No, the County no longer requires a County decal. You should, however, make sure that you register your vehicle and record your address change with the Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles within 30 days of your move. Be specific when telling DMV when you moved into Albemarle County and ensure that your registration correctly states Albemarle County.

The vehicle license tax is levied on all motor vehicles, trailers, motorcycles, and campers that are licensed to operate upon the street or highway. The license tax is billed as a separate item on the Personal Property Tax bill. It took the place of the county license (decal) fee.

Update your mailing address and garage jurisdiction with the Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. Contact the County of Albemarle to ensure your vehicle has been added to the County’s tax rolls. Note that some localities in Virginia are non-prorating which means that you would continue to pay the locality you moved from through the end of the calendar year in which you moved. Your personal property would become taxable in Albemarle County as of January 1st of the following year. If you move from a non-prorating locality and you acquire property after your move to Albemarle County, that property would be taxable in Albemarle County as of the purchase date. The non-prorating locality will not tax you for that item because you did not own it as of January 1. If you move from a prorating locality, taxation will begin from the date you move to Albemarle County.

You should first register and title your vehicle with the Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles within 30 days of your move. Make sure that the DMV properly records your vehicle as being garaged in Albemarle County. Contact the County of Albemarle to ensure your vehicle has been added to the County’s tax rolls.

Update your mailing address and garage jurisdiction with the Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. Contact the County of Albemarle to ensure your vehicle has been added to the County’s tax rolls. Note that some localities in Virginia are non-prorating and will not begin to tax your vehicle until January 1st of the subsequent year you moved. In that case, your personal property would remain taxable in Albemarle County through December 31st of the year in which you moved. If you move to a non-prorating locality and you acquire property after your move to that locality, that property would be taxable in Albemarle County through December 31st as well.

After you have registered/titled your vehicle in your new state, provide our office a copy of your new state title or registration. If you have sold, or traded your vehicle after your move, without registering or titling your vehicle in your new state, provide a copy of the bill of sale that shows the Vehicle Identification Number and the date the transaction took place. This should be done within the first 30 days of your move. Taxation in Albemarle County will cease once you have provided a copy of your new registration or bill of sale to our office.

This information may be sent via one of the methods below:

• Fax: 434-243-7906
• Email: AlbemarleCountyFinance@albemarle.org
• Mail: County of Albemarle, Revenue Administration, 401 McIntire Road room 133, Charlottesville, VA 22902

Virginia State law requires that you notify the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as soon as possible when you sell or trade a vehicle. Personal property tax assessments and potential refunds will be based on when the sale date was updated with DMV. DO NOT rely on the purchaser or the dealer to timely notify DMV.

Surrender the title to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) if you have it. If you no longer have the title, notify DMV and tell them that the vehicle has been junked. Contact the County after you have done so; refunds will be based on when the salvage date is recorded with DMV.

Vehicles normally garaged in Albemarle County being used by a full-time student attending an institution of higher learning may be taxed in the student’s home domicile. If requested by the locality, the owner should provide proof that the vehicle personal property taxes have been paid to the home locality.

While we do accept tax deposits, the County cannot take any steps before the end of year to establish your next year’s personal property tax liability or offer any advice on the amount to be deposited on any specific account. Your next year’s tax liability can be determined only after the assessed value of your personal property is established, usually April of the year for which the taxes are due. We do not offer any advice, guidance, or opinion on whether or not your deposits will be deductible on your federal tax returns. Taxpayers are encouraged to review IRS advisories regarding the deductibility of prepaid property taxes or consult an income tax professional.

The Personal Property Tax Relief Act of 1998 provides tax relief on the first $20,000 of assessed value of qualifying motor vehicles including passenger cars, motorcycles, and pickup or panel trucks having a registered gross weight of up to 10,000 pounds. To qualify, a vehicle must: (1.) Be owned by an individual or leased by an individual under a contract requiring the individual to pay the personal property tax, (2.) Be used less than 50% for business purposes, AND (3.) Have plate type of “passenger” with the DMV. Motor homes, boats, trailers, mopeds, all-terrain vehicles, and farm use vehicles do not qualify for tax relief.