Alabama House approves bill to let tow operators immediately post to abandoned-vehicle portal

The Alabama House passed House Bill 167 on final passage after adopting a committee substitute that clarifies when a towed vehicle may be entered into the state abandoned-vehicle portal.

Representative Treadaway, the bill sponsor, said the measure does not change the five-day statutory deadline for reporting an abandoned motor vehicle but removes a separate practice that effectively required a 48-hour waiting period before a vehicle could be posted to the Department of Revenue's public portal. "What this bill does allows for the immediate entry so citizens can find their, their vehicle and updates, the Department of Revenue's website on abandoned vehicles," Treadaway said. He said the change is intended to reduce unnecessary storage fees for owners who cannot find their vehicle because it was not posted immediately.

The bill's sponsor and members described the change as technical: the statutory five-day window to file remains, but tow companies or any person in possession of a vehicle would be allowed to report the vehicle to the portal "immediately," rather than being blocked by the portal's prior 48-hour rule. Treadaway said committee language in the substitute also corrected an erroneous effective date and set the bill to take effect Oct. 1, 2025.

Supporters said the change addresses frequent complaints in urban counties such as Jefferson, where family members searching for a vehicle after a wreck or an off-property tow can arrive to find the vehicle in storage and facing multiple days of storage fees because the record was not posted right away. Members who questioned the bill asked whether it would force tow operators or enforcement to act faster; Treadaway replied the bill simply permits immediate posting by the party in possession but does not otherwise alter towing practices.

House action: the committee report (BIR) was adopted, the committee substitute was adopted, and the bill passed final passage.

Votes and formal actions: - Adoption of BIR (committee report): clerk recorded 100 yays, 3 abstentions; outcome: adopted. - Adoption of committee substitute: clerk recorded 90 yays, 0 nays, 11 abstentions; outcome: substitute adopted. - Final passage of HB 167 (as substituted): clerk recorded 100 yays, 3 abstentions; outcome: passed.

What the bill changes and what it does not: the House debate stressed the bill's limited scope. It does not alter the five-day filing requirement in state law; it removes a portal-imposed 48-hour delay that prevented real-time posting of a vehicle record. The sponsor said the change is aimed at consumer protection rather than shifting towing policy or creating new penalties. The Department of Revenue's abandoned-vehicle portal and "state law" on abandoned-vehicle reporting were discussed in floor remarks but no statute number was cited.

Next steps: HB 167 passed the House and was ordered to the next stage of the legislative process.