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Alabama car accident laws
Is Alabama a no-fault state? No. Alabama is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
Alabama gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Ala. Code § 6-2-38(l)).
The legal minimum liability coverage in Alabama is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (25/50/25).
If you were even slightly at fault for the crash, Alabama law can bar you from recovering anything on a negligence claim (the contributory negligence rule); the bar does not apply to wanton misconduct claims.
Quoted from Alabama statutes and official pages, checked October 2, 2026 · not legal advice
The rules in one table
| Rule | Alabama | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline to sue for an injury | Two years (from the date of the injury) | Ala. Code § 6-2-38(l) |
| Deadline for vehicle damage | Six years (actions for trespass to personal property) | Ala. Code § 6-2-34(2) |
| Deadline for a wrongful death claim | Two years from the death | Ala. Code § 6-2-38(a) |
| Claims against a government body | Tort claims against a city or town must be presented to the municipal clerk within six months of when the claim accrues. Claims against counties and the state follow other statutes not checked here. | Ala. Code § 11-47-23 |
| Insurance system | at-fault | Triple-I, Background on: No-fault auto insurance |
| If you were partly at fault | contributory. If you were even slightly at fault for the crash, Alabama law can bar you from recovering anything on a negligence claim (the contributory negligence rule); the bar does not apply to wanton misconduct claims. | Brown v. Turner, 497 So. 2d 1119 (Ala. 1986) (common-law rule; no statute) |
| Minimum liability coverage | $25,000 per person / $50,000 per crash / $25,000 property | Ala. Code § 32-7-6(c) |
| Dog bites | mixed. The owner is liable for an unprovoked bite or injury, but under the statute only when the victim was on property the owner owns or controls (or was just chased off it); other situations fall back on common-law negligence. | Ala. Code § 3-6-1 |
Deadlines can be shorter or longer for minors, for injuries found later, and for claims against a government. A lawyer licensed in Alabama can tell you the date that applies to you.
Next steps after an Alabama crash
How to get an Alabama crash report ($15 per report).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for Alabama. Both take under a minute.
Questions
How long do you have to sue after a car accident in Alabama?
Two years for an injury claim (Ala. Code § 6-2-38(l)) and six years for vehicle damage. Shorter notice rules can apply to claims against a government.
Is Alabama a no-fault state?
No. Alabama is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault in Alabama?
Alabama follows contributory. If you were even slightly at fault for the crash, Alabama law can bar you from recovering anything on a negligence claim (the contributory negligence rule); the bar does not apply to wanton misconduct claims.
What is the minimum car insurance in Alabama?
The legal minimum liability coverage in Alabama is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (25/50/25).
Sources
- Deadline to sue for an injury (Ala. Code § 6-2-38(l)): law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-6/chapter-2/article-2/section-6-2-38/
(l) All actions for any injury to the person or rights of another not arising from contract and not specifically enumerated in this section must be brought within two years.
- Deadline for vehicle damage (Ala. Code § 6-2-34(2)): law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-6/chapter-2/article-2/section-6-2-34/
The following must be commenced within six years: (1) Actions for any trespass to person or liberty, such as false imprisonment or assault and battery; (2) Actions for any trespass to real or personal property;
- Deadline for a wrongful death claim (Ala. Code § 6-2-38(a)): law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-6/chapter-2/article-2/section-6-2-38/
(a) An action by a representative to recover damages for wrongful act, omission, or negligence causing the death of the decedent under Sections 6-5-391 and 6-5-410 must be commenced within two years from the death.
- Claims against a government body (Ala. Code § 11-47-23): law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-11/title-2/chapter-47/article-1/section-11-47
Claims for damages growing out of torts shall be presented within six months from the accrual thereof or shall be barred.
- Insurance system (Triple-I, Background on: No-fault auto insurance): www.iii.org/article/background-on-no-fault-auto-insurance
Twelve states and Puerto Rico have no-fault auto insurance laws. Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania have verbal thresholds. The other seven states—Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota and Utah—use a monetary threshold. Three states have a "choice" no-fault law. In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, motorists may reject the lawsuit threshold and retain the right to sue for any auto-related injury.
- If you were partly at fault (Brown v. Turner, 497 So. 2d 1119 (Ala. 1986) (common-law rule; no statute)): law.justia.com/cases/alabama/supreme-court/1986/497-so-2d-1119-1.html
Contributory negligence acts as a complete bar to an action based on negligence; however, contributory negligence does not act as a bar in an action based on wanton misconduct.
- Minimum liability coverage (Ala. Code § 32-7-6(c)): law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-32/chapter-7/section-32-7-6/
a limit, exclusive of interest and costs, of not less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) because of bodily injury to or death to one person in any one accident and subject to the limit for one person, to a limit of not less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident, and, if the accident has resulted in injury to or destruction of property, to a limit of not less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.
- Dog bites (Ala. Code § 3-6-1): law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-3/chapter-6/section-3-6-1/
If any dog shall, without provocation, bite or injure any person who is at the time at a place where he or she has a legal right to be, the owner of such dog shall be liable in damages to the person so bitten or injured, but such liability shall arise only when the person so bitten or injured is upon property owned or controlled by the owner of such dog at the time such bite or injury occurs or when such person has been immediately prior to such time on such property and has been pursued therefrom by such dog.
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.