Alabama GPS Tracking Laws: Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on a Car? (2026)

Putting a GPS tracker on someone else's car in Alabama can now land you in prison. Since September 1, 2023, the state has two criminal statutes aimed squarely at hidden trackers, covering everything from hardwired GPS units to an AirTag dropped in a door pocket.

The short version: you can track a vehicle you own or co-own, and you can track a vehicle with the owner's permission. Track anyone else's car and you are committing a crime, even if you never intended to scare or harass the person.

This guide breaks down Ala. Code 13A-6-95 and 13A-6-96 in plain English. It is part of our GPS Tracking Laws by State series.

Is It Legal to Put a GPS Tracker on a Car in Alabama?

It is legal only if the car is yours or you have the owner's consent. Alabama law asks one core question: did the owner of the property agree to the device being placed on it?

If you own the vehicle, you are the owner and your own consent is all you need. That covers tracking your own car, a fleet vehicle your business owns, or a car titled in your name that someone else drives.

If the car belongs to someone else and they have not agreed, placing a tracker on it is a crime. There is no exception for spouses with separately titled cars, dating partners, exes, or someone you suspect of wrongdoing. Suspicion of cheating or theft does not create a legal right to track another person's vehicle.

Alabama's Electronic Stalking Statutes (Ala. Code 13A-6-95 and 13A-6-96)

Before 2023, Alabama had no statute directly addressing trackers placed by private individuals. House Bill 153, passed unanimously that year, closed the gap by creating two new crimes, both called electronic stalking.

Electronic stalking in the first degree (Ala. Code 13A-6-95). A person who, without the consent of the owner or except as otherwise authorized by law, places any electronic tracking device on the property of another person with the intent to surveil, stalk, or harass, or for any other unlawful purpose, commits a Class C felony.

The felony jumps to Class B if the conduct also violates an existing domestic violence protection order, elder abuse protection order, temporary restraining order, or any other court order.

Electronic stalking in the second degree (Ala. Code 13A-6-96). This is the same act of placing a tracker without owner consent, but with no intent element at all. The state does not have to prove you meant to stalk or harass anyone. Placement alone is a Class A misdemeanor.

The definitions matter. An electronic tracking device is "an electronic or mechanical device that permits the tracking of the movement of a person or object," which covers dedicated GPS units, OBD-port trackers, AirTags, Tiles, and similar item trackers.

The owner is any individual, other than the defendant, "who has possession of or any other interest in the property involved and without whose consent the defendant has no authority to exert control over the property." That closing clause is the operative part. Someone counts as the owner only if you would need their consent to exert control over the property, and a co-owner already has that authority in their own right, which is why tracking a car you co-own is lawful.

One procedural detail is unusual: the statute of limitations does not begin running until the device is discovered, not when it was planted. Charges can also be filed in the county where the device was discovered or where the owner lives.

Who Can Legally Track a Vehicle in Alabama

Working from the statute's two exceptions, owner consent and "authorized by law," here is who is in the clear:

• The vehicle's owner or co-owner. If your name is on the title, or you otherwise have possession or an ownership interest, you can install a tracker.
• Anyone with the owner's consent. A mechanic, a friend, or a tracking service acting with the owner's permission is fine.
• Parents tracking a car they own. A parent who owns the car their teenager drives is the owner. Tracking an adult child's separately owned car without consent is not covered.
• Police with a warrant. In United States v. Jones (2012), the U.S. Supreme Court held that attaching a GPS device to a vehicle and monitoring its movements is a Fourth Amendment search. Alabama has its own tracking-device warrant statute, Ala. Code 15-5-50, and it is the concrete content of the "except as otherwise authorized by law" exception. Any circuit or district court judge may issue the warrant on a sworn application from a law enforcement officer, district attorney, or the Attorney General stating facts sufficient to show probable cause. The warrant may authorize tracking for no more than 45 days, though the judge can grant extensions of up to 45 days each based on new, renewed, or ongoing probable cause; the device must be installed within 10 days; and the officer must make a written return within 10 days after the tracking ends and serve a copy of the warrant on the person who was tracked. That notice can be delayed, ordinarily by no more than 90 days after the warrant is returned, if immediate notice would endanger someone, prompt flight, or otherwise jeopardize the investigation.

Notice who is missing from that list. Alabama's statutes contain no carve-outs for private investigators, lienholders, or repossession companies. A PI who plants a tracker without the owner's consent faces the same charges as anyone else.

On the federal side, no general federal statute bans private GPS tracking. But if tracking is part of a pattern of harassment that crosses state lines or causes fear or substantial emotional distress, the federal stalking statute, 18 U.S.C. 2261A, can apply on top of state charges.

Can My Employer Track My Car in Alabama?

If you drive a company-owned vehicle, your employer can track it. The company is the owner, and the owner's consent is the only consent the statute requires. Alabama has no law requiring employers to notify employees about GPS on company vehicles, though written disclosure is standard practice.

Your personal car is a different story. An employer who hides a tracker on a vehicle you own, without your consent, is committing the same crime as anyone else. Tracking a personal vehicle used for work requires your agreement, usually through a signed policy or an app you install yourself.

