The Cleburne County Probate Office serves as a trusted hub for essential legal and governmental services, supporting residents through many of life’s most important processes. From vehicle registration and driver license renewals to probate proceedings, licensing, and public records, the office plays a vital role in the daily operations of our community.
Guided by professionalism, transparency, and respect, the Probate Office is committed to delivering high-quality service with integrity and efficiency. Our dedicated staff works to ensure that every interaction—whether simple or complex—is handled with clarity, fairness, and care.
At the Cleburne County Probate Office, we take pride in setting a high standard for public service—helping individuals and families navigate key responsibilities with confidence and ease.
The Probate Office of Cleburne County is dedicated to providing the residents of our community with efficient, accurate, and compassionate services. We strive to make the processes of vehicle registrations, driver license renewals, probate, and other legal matters as seamless as possible, while ensuring transparency, integrity, and compliance with Alabama state laws. Our team is committed to delivering exceptional customer service in a friendly, professional environment, helping to meet the diverse needs of Cleburne County residents with respect and care. Through innovation, education, and continuous improvement, we aim to support the well-being and prosperity of our county, fostering a sense of trust and confidence in the services we provide.
When purchasing or leasing a new or used vehicle, the new owner must register the vehicle within twenty (20) days at the Commissioner of Licenses office. If the vehicle is acquired from a licensed Alabama dealer, then the dealer should apply for the Alabama certificate of title. It is the owner’s responsibility to register the vehicle in his/her home county within twenty (20) calendar days.
The minimum registration requirements are as follows:
Your Alabama motor vehicle license plate/decal must be renewed annually. Renewal reminders will be mailed to the last known address as a courtesy at the beginning of the scheduled renewal month.
The amount you pay to renew your tag is a combination of your ad valorem tax assessment and a license fee. Ad valorem taxes are determined by multiplying the state-assigned value of your vehicle by the assessment rate (based on the classification of the vehicle), then multiplying the assessed value by the millage rate determined by your address. All ad valorem taxes are collected at the time of registration.
Customers may renew their tags online here.
The following is the list of tags that the customer must come into the office to renew with the appropriate papers or ID’s:
To renew your registration you must show:
1. A previous tag receipt in your name or a renewal card, which has been mailed to you as a courtesy by the License Commissioner’s Office. Even if you do not receive a courtesy notice, it is your responsibility to renew your tag before the expiration date.
Note: Please notice the decal on your license plate. If the month on your plate has passed, your tag is expired. Example – if your plate shows August, the renewal must be made prior to September 1st. For more information, contact the Commissioner of License Office at 256-463-5655.
2. Each registered owner or co-owner should also bring their valid Alabama driver license or photocopy to comply with Act 2011-688 related to Mandatory Liability Insurance compliance.
3. Proof of Alabama insurance will be required in the form of evidence that includes the provider’s NAIC number, policy number, vehicle identification number (VIN) and current effective date, visible either physically or electronically.
Companies renewing fleet vehicles may use a “fleet insurance card”, however, this fleet coverage is not allowed on privately owned vehicles.
**Effective January 1 2020, the Rebuild Alabama Act went into effect. An additional $203 registration fee will apply for battery electric vehicles, and $103 will apply for each plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
Minimum liability insurance is required on all self-propelled motor vehicles. Beginning January 1, 2013, license plate issuing officials will attempt to verify liability insurance utilizing the State of Alabama Online Insurance Verification System, which will allow license plate issuing officials to immediately verify the insurance status of a vehicle at any point in time.
If insurance cannot be verified through the system, vehicle owners must provide evidence of insurance to the license plate issuing official. To be acceptable, the proof of insurance must display the current effective date, insurer’s NAIC number, vehicle identification number, and policy number.
Proof of insurance is required at EACH registration and renewal.
Alabama Department of Revenue runs digital verification of VIN numbers monthly and sends correspondence to registrants for insurance verification, when verification is not automatic.
Failure to provide insurance: It is important for registrants to return all correspondence received from Alabama Department of Revenue as soon as possible to the Mandatory Liability Insurance Department of ADOR.
Effective January 1, 1998, the plate no longer goes with the vehicle. By statute of law, an owner who trades, sells, or disposes of a vehicle, he must remove the license plates from the previously owned vehicle. An owner may transfer the plate to a vehicle of the same classification already owned and not currently licensed, or to a vehicle of the same classification acquired later in the license year.
