County Specific Car Registration/Tags? (Montgomery, Huntsville: sales, 2009, assessors)

[Air Force JAG]

I am active duty Air Force and am going to be stationed at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery in January. I'm planning on getting getting an AL driver's license, tags/title/registration, but am wondering if that is something I need to do in Montgomery County or if it can be done in Madison County.

The reason I ask is that I plan on staying with a friend in Huntsville for roughly a week prior till I officially start at Maxwell. I would like to avoid having to make the 3 hour trek to Montgomery simply for DMV related chores.

Thanks!

Edit: I have to register/plate the car in Alabama as I am buying a used car in Illinois (current legal residence) just prior to PCSing to Maxwell. As a result, I will only have my Temp Tags and no registration. Illinois Sales Tax for cars is insane and I'll save a bundle by waiting to do it in AL.

[jtur88]

Years ago, I lived in Huntsville , and I knew people who plated their car in Athens, which was a lot cheaper. I don't know if it still the case, but worth checking. Kansas tried to enforce county registrations at one time, but failed. I think, legally, you are only required to be plated in the state of a legitimate residence, but county tax assessors might have some clout. If you are in the military, it won't matter, because you are allowed to even keep out of state plates if you want to. As long as you have a mailing address in Huntsville that can receive your new title, etc., you'll be fine. But check first and see if it s alot cheaper in Montgomery, it used to vary by county. Don't worry about being in a hurry---if you currently have tags, DL in another statey, you can drive in AL legally as long as you are military, and probably forever, even if you are not, unless youre in a small town where the cops recognize your car.

[Air Force JAG]

Thought I would bump this back up and see if anyone else could throw their $.02 in!

[amsa526]

I am moving from CA to AL.
If I just recently registered my van in CA and still have 6 months left, do I have to pay full price for registering the vehicle again in AL (Huntsville/Madison)?

[mm42]

License Department - Tags

[Charles]

Originally Posted by amsa526

I am moving from CA to AL.
If I just recently registered my van in CA and still have 6 months left, do I have to pay full price for registering the vehicle again in AL (Huntsville/Madison)?

We moved from Colorado to Huntsville in August. Our CO tags don't expire until Feb and May. We still drive around with our CO plates on (and our California plates in the front of each car). I wanted to register at the last minute too and also, I wanted to be able to get the new Alabama license plates available in 2009.

[SammieS]

Here is a link to the State of Alabama Motor Vehicle registration
Motor Vehicle - Registration Section

Charles, According to Alabama MV, when you move here from another state, you have 30 days to register your vehicle with Alabama. When we moved here and registered our car, we were asked when we moved to Alabama.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by Charles

We moved from Colorado to Huntsville in August. Our CO tags don't expire until Feb and May. We still drive around with our CO plates on (and our California plates in the front of each car). I wanted to register at the last minute too and also, I wanted to be able to get the new Alabama license plates available in 2009.

Charles,

Check into see if your company pays for your vehicle registration fees as part of relo package.

[mm42]

Also, if you work on the arsenal there is a tag and driver's license office at the PX. These are open to anyone with arsenal access, not just military. They have no lines, but very limited days/hours.

You cannot transfer an out-of-state driver's license there - you have to go downtown and be treated like a criminal. You can transfer the out-of-state tag there.