Sell your car in Tuscaloosa: running, storm-damaged or won't start
Where your car sits in Tuscaloosa decides which local rules apply while you sell it. A car in a University of Alabama lot falls under UA Parking Services, and a buyer who lives in the county registers it at one of the four Tuscaloosa County License Commission offices. Describe your car online for a cash offer, and we come to you, from campus to Northport and out to Vance.
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Before the car leaves a UA lot
- Keep the plate on until pickup. UA can impound a car on campus with no visible license plate or VIN right away and hold it until ownership is proven.
- Take the hangtag down. UA permits can't be given, resold or transferred, and the permit holder is responsible for any ticket written while it hangs in the car.
- Broken window or a soft top? If the car can't be locked while it waits, UA lets you bring the permit to the Parking Services office. It stays on file there, and a system notification is placed on your registered plate (UA parking rules).
Where we pick up around Tuscaloosa
Pickup covers Tuscaloosa and the UA campus, Northport, and the rest of the county out to Vance, Brookwood and Coker, plus Moundville. A house driveway, an apartment lot or the parking lot at work all get the same pickup and the same offer.
Commuter permit? UA strictly prohibits overnight parking in its commuter lots, so if the car has to sit overnight before pickup, keep it at home.
Leaving UA in December with a car and a permit
UA's fall 2026 commencement is Friday, December 11, at Coleman Coliseum (UA commencement). If you leave in December and aren't coming back for spring, Parking Services will take back a fall 2026 student permit for a partial refund through January 15, 2027. Return it in person at the Parking Services office in the Transportation Hub Deck, 315 Hackberry Lane, or mail it to Parking Services, Box 870179, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. Either way, UA switches the permit off when you leave the university (UA parking rules).
If you're selling the car before you go, you can lock in your offer early and set pickup for the week you leave. The number holds, and the timing is yours.
Cash for your car in Tuscaloosa
A car that won't start in a campus lot can't be repaired where it sits. UA's rules say vehicle maintenance is not permitted on campus, and a car parked outside the rules can be cited, towed or impounded. After a tow, UA can charge $5 a day in storage after the third school day, and an impounded car nobody claims within 30 days falls under the State of Alabama abandonment code (UA parking rules).
You can get an offer on that car, and on one that is simply old, wrecked or hail- or storm-damaged, wherever it sits in town. If it's a junk car in Tuscaloosa that is worth more for parts than to drive, it can go as a junk car sale, picked up from the lot or driveway where it stopped.
If it won't start because the engine gave out, selling a car with a blown or seized engine helps you figure out how bad the problem is. For hail dents or crash damage, selling a hail- or accident-damaged car covers whether to fix it first or sell it as it is.
Main Office, Skyland, Northport or Vance
- •The Tuscaloosa County License Commission runs the county licensing offices most people call the Alabama DMV. Its Main Office is at 2501 7th St., Suite 100, open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (Tuscaloosa County)
- •The Skyland office at 1514 Skyland Blvd. E. keeps the same hours. The Northport office at 3500 McFarland Blvd. is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- •The Vance office at 17710 Vance Municipal Dr. is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closes from noon to 1 p.m.
- •No office takes a title application in the last 30 minutes before closing.
Asked by Tuscaloosa sellers
What does the Tuscaloosa County license office ask a buyer to bring?
When an Alabama title changes hands, the county's title page lists the original title signed over to the buyer, a bill of sale, an unexpired driver's license for each buyer, and an Alabama insurance card on paper, not on a phone. A car on an out-of-state title has to be brought to the office for inspection, and the office does not inspect cars in the rain.
Which Tuscaloosa County office can fix a title problem?
Only the Main Office on 7th Street. The Northport, Skyland and Vance offices don't handle title problems or corrections, abandoned vehicle titles, surety bond titles or court order titles. If the name on the title isn't yours, tell us up front and we'll walk the sequence with you.
Do I get any of my car tax back after I sell in Tuscaloosa County?
You can apply for a prorated credit of the ad valorem tax you already paid for the rest of the period. The county says the credit can only be claimed in the county where the plate was bought, so a Tuscaloosa County plate means a Tuscaloosa County office, and you have up to 12 months from the sale. The credit can go toward the tax on a replacement or another vehicle you get; if you don't use it when you apply, the county mails you a refund check. For a private sale, bring the bill of sale or an affidavit naming the buyer and address.
Can I leave my car on campus over the summer instead of selling it?
Only after asking UA. Students who aren't enrolled in the summer term and want to store a car on campus must contact Parking Services at uapark@ua.edu for instructions before they leave it.
Before the title goes to a county office, sign it over the way our Alabama selling guide shows.