In the event an owner trades vehicles, the transfer of the plate is the transfer of registration only. The ad valorem tax is due on the newly acquired vehicle at the time the tag is transferred.
Ad valorem tax is a property tax based on the market value of property in Alabama on October 1. Ad valorem tax on vehicles is authorized under Section 40-12-253, Code of Alabama 1975. An ad valorem tax lien attaches to a vehicle when it is first brought into the state by a new resident, or when it is originally sold by a new vehicle dealer. Property tax is an ownership tax and not a usage tax. The tax lien accumulates whether the vehicle is operated on the highway or remains off the highway.
When an Alabama resident buys a vehicle with an outstanding property tax lien, then the buyer must:
1. Pay all property tax that has accrued on the purchased vehicle since it was last registered and any interest and penalties on taxes that are delinquent.
2. Transfer the buyer’s current plate to the replacement vehicle or purchase a new plate for the vehicle within twenty (20) calendar days of acquisition.
3. Inquire about a property tax credit voucher if a vehicle is sold or transferred prior to the owner’s renewal month.
You must keep a copy of your registration, either paper or digital, in your vehicle at all times. You may be asked to present this form to law enforcement officers at any time. Please note that your tag registration is not your vehicle title. We do not recommend that you keep your original title in your vehicle under any circumstances.
The State allows 30 days from the date that you move in to change your DL and vehicle registration.
Applying for an Alabama Driver License or Non-Driver Identification Card
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is extending the enforcement deadline for the REAL ID (called STAR ID in Alabama) to May 7, 2025, in response to COVID-19. However, STAR IDs will still be available for issuance after May 7, 2025, at an ALEA Examining Office.
In order to comply with the Federal REAL ID Act, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency developed the STAR ID program. STAR ID is a step beyond an ordinary Alabama driver’s license or non-driver identification card and it meets all the requirements of federal law.
Effective May 7, 2025, every air traveler, age 18 and over, will need a REAL ID compliant license/ID (STAR ID) or another form of identification for domestic air travel. (See TSA’s website for a full list of acceptable identification for domestic air travel.)
STAR IDs are issued originally to qualified individuals only at Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Driver License exam offices. County operated license offices will continue to provide renewals/duplicates for license, ID cards, and STAR ID.
Once the provision of the REAL ID Act (STAR ID) goes into effect, individuals who do not have an unexpired U.S. passport will need an Alabama STAR ID to board commercial aircraft for domestic flights or to enter certain regulated federal facilities.
Any Alabama license or identification card issued on or after April 25, 2022, that is not compliant with the REAL ID Act of 2005 (not a STAR ID), will display “Not for Federal Identification” across the top of the credential.
Cash, check, MO, Visa, Mastercard, Discover.
Recording Fee and other information can be downloaded here.
Typically, we record the same day unless the recording clerk is absent and the Chief Clerk is busy with Probate Court.
Lane Kilgore serves as the Probate Judge in Cleburne County, Alabama. As Probate Judge he also serves as Ex‑Officio Chairman of the Cleburne County Commission, reflecting his broader involvement in county administration.
A lifelong citizen of Cleburne County, Judge Kilgore graduated from Cleburne County High School in 1991 and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Jacksonville State University in 1996 followed by master’s level classes in Public Administration and continuing education classes with the Alabama Law Institute.
From 2003 until January 2025, he served as Jail Administrator at the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Department, bringing over two decades of county government leadership and operational oversight. Prior to Lane entering government service with Cleburne County, he managed several family-owned businesses in the county.
Lane has previously served on the 911 Emergency Management District Board of Directors, the Cleburne County Personnel Board, Cleburne County School Board Advisory Committee, Cleburne County Safety Committee, Absentee Election Manager, and currently serves on the Cleburne County Republican Executive Committee, the Alabama State Republican Party Executive Committee, the Board of Directors of Highland Health Systems, and the Board of Directors of Crossroads Community Center. Judge Kilgore is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Cleburne County, the Alabama Probate Judge’s Association, the National College of Probate Judges, and the Alabama Association of County Commissions.
Deeply rooted in faith and family, Lane has been a dedicated member of Living Word Family Church in Muscadine for over 30 years. He has faithfully served as a trustee, board member, and secretary/treasurer during that time. Lane is married to Shana Hagan Kilgore, and they are proud parents of their miracle twins, Caleb and Callie. In his spare time Lane loves to spend time with family, travel, and attend all of the sporting events his children are involved in.
