Code of Alabama Title 32: Motor Vehicles and Traffic

The Code of Alabama Title 32 is the body of state law that governs motor vehicles and traffic, and it sets the rules behind almost every interaction you have with the road: getting a license, registering a car, carrying insurance, obeying speed and phone laws, and dealing with the aftermath of a crash. The Alabama Title 32 motor vehicle laws also fix the penalties when you break those rules, from a two-point speeding ticket to a DUI conviction carrying fines above $2,000 and a mandatory substance abuse program.

What follows is a practical walk-through of the parts of Title 32 drivers actually run into.

Getting and Keeping an Alabama License

Driving on an Alabama highway requires a valid driver’s license, with narrow statutory exceptions.¹ If you move here from another state, you have 30 days after establishing residency to switch to an Alabama license.² Non-residents can keep driving on a valid home-state license, though Alabama can still suspend that driving privilege for serious violations.

Licenses run four years. You can renew up to 180 days before expiration, and if you miss the date, a 60-day grace period keeps the expired license valid for renewal purposes.¹ Let it lapse more than three years and you’ll have to retake both the written and driving tests.

Drivers under 18 move through a three-stage graduated license: a learner’s permit held for at least six months, a Stage II restricted license at 16, and an unrestricted Stage III license.³ Stage II drivers can’t drive between midnight and 6:00 a.m. without a qualifying reason, can’t use any handheld communication device while driving, and face passenger limits beyond family members.⁴

Separately, if you plan to use your license to board a domestic flight or enter certain federal facilities, you’ll need Alabama’s REAL ID-compliant credential, called the STAR ID. It carries a gold star in the upper corner. A U.S. passport, passport card, or military ID also satisfies the federal requirement.⁵

The Point System and When You Lose Your License

Alabama tracks traffic violations through a point system kept by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). Points stay on your record for a rolling two-year window, and once you pass certain thresholds, your license is automatically suspended.⁶

12–14 points in two years: 60-day suspension
15–17 points: 90-day suspension
18–20 points: 120-day suspension
21–23 points: 180-day suspension
24 or more points: 365-day suspension

The individual point values add up faster than most people expect. Reckless driving is six points. So is an alcohol-related driving offense that doesn’t trigger mandatory revocation. Failing to yield the right-of-way or passing a stopped school bus is five points. Speeding 26 or more over the limit is five points; speeding 1 to 25 over is two. Most other moving violations, including improper lane changes and failure to signal, are two points.⁶ Two speeding tickets and a failure to yield inside a two-year window will put you at the 12-point suspension line.

Speed Limits by Road Type

Alabama sets statutory maximum speeds based on the kind of road you’re on:⁷

Interstate highways: 70 mph
Four-lane highways: 65 mph
Other non-interstate highways: 55 mph
County-maintained paved roads in unincorporated areas: 45 mph
Unpaved county roads: 35 mph
Urban districts (default): 30 mph
Residential areas: 25 mph
School zones: 15 mph

These are maximums for ideal conditions. Driving the posted limit through heavy rain or dense fog can still draw a citation if an officer concludes the speed was unsafe for conditions.

Phones Behind the Wheel

Two statutes govern phone use. The older one, Section 32-5A-350, prohibits any driver from manually writing, sending, or reading a text message while operating a vehicle on a public road. Fines are $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second, and $75 for a third or subsequent offense.

The hands-free law that took effect June 15, 2023, goes further. It is illegal to physically hold a cell phone or electronic device while driving if you are seen operating the vehicle in a distracted manner, which includes drifting between lanes, swerving, or otherwise driving erratically. Holding a phone to your ear, watching or recording video, and reaching for a device in a way that takes you out of a seated, belted driving position are all covered. A violation is a Class C misdemeanor with fines of up to $50 (first), $100 (second), and $150 (third or subsequent) inside a 24-month period. Each conviction also adds points to your record, from one for a first offense up to three for a third or subsequent.

