Were Assigned
The scheme is written into the statute that governs Alabama license plate design. Jefferson, Mobile, and Montgomery took codes 1 through 3 as the largest counties at the time the system was created. The other 64 counties were then ranked alphabetically and given codes 4 through 67.1Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-64 – License Plate Design; Numbering, Sponsoring, and Manufacturing of License Plates; Release of Personal Information; Reissuance The full roster of counties is set out in the Code of Alabama.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 11-1-1 – Number and Names of Counties
One pair of codes looks out of order. Shelby County is 58 and St. Clair County is 59, even though “Saint” would come well before “Shelby” alphabetically. The list sorted “St. Clair” by the abbreviation “St.” rather than the spelled-out “Saint,” and “St” falls after “Sh.” Everything else is straight A-to-Z.
Where the Code Appears
On License Plates
On a standard Alabama tag, the county code is the numeric prefix at the start of the plate number. A car registered in Etowah County starts with 31; a car registered in Baldwin starts with 05. The statute requires the county-designating characters to be numeric and at least two and three-quarters inches tall.1Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-64 – License Plate Design; Numbering, Sponsoring, and Manufacturing of License Plates; Release of Personal Information; Reissuance
In How Registration Fees Are Distributed
The prefix also drives where your registration dollars go. Passenger car and pickup registration fees run from $23 to $105. After $10 goes to the state general fund for law enforcement, the remainder is split 72% to the Public Road and Bridge Fund, 21% to the vehicle owner’s city or county of residence, and 7% shared among cities and counties statewide.3Alabama Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Registration Fees A standard passenger plate is $23 plus a $1.25 issuance fee, with local fees and ad valorem tax added by the county licensing office.4Alabama Department of Revenue. General – Registration FAQs
In Ad Valorem Tax
Alabama charges an annual ad valorem (property) tax on motor vehicles calculated from the vehicle’s market value, an assessment ratio, and a millage rate. The county code on the plate determines which county’s millage rate applies, so two identical vehicles registered in different counties can end up with different tax bills.5Alabama Department of Revenue. Vehicle Valuation
On Sales and Use Tax Returns
Businesses filing Alabama sales and use tax returns pick a county code (often paired with a municipal code) to identify the local rate they collected. Local sales tax rates vary widely across the 67 counties and their cities, sitting on top of the state’s 4% rate. My Alabama Taxes (MAT), the state’s online filing portal, uses those codes to route each payment to the correct local government, so a wrong code sends revenue to the wrong jurisdiction.6Alabama Department of Revenue. E-Filing, Payments and Assistance
Looking Up or Verifying a Code
The Alabama Department of Revenue publishes free tools for confirming county codes and the local tax rates that go with them:
- City and County Rate and Code Explanations, a reference document listing all 67 county codes alongside the local sales, use, rental, and lodgings tax rates.7Alabama Department of Revenue. City and County Rate and Code Explanations
- An address-based tax rate search that returns the applicable county code, municipal code, and combined rate for any Alabama street address.8Alabama Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax Rates
- Downloadable rate schedules broken out by county and city, available on the ADOR sales and use tax page.
For a vehicle-specific question, the local license plate issuing office (usually the county revenue commissioner or probate judge) can confirm the code and calculate the full amount due, including ad valorem tax.