Workplace monitoring questions often overlap with audio and video recording. See our guide to Alabama recording laws for how consent rules work for conversations.

AirTags and Item Trackers

Alabama's definition of an electronic tracking device is technology-neutral. An Apple AirTag, Samsung SmartTag, or Tile slipped into someone's bag, coat, or car functions exactly like a GPS tracker under the statute, and prosecutors can charge it the same way.

That means dropping an AirTag into an ex-partner's vehicle is at minimum a Class A misdemeanor, and a Class C felony if the intent was to surveil or stalk. Wanting to know someone's location is exactly the surveillance the statute targets.

Both Apple and Google now push unwanted-tracker alerts to nearby phones. If your phone warns that an unknown tracker is moving with you, treat it seriously and follow the steps below.

Penalties for Illegal GPS Tracking in Alabama

Sentence and fine ranges come from Alabama's general sentencing statutes, Ala. Code 13A-5-6, 13A-5-7, 13A-5-11, and 13A-5-12.

Tracking can also feed other charges. Repeatedly following or monitoring someone in a way that causes fear can support a prosecution for stalking under Ala. Code 13A-6-90 and 13A-6-91, which carry their own penalties.

Civil Lawsuits and Protective Orders

The electronic stalking statutes are criminal laws and create no private right of action, so you cannot sue someone "under 13A-6-95" for money damages.

You are not without civil options. Alabama courts recognize the common-law tort of invasion of privacy, including intrusion upon seclusion. Secretly monitoring someone's movements with a hidden device is the kind of conduct that can support that claim.

If the tracking is part of domestic violence or stalking, you can also seek a protection order. A protection-from-abuse order can bar contact and surveillance, and it raises any future tracker placement from a Class C to a Class B felony. Our guide to Alabama restraining order laws walks through that process.

What to Do If You Find a GPS Tracker on Your Car

Finding a tracker is unsettling, but what you do next matters for both your safety and any prosecution.

1. Do not destroy it. The device is evidence. Its serial number and registration can identify who planted it.
2. Photograph everything. Capture the device in place before anyone moves it, including where it was hidden.
3. Call the police. Placement without your consent is a crime by itself. You do not need to prove the person meant to stalk you.
4. Let officers remove and log the device if possible.
5. Think about safety. If you suspect a current or former partner, contact a domestic violence advocate and consider a protection order. Assume your past locations are known.
6. Check your other property. Look through bags, other vehicles, and items the person had access to. If you also suspect hidden cameras, see our surveillance camera laws hub.

Remember that the clock for prosecutors starts when you discover the device. Reporting it promptly preserves the case.

Sources

Primary sources for this article, including the enrolled text of HB153 and the U.S. Supreme Court's GPS tracking decision, are listed below.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change and their application depends on specific facts. If you are facing a GPS tracking issue in Alabama, consult a licensed Alabama attorney. If you are in danger, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

More Alabama Laws

• Alabama Dashcam Laws
• Alabama Data Privacy Laws
• Alabama Drone Laws
• Alabama Employee Monitoring Laws
• Alabama Recording Laws
• Alabama Restraining Order Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put a GPS tracker on my spouse's car in Alabama?

Only if you have an ownership interest in the car or your spouse consents. Alabama treats a person as the owner only where you would have no authority to control the property without their consent, so a jointly titled family car you co-own is generally fair game. Hiding a tracker on a car titled solely to your spouse, without their consent, is a crime even during a divorce.

Is it legal for a private investigator to place a GPS tracker in Alabama?

Alabama's electronic stalking statutes contain no exception for private investigators. A PI may only place a tracker with the consent of the vehicle's owner, such as a client who co-owns the car being tracked. Planting one on a third party's vehicle exposes the PI and potentially the client to criminal charges.

Can I track my teenager's car?

Yes, if you own the car, which is the usual situation with a minor driver. As the owner, your consent is the only consent required. If your adult child solely owns their own vehicle, you need their permission like anyone else.

What is the penalty for putting an AirTag on someone's car in Alabama?

An AirTag counts as an electronic tracking device. Placement without the owner's consent is at minimum a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine. If prosecutors can show intent to surveil, stalk, or harass, it becomes a Class C felony carrying up to 10 years in prison.

Can police put a GPS tracker on my car without a warrant?

The U.S. Supreme Court held in United States v. Jones (2012) that attaching a GPS device to a vehicle and monitoring its movements is a Fourth Amendment search. The Court did not reach whether that search was reasonable, because the Government had not raised the argument below. In Alabama, police obtain a tracking-device warrant from a judge under Ala. Code 15-5-50.

Can I sue someone who tracked my car?

Not under the criminal statutes themselves, which create no private right of action. But Alabama recognizes the common-law tort of invasion of privacy, and secret location tracking can support an intrusion upon seclusion claim for damages. Talk to a civil attorney about your specific facts.

How long do prosecutors have to file GPS tracking charges?

The statute of limitations begins when the device is discovered, not when it was planted. From discovery, Alabama allows 12 months to charge a misdemeanor and five years for these felonies under Ala. Code 15-3-1 and 15-3-2.