Three unrelated affidavits printed on one sheet, chosen by a tick at the head of each. The first is the one a seller meets: an affidavit of non-use, certifying that a vehicle has not been used or operated on any public street, road or highway during a stated registration period. It is what stands between a car that has sat behind the house for two years and the delinquent registration penalty that would otherwise be waiting when it is sold.
Written against MVR-10 (1/20), issued under Code of Ala. 1975, Sections 40-12-260 and 13A-10-102.
The non-use affidavit protects the registrant, not the buyer. If you sell a long-parked car without dealing with the gap, the person applying for the title inherits the argument at the counter - and they will telephone you from the queue. Sort the affidavit out before the sale, not after.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank MVR-10 from the revenue.alabama.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
This is the actual MVR-10, rendered from the PDF the Alabama Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division publishes and completed end to end: letterhead, every field, and the blocks at the foot.
Amber — you write it
Grey — not yours to fill
Numbered — explained below
One sheet and three separate affidavits. Mark the square beside AFFIDAVIT OF NON-USE in ink before you start - it is the only thing on this sheet the sample leaves to you - and the block that gets used most often at a county counter is the third one, five blank lines for whatever the licensing official has asked you to put in writing.
Field by field
Every line, in the order you meet it
1
You fill this in
Tick affidavit of non-use
The box at the head of the first block. Leave the other two alone unless they also apply.
Watch out: The three blocks are independent. Ticking two is unusual but not wrong; ticking none makes the sheet meaningless.
2
You fill this in
Year, make and vehicle identification number
Three fields inside the first block's opening sentence.
Watch out: The sentence around them begins I am the lawful and true owner of the vehicle described as, so this is an ownership claim as well as a description.
3
You fill this in
The non-use period
Two dates, from and through, covering the whole time the vehicle was off the road.
Watch out: Be honest about the start. A period that begins the day the registration expired is the usual answer, and it is easier to defend than a round number.
4
You fill this in
Legal resident affidavit
The second block, if the licensing official has asked you to prove Alabama residency: address, county, city, state and ZIP.
Watch out: County is asked for here and nowhere else on the sheet. Registration is a county transaction and this is the field that decides which one.
5
You fill this in
General affidavit
Five ruled lines for facts within your own knowledge, in the third block.
Watch out: Write what happened, plainly, and stop. This is where a name variance or a missing link in a chain of ownership gets explained, and short beats eloquent.
6
You fill this in
Owner's name and driver licence number
One row near the foot of the page.
Watch out: The licence number is how the county ties the affidavit to a person. A vehicle owned by an estate or a company needs a different conversation.
7
You fill this in
Owner's signature and date
Sign and date under the perjury paragraph.
Watch out: That paragraph names Section 13A-10-102 and a class A misdemeanor. It is the strongest warning printed on any ordinary Alabama motor vehicle form, and it is on this one because the sheet is mostly free text.
At a glance
What goes where
On the form
What to put in it
Affidavit of non-use
A tick, then year, make and vehicle identification number, then two dates - a from and a through - covering the period the vehicle was off the road. The printed sentence explains what it buys: an exemption from the penalty, if applicable, during the period cited above.
Legal resident affidavit
The second tick. A sworn statement of Alabama residency with a full address, county, city, state and ZIP. It exists because registration follows the county the owner lives in.
General affidavit
The third tick and five ruled lines: I, the undersigned, have knowledge of the following facts and as such am authorized to make this affidavit. This is the block that carries a name variance, an explanation of a gap in a chain of ownership, or anything else the licensing official has asked to be put in writing.
The perjury warning
A paragraph across the foot of the page citing Section 13A-10-102 - that a false oath which misleads a public servant in the performance of his or her duty is a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year and/or a fine of not more than $2,000.00 - and adding that the official accepting it, the Department, the Examiners of Public Accounts or any law enforcement agency may investigate.
Owner's name and driver licence number
One row above the signature.
Owner's signature and date
The last line on the sheet.
What gets this one rejected
•Ticking nothing. The three blocks are alternatives and an untick sheet is an affidavit about nothing.
•A non-use period that includes days the car was driven. The certification is that it has not been used or operated on any public street, road or highway during the whole stated period, and it is sworn.
•Claiming non-use to escape ad valorem tax rather than a registration penalty. The printed sentence limits what the affidavit does to the penalty, if applicable.
•A general affidavit that says nothing checkable. The five lines are for facts within your personal knowledge, and the block says so.
•A signature with no driver licence number beside it. The row above the signature asks for both.
Rules that decide whether it is accepted
•Why an Alabama car accrues a penalty while parked. Registration renews in a month set by the first letter of the owner's surname, and Section 40-12-260 charges a flat delinquency penalty plus interest on anyone who fails to renew in that designated renewal month. A car nobody has driven still has a renewal month.
•Non-use is claimed, not assumed. Nothing happens automatically. The affidavit is presented to the licensing official, who decides whether the penalty applies - which is why the from and through dates need to be the real ones.
•The general affidavit is the county's workhorse. Half the awkward situations in this whole section end at a licensing official saying put that in writing. This is the sheet they mean.
