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By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

Long wait times are a thing of the past now, thanks to new tag renewal ATMs located at license offices in Shelby County.

There are currently two Shelby County Vehicle Registration ATMs in the county with one at the Pelham license office and another at the Highway 280 location with a third set to come to Columbiana sometime in August.

All residents need to use the machine to renew their car tags are a driver’s license number and the car tag. If residents have already received a notice in the mail or email, the bar code on the document will allow them to handle all their vehicles in one transaction. There is no additional fee for using the ATMs.

Shelby County Chief Operating Officer Phil Burns shared that, by the end of the month, the county will have exceeded 1,000 transactions through the two current ATMs.

“We’re looking at ways where you can really change the customer’s experience,” Community Manager Chad Scroggins said. “And when you can have it where someone is working or out of town or anything else—they’re trying to beat that end of the month deadline, and they can do it on Sunday afternoon—then that’s bringing the customer service there.”

The ATMs provide local residents with a way to conveniently renew their car tag whenever they want as the machines are open 24/7.

“(We did it) mainly as a convenience for our customers,” Burns said. “Having something just 24 hours a day through the weekends where they can come get their decals is huge.”

Another reason the county decided to issue these machines was due to several instances of the decals being lost in the mail.

“With that ATM, it saves (residents’) money because they don’t have to pay a mail fee, and they don’t have to have the risk of the mail service losing it because they are going to walk away from the ATM with the decals in their hand,” Burns said.

The Pelham Shelby County Registration ATM is located at the Pelham Office at 1018 County Services Drive and the other is located at the 280 office at 19220 Highway 280.

Those interested in learning more or would like a guide on to use the ATMs may visit Atm.shelbyal.com