Code of Alabama Title 32: Motor Vehicles and Traffic

Alabama’s motor vehicle laws live in Title 32 of the Code of Alabama, and they cover almost everything you do behind the wheel: getting and keeping a license, insuring your car, obeying speed limits and traffic signals, staying off your phone, and handling a crash if one happens. Break these rules and the consequences range from a two-point speeding ticket to a DUI conviction with fines above $2,000 and a mandatory substance abuse program. What follows is a practical guide to the parts of Title 32 most drivers actually run into.

Getting and Keeping an Alabama License

Every person who drives on Alabama’s highways must hold a valid driver’s license, with limited statutory exceptions.¹ If you move to Alabama, you have 30 days after establishing residency to trade your out-of-state license for an Alabama one.² Visitors with a valid license from home can drive here without a separate Alabama credential, though the state can still suspend that driving privilege for serious violations.

Renewed licenses are good for four years. You can renew starting 180 days before yours expires, and if you miss the deadline, you get a 60-day grace period in which the expired card still counts for renewal.¹ Let it lapse more than three years past expiration and you will have to retake both the written and driving tests.

Rules for Drivers Under 18

Alabama uses a three-stage graduated licensing system for younger drivers.³ Stage I is the learner’s permit, which you must hold for at least six months. Stage II, the restricted license, is available at 16 with parental consent and either 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice or an approved driver education course. Drivers who are 16, or who are 17 and have been licensed less than six months, automatically fall under Stage II restrictions. Stage III is the standard unrestricted license.

Stage II carries real limits. You cannot drive between midnight and 6:00 a.m. unless you fit one of several exceptions: you are accompanied by a parent, guardian, or a licensed driver over 21 with parental permission; you are traveling to or from work, school, or a religious event; you are responding to a medical, fire, or law enforcement emergency; or you are going to or from a hunting or fishing activity with a valid license for that activity on you.⁴ Stage II drivers also cannot use any handheld communication device while driving and face passenger limits beyond family members.³

How Points Work

ALEA tracks moving violations through a point system, and points stay on your record on a two-year rolling basis. Cross a threshold and your license is suspended automatically:⁵

12–14 points: 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

Point values add up faster than most drivers expect. Reckless driving and alcohol-related driving offenses that don’t require mandatory revocation each carry six points. Failing to yield the right-of-way or passing a stopped school bus is five points. Speeding 26 or more mph 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, carry two points.⁵ A couple of speeding tickets and a failure to yield within two years can put you at the 12-point suspension line.

Speed Limits

Alabama’s default speed limits depend on where you are driving.⁶ Urban districts are 30 mph unless posted otherwise. County-maintained paved roads in unincorporated areas are 45 mph, unpaved county roads are 35 mph, and most other non-interstate highways are 55 mph. Four-lane highways go up to 65 mph, and interstates top out at 70 mph. Residential areas are posted at 25 mph and school zones at 15 mph. These are maximums under ideal conditions. Driving the posted limit in heavy rain or dense fog can still earn you a citation if an officer decides the speed was unsafe.

Phones and Distracted Driving

Two overlapping statutes govern phones behind the wheel. The older law, Section 32-5A-350, prohibits manually writing, sending, or reading text messages while driving on any public road. Fines run $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second, and $75 for a third or later violation.

The hands-free law took effect June 15, 2023, and reaches further. It is illegal to physically hold a cell phone or other electronic device while driving if you are observed driving in a distracted manner, such as drifting between lanes or swerving. Prohibited behaviors include 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. The offense is a Class C misdemeanor with fines up to $50 for a first violation, $100 for a second, and $150 for a third or later conviction within a 24-month period. Convictions also add points to your record, from one point for a first offense up to three points for a third.

The Move Over Law

When you approach certain vehicles stopped on the roadside with flashing lights, Alabama’s Move Over Act requires you to act. Covered vehicles include emergency vehicles, law enforcement, wreckers with amber lights, utility service vehicles, and garbage or recycling trucks actively collecting.⁷

On a road with two or more lanes going your direction, move into a lane that is not next to the stopped vehicle. If you cannot 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 slow to 15 mph below the posted limit, or to 10 mph if the posted limit is 20 mph or less.⁷ Fines start at $100 for a first violation, rise to $150 for a second, and reach $200 for a third or later offense.

Reckless Driving

Reckless driving means operating a vehicle with disregard for the safety of others, at a speed or in a manner likely to endanger persons or property. It is a misdemeanor.⁸ A first conviction carries 5 to 90 days in jail, a fine of $25 to $500, or both, plus six points on your record, which by itself puts you halfway to a suspension.⁵

Driving Under the Influence

Alabama’s DUI statute makes it illegal to drive 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 driving safely.⁹

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; the suspension can be stayed if you install and use an approved ignition interlock device for that period.⁹ Every person convicted must complete a DUI or substance abuse program approved by the Administrative Office of Courts, and ALEA will not reissue your license without proof of completion.

If you are over 21 and convicted of DUI with a child under 14 in the vehicle, the court must impose at least double the minimum punishment that would otherwise apply, though the required duration of the ignition interlock device does not change.⁹ Repeat offenses bring longer mandatory jail time, higher fines, extended revocations, and mandatory ignition interlock installation.

Mandatory Insurance

Chapter 7A requires every registered vehicle to carry liability insurance meeting statutory minimums, or to be covered by a liability bond or cash deposit with the State Treasurer.¹⁰ The minimums are:¹¹

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

Officers can verify insurance through an online system or by asking for your current insurance card. If your vehicle is found uninsured, the state suspends its registration. Ending a first suspension costs a $200 reinstatement fee plus proof of current insurance. A second or later violation within two registration years raises the reinstatement fee to $400.¹²

What to Do After an Accident

Title 32 puts two separate duties on drivers after a crash.

At the scene, Chapter 10 controls. If you are in any accident that causes injury, death, or damage to an attended vehicle, you must stop immediately at or as near the scene as possible and stay there until you have exchanged the required information with other parties.¹³ If no one appears hurt and you are not impaired, you may move a drivable vehicle to the shoulder or median to clear traffic. A vehicle involved in a crash with injuries or fatalities may not be moved until law enforcement directs it. Leaving the scene in violation of this section can cost you your license.

Chapter 7 layers a written report on top of that. If the accident involves any injury, death, or property damage over $250, you must file a written report with the Director of Public Safety within 30 days.¹⁴ The Safety Responsibility Act, also in Chapter 7, can pile on additional consequences if you were uninsured when the crash happened: you may have to demonstrate proof of financial responsibility to cover claims, and failing to do so can lead to suspension of both your license and your registration until you satisfy the obligation or show proof of future financial responsibility.

A Note on STAR ID

Alabama’s STAR ID is a federally compliant version of the driver’s license or ID card, marked by a gold star in the upper corner. It is not required to drive in Alabama. As of May 7, 2025, though, anyone 18 or older needs a STAR ID or another REAL ID-acceptable credential, such as a valid U.S. passport, passport card, or military ID, to board a domestic commercial flight or enter certain federal facilities. Any Alabama license or ID issued on or after April 25, 2022, that is not a STAR ID carries the words “Not for Federal Identification” across the top.¹⁵

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. Driver License Point System
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Speed Limits
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Alabama Move Over Act
8
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.
10
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-7A-4 – Liability Insurance Required
11
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
15
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Star ID