How much does a clear title cost in Alabama?

$15.00 non-refundable replacement title application fee; printing an existing ELT is free. Confirm the current fee with the Alabama title agency before you apply.

Alabama lien release

Paid off your car in Alabama? How the lien comes off the title

If the lender is set up for ELT, the lien is recorded electronically; otherwise the lienholder holds the paper title. When the loan is satisfied, the lienholder must release the lien within 10 days after the owner's demand (Ala. Code 32-8-64), either by signing the release space on the paper title or, under Department rules, on form MVT 5-63 or a signed letterhead release that lists the VIN, owner names and release date, and then hand the title and release to the owner (or the next lienholder). The owner then sends the certificate and release to the Department of Revenue, which releases the lienholder's rights or issues a new title.

See the Alabama steps Lender out of business?

Checked against official Alabama sourcesLast reviewed Sep 28, 2026. Every fact below links to its source at the end of the page.

After the last payment

What happens to the title in Alabama

Alabama issues an electronic lien and title (ELT) when the lender is set up as a designated agent of the Department of Revenue; a printed copy of an existing ELT costs nothing, but an ELT can be printed on title paper only once.

Your steps

Getting a clear Alabama title

Fee: $15.00 non-refundable replacement title application fee; printing an existing ELT is free.

Confirm the final payment has posted, then ask the lender in writing for the lien release. Under state law, the 10-day clock starts on your demand.
If you hold a paper title, check that the lienholder signed the release space; if the title is lost or unavailable, ask the lender for a release on form MVT 5-63 or a signed letterhead release with the VIN, owner names, date and authorized signature.
If the lender released electronically (ELT), ask the Department of Revenue or a designated agent how to have the title printed; Alabama says there is no charge to print an existing ELT.
Send the title and lien release to the Alabama Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division so the lien is released or a new title is issued in your name.
If you already have a lien-released title and later lose it, get a lien release statement from the former lienholder before applying for a replacement title through the Public Title Portal or a designated agent.

If the lender is slow

How long the lender has

Alabama gives the lienholder 10 days after payoff.

The lienholder holding the paper title must execute a release within 10 days after the owner's demand once the security interest is satisfied. Source: Ala. Code 32-8-64.

Lender gone or unreachable

If the lienholder is out of business

Compare other states' procedures

Under Department of Revenue rule 810-5-75-.21, when the lienholder recorded on the title is no longer in business and a replacement title is needed, the owner may submit an owner affidavit citing the VIN and stating the lien is satisfied and the lienholder is out of business, an unopened envelope sent to the lienholder's last known address by certified mail with return receipt, and evidence that the lien was paid. Travel trailers, manufactured homes and vehicles over 12,000 pounds GVW need a surety bond instead. Separately, a recorded lien on an ordinary vehicle is treated as satisfied 12 years after the security agreement date (4 years if the vehicle is 12 or more model years old) unless the lienholder filed a continuation on form MVT 5-64.

Optional paid help

Get the Alabama lien release finished

Your loan is paid off but the title, the release, or the Alabama record still isn't right. We check the path and do the paperwork with you.

We find the release path for your state and lender from official sources.
We prepare the lien release or clear-title request, and any state form, for you to sign and send.
We track the lender and the state until the record shows the lien released.

One-time $89 for a paid-off loan whose title still shows the lien. We show the work, terms, exclusions, and delivery date before payment.

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By lender

What your lender says about payoff

Each page covers what the lender publishes about releasing the lien, timing, and contacts.

Official sources

The Alabama rules behind this page

Recheck the agency page before you apply. Statute copies from third-party sites are labelled.

Alabama title after payoff questions

How long does a lender have to release a lien in Alabama?: The lienholder holding the paper title must execute a release within 10 days after the owner's demand once the security interest is satisfied. Source: Ala. Code 32-8-64.
Will Alabama mail me the title after I pay off the loan?: If the lender is set up for ELT, the lien is recorded electronically; otherwise the lienholder holds the paper title. When the loan is satisfied, the lienholder must release the lien within 10 days after the owner's demand (Ala. Code 32-8-64), either by signing the release space on the paper title or, under Department rules, on form MVT 5-63 or a signed letterhead release that lists the VIN, owner names and release date, and then hand the title and release to the owner (or the next lienholder). The owner then sends the certificate and release to the Department of Revenue, which releases the lienholder's rights or issues a new title. Alabama issues an electronic lien and title (ELT) when the lender is set up as a designated agent of the Department of Revenue; a printed copy of an existing ELT costs nothing, but an ELT can be printed on title paper only once.
What if my lender went out of business?: Under Department of Revenue rule 810-5-75-.21, when the lienholder recorded on the title is no longer in business and a replacement title is needed, the owner may submit an owner affidavit citing the VIN and stating the lien is satisfied and the lienholder is out of business, an unopened envelope sent to the lienholder's last known address by certified mail with return receipt, and evidence that the lien was paid. Travel trailers, manufactured homes and vehicles over 12,000 pounds GVW need a surety bond instead. Separately, a recorded lien on an ordinary vehicle is treated as satisfied 12 years after the security agreement date (4 years if the vehicle is 12 or more model years old) unless the lienholder filed a continuation on form MVT 5-64.
How much does a clear title cost in Alabama?: $15.00 non-refundable replacement title application fee; printing an existing ELT is free. Confirm the current fee with the Alabama title agency before you apply.