How to Complete the Alabama Contractors License Renewal Form

To complete an Alabama contractors license renewal, download the current renewal form from the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors, assemble the required supporting documents, have the form notarized, and mail the package with a money order or cashier’s check to the Board’s Montgomery office at least 30 days before your license expires.¹ Prime contractors pay $200; subcontractors pay $100.² The form is short. The paperwork around it is where renewals succeed or stall.

When Your License Expires

Alabama contractor licenses don’t share a universal expiration date. Yours falls on the last day of a month assigned by the first letter of your company name, and your renewal package is due 30 days before that date. Here is the schedule:¹

March: I, J, K, L
April: M, N
May: O, P, Q, R
June: S
July: T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
August: G, H
September: D, E, F
October: C
November: B
December: A

A company whose name starts with “S” expires on June 30, with the renewal package due by June 1. Set a reminder at least 60 days out. Financial statements and insurance certificates take time to pull together, and the Board will not process renewals submitted more than 45 days before your expiration date.

What You Need Before You Open the Form

Prime contractors and subcontractors file different forms with different attachments. Confirm which category you’re in before you download anything from the Board’s forms page.³

Prime Contractors

Prime contractors submit the renewal form along with:

A current financial statement, no more than one year old, prepared by a CPA under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Cash-basis and tax-basis statements are the single most common reason financial statements get rejected. The statement must show at least $10,000 in both net worth and working capital to qualify for even the lowest bid-limit classification.⁴⁵
A current liability insurance certificate naming the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors as the certificate holder at 445 Dexter Ave, Suite 3060, Montgomery, AL 36104.⁶
Citizenship verification required by the Beason-Hammon Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act. A driver’s license (front and back) or birth certificate works, though licenses from certain states must be Real ID-compliant to count.
If you’re a corporation or LLC, a current printout or screenshot of your business record from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.
Confirmation that your qualifying person has completed the required Board-approved continuing education hours, unless an exemption applies.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors do not submit financial statements or liability insurance certificates to the Board. Citizenship verification, Secretary of State records (if applicable), and continuing education documentation still apply. The form itself still has to be notarized.

Continuing Education

Licensees and qualifying representatives under 60 must complete six hours of Board-approved continuing education each year, with at least two of those hours from an Alabama-specific course. Anyone who turns 60 before October 1 of the renewal year is exempt. If CE isn’t completed on time, the Board charges a $50 administrative late fee. Approved providers fill up, so schedule courses well ahead of your renewal month.

Filling Out and Notarizing the Form

The Board no longer mails paper forms. Download the current prime or subcontractor renewal form from the Board’s website.³ You’ll enter your existing license number, company name and address, contact information, and the identity and status of your qualifying person, including whether their CE is current or exempt. Update anything that has changed since your last renewal.

The form includes a checkbox asking you to indicate support for the Education Program. The Board expects you to address it, and checking it adds no cost.¹

The form must carry an original signature and be notarized. Photocopied or electronic signatures are not accepted. Make sure the notary’s commission expiration date is legible, because the Board will reject forms where it can’t read the notary information.

Fees and Payment

Only money orders or cashier’s checks are accepted, made payable to the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors. Personal and company checks get returned, which delays the entire renewal.⁶ All fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

If your financial statement isn’t ready, submit the form and $200 fee by the first day of your renewal month. The Board may grant a 90-day extension for the financial statement. Miss that window and you owe the $50 penalty before the Board will process the renewal.⁴

Mailing the Package

There is no online submission for the completed renewal. Mail the notarized form, all supporting documents, and your cashier’s check or money order to the Board at 445 Dexter Ave, Suite 3060, Montgomery, AL 36104.⁶ Use certified mail or another trackable method. If the Board says the package never arrived, the burden sits with you.

The 30-day cushion is legal, not administrative. Filing at least 30 days before your expiration date extends your current license until the Board acts on your application, so you can keep working without a gap in coverage.²

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline

Consequences escalate quickly. Within 90 days after expiration, you can still renew by paying the standard fee. After 90 days, the Board adds the $50 late penalty.²

After a full year from your expiration date, the license is gone. You’ll submit a new application, retake the trade exam, and retake the business and law exam.¹ That’s months of preparation and testing that a timely renewal avoids.

Inactive Status If You’re Not Working

If you don’t plan to bid on projects for a while but want to keep the license, request inactive status in writing at least 30 days before your license expires. The fee is $200, the same as active renewal.² You can’t bid or perform work while inactive, but you preserve the license and skip the re-examination process when you’re ready to come back.

1
Alabama General Contractors Board. Renewal Information
2
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 34-8-2 – Licensure and Classification of Contractors
3
Alabama General Contractors Board. Forms
4
Cornell Law Institute. Alabama Code r. 230-X-1-.19 – Filing Financial Statements By Prime Contractors
5
Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors. Administrative Code 230-X-1-.02 – Requirements for Bid Limits
6
Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors. 2025 Prime Contractors License Renewal