The Move Over Law

When you approach a stopped vehicle on the roadside with flashing lights, the Move Over Act requires you to act. The law covers emergency vehicles, law enforcement, wreckers with amber lights, utility service vehicles, and garbage or recycling trucks actively collecting.⁸

On a road with two or more lanes going your direction, move into a lane not immediately next to the stopped vehicle. If you can’t safely change lanes, slow to at least 15 mph below the posted limit. On a two-lane road, move as far away within your lane as possible and reduce speed to 15 mph below the posted limit, or to 10 mph if the posted limit is 20 mph or less.⁸ Fines are $100 for a first violation, $150 for a second, and $200 for a third or subsequent.

Reckless Driving and DUI

Reckless driving means operating a vehicle with a disregard for the safety of others, at a speed or in a manner likely to endanger people or property. It’s a misdemeanor.⁹ A first conviction carries 5 to 90 days in jail, a fine of $25 to $500, or both, plus six points on your record. That one conviction puts you halfway to a license suspension.⁶

DUI is defined as driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or greater, or while under the influence of alcohol, a controlled substance, or any impairing substance to a degree that renders you incapable of safely driving. A first conviction carries a fine of $600 to $2,100, up to one year in county or municipal jail, or both. ALEA will suspend your license for 90 days, though the suspension can be stayed if you install and use an approved ignition interlock device for that 90-day period.¹⁰ Every person convicted has to complete a DUI or substance abuse program approved by the Administrative Office of Courts, and ALEA won’t reissue your license until you prove you’ve finished it.

If you’re over 21 and convicted of DUI with a child under 14 in the vehicle, the court must sentence you to at least double the minimum punishment that would otherwise apply. The enhancement doesn’t extend the required ignition interlock duration.¹⁰ Repeat DUI convictions escalate sharply, with longer mandatory jail time, higher fines, extended license revocations, and mandatory interlock installation.

Insurance, Registration, and Driving Uninsured

Every vehicle designed for highway use has to be registered and display a current license plate, renewed annually through your local licensing official. Ownership transfers go through the Uniform Certificate of Title system in Chapter 8.

The Mandatory Liability Insurance law requires every registered vehicle to carry insurance meeting state minimums, or to be backed by a liability bond or a cash deposit with the State Treasurer.¹¹ The minimums are:¹²

$25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person
$50,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more persons in a single accident
$25,000 for property damage

Law enforcement can confirm coverage through an online verification system or by asking for a current insurance card. If a vehicle comes up uninsured, the state suspends its registration. Lifting a first-offense suspension requires a $200 reinstatement fee and proof of current coverage. A second or later violation within two registration years raises the reinstatement fee to $400.¹³

After a Crash: What You Have to Do

Title 32 puts two separate duties on drivers involved in an accident.

At the scene, if the crash involves injury, death, or damage to an attended vehicle, you must stop immediately at or as close to the scene as possible and remain until you’ve exchanged required information.¹⁴ If no one looks injured and you aren’t impaired, you can move a drivable vehicle out of traffic. A vehicle involved in a crash with injuries or fatalities can’t be moved until law enforcement directs you to. Leaving the scene in violation of this section can result in revocation of your driver’s license.

Within 30 days, if the accident involved any injury, death, or property damage over $250, you also have to file a written report with the Director of Public Safety.¹⁵

The Safety Responsibility Act can add consequences if you were uninsured at the time of the crash. You may be required to demonstrate proof of financial responsibility to cover any resulting claims, and failing to do so can lead to suspension of both your license and vehicle registration until you satisfy the obligation or provide proof of future financial responsibility.

1
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-1 – Required; Expiration Date; Renewal; Identification Cards for Nondrivers
2
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Driver License Information
3
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-7.2 – Restrictions on Issuance to Persons Under 18
4
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Graduated Driver License
5
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Star ID
6
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Driver License Point System
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Speed Limits
8
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Alabama Move Over Act
9
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-5A-190 – Reckless Driving
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Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-5A-191 – Driving While Under Influence of Alcohol, Controlled Substances, etc.
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Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-7A-4 – Liability Insurance Required
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Alabama Department of Revenue. Mandatory Liability Insurance
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Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-7A-12 – Suspension of Registration
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Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-10-1 – Duties of Driver Involved in Motor Vehicle Accident
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Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-7-5 – Report Required Following Accident