HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — If you haven’t renewed your decal yet, listen up! Some folks online had a few questions about a few changes with renewal.
Keneisha Deas has the answers from this Verify segment.
THE QUESTION:
If you’ve taken a trip to the DMV to renew your license decal, you might’ve noticed the DMV handed you a newly designed license plate, with a new set of numbers!
A user on HuntsvilleAlabama Reddit said this:
"After paying the [decal] fee, the clerk hands me a new license plate, with a new number…"
The person then asks, "Are they really making people replace their old license plates and giving them new numbers, or was the clerk in error?"
THE SOURCES:
Madison County Services
Madison County License Director Mark Craig
THE ANSWER:
Yes, it is required for drivers to have a new license plate when they renew their decal. Alabama law requires the change every five years.
WHAT WE FOUND:
“Alabama law requires each style of plate to be changed every five years, and as many different styles is offered, something changes pretty much every year and this year the standard 47, this is the new one, is changing,” said Craig.
“Next January, all those people with the God bless America plate which is the other standard style, will be getting a new plate. So something’s changing all the time.”
Here’s a helpful tip when you do renew your license decal:
“If people are going to do it online or by mail, try to do it as early as possible because when mailing out the new metal plate, it’s slower getting back to your mailbox than just the decal,” said Mark.
Mark also says if a stylized license plate changes so does number unless you have a personalized plate.
Once the personalized plate is renewed it'll be the same tag number but the county office will have to order it to be produced on the new style background.
We also hear from Mark about Driver License Offices closing statewide from Monday, April 18, with plans to reopen Tuesday, April 26 for a new drivers license system.
The License department at the Madison County Service Center will be impacted. Mark said if whether or not the department will be closed during the duration of that week is yet to be confirmed.
Mark said the department knew of the system change, but wasn't aware the department would be closed.
"We didn't know it either until Governor Ivey, so looking forward to the new system. It's going to be a big upgrade compared to what we have. I know the users can do a lot more things. So it's going to be good. It's going to be a hassle being closed, you know anytime you're closed somebody needs your services but in the end it's going to be good."