The human H⁺-K⁺-ATPase, ATP1AL1, belongs to the subgroup of nongastric, K⁺-transporting ATPases. In concert with the structurally related gastric H⁺-K⁺-ATPase, it plays a major role in K⁺ reabsorption in various tissues, including colon and kidney. Physiological and immunocytochemical data suggest that the functional heteromeric ion pumps are usually found in the apical plasma membranes of renal epithelial cells. However, the low expression levels of characteristic nongastric ion pumps makes it difficult to verify their spatial distribution in vivo. To investigate the sorting behavior of ATP1AL1, we expressed this pump by stable transfection in MDCK and LLC-PK₁ renal epithelial cell lines. Stable interaction of ATP1AL1 with either the endogenous Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase β-subunit or the gastric H⁺-K⁺-ATPase β-subunit was tested by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and surface biotinylation. In cells transfected with ATP1AL1 alone, the α-subunit accumulated intracellularly, consistent with its inability to assemble and travel to the plasma membrane with the endogenous Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase β-subunit. Cotransfection of ATP1AL1 with the gastric H⁺-K⁺-ATPase β-subunit resulted in plasma membrane localization of both pump subunits. In cotransfected MDCK cells the heteromeric ion pump was predominantly polarized to the apical plasma membrane. Functional expression of ATP1AL1 was confirmed by ⁸⁶Rb⁺uptake measurements. In contrast, cotransfected LLC-PK₁cells accumulate ATP1AL1 at the lateral membrane. The distinct polarization of ATP1AL1 indicates that the α-subunit encodes sorting information that is differently interpreted by cell type-specific sorting mechanisms.