Alabama Reinstatement Fee

ALEA Reinstatement Fees by Suspension Type

The fee you pay to reinstate your Alabama driver's license depends entirely on why it was suspended or revoked in the first place. ALEA doesn't charge a flat rate — there's a different fee for each category, and surcharges stack on top for certain offenses.

Here's the complete fee schedule as set by Code of Alabama § 32-6-17:

These are ALEA administrative fees only. They don't include any fines owed to courts, fees owed to the Department of Revenue for insurance lapse violations, or the cost of the physical license card itself ($31.25 to $36.25).

Fees Stack When You Have Multiple Holds

A driver with a DUI-related revocation who also failed to surrender their license and needs an interlock credential could face:

• $275 (alcohol- or drug-related revocation)
• $25 (additional drug-related fee, if applicable)
• $50 (failure to surrender)
• $150 (interlock restricted license)

That's $475 in ALEA fees for an alcohol-related example, or $500 if the additional drug-related fee applies, before counting court fines, insurance filing costs, or the interlock device lease.

If you also have a child support hold, add another $50. If you have a separate insurance lapse through the Department of Revenue, that's $200 or $400 depending on whether it's a first or subsequent offense — paid to a different agency entirely.

Where and How to Pay

ALEA accepts reinstatement fee payments through two channels:

Online — through the official ALEA portal using a major credit card. This is the fastest option for straightforward cases where all underlying holds are already cleared.

In person — at any of ALEA's ten regional Reinstatement Offices. Accepted payment methods include cash, credit card, cashier's check, and money order. Personal checks are not accepted.

The regional offices are located in Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile, Tuscaloosa, Dothan, Opelika, Jacksonville, Sheffield, and Foley. These are separate from standard county probate licensing bureaus — county offices cannot process reinstatements.

Pay the Fee Only After Clearing All Holds

This is where many drivers waste money. Paying ALEA's reinstatement fee before clearing the underlying court hold, insurance lapse, or child support hold means your payment goes through but your license remains suspended. ALEA processes the fee regardless of whether the hold has been lifted by the originating agency.

The correct sequence is always: identify all holds on your driver abstract → clear each hold through the agency that controls it → then pay ALEA's reinstatement fee → then get your physical license reissued.

DUI Reinstatement Fee vs. Standard Fee

The $175 difference between a standard revocation ($175) and an alcohol-related revocation ($275) isn't just about the base fee. A drug-related offense can also incur the $25 additional drug-related fee, and most DUI cases require the $150 interlock restricted license fee on top of that. A first-offense DUI driver with an interlock restricted license typically pays at least $425 in ALEA fees alone.

For repeat DUI offenses, the same fee structure applies per reinstatement event, but the mandatory interlock period extends (two years for a second offense, three years for a third, four years for a fourth), meaning longer device lease costs on top of the ALEA fees.

The Alabama Driver's License Reinstatement Guide includes a fee calculator and hold-by-hold resolution roadmap so you know exactly what you'll owe, which agency gets each payment, and when to pay each one in the process.

See more Alabama guides →