How to Renew an Alabama Electrical Contractor or Journeyman License

If you’re an electrical contractor or journeyman electrician in the state of Alabama, we’ve got good news and bad news. Bad news first: you’ll need to put in some work every couple of years in order to keep your license active. Good news: knocking out the to-dos to stay properly licensed with the state doesn’t have to be overly challenging.

In fact, if you know what’s required and the easiest way to get it all done, your renewal can be pretty simple. So let’s look at everything an Alabama electrical contractor or journeyman electrician needs to do in order to renew their license. Depending on your license type, you’ve either got two or three steps to complete.

Step one (contractors only): take continuing education

If you’re an electrical contractor, the state’s Administrative Code says that you need to complete continuing education (CE) hours during each renewal cycle. Specifically, you need 14 hours of continuing education during each two-year period. Seven of those hours need to focus on the National Electrical Code (NEC).

If the thought of sitting in some stuffy classroom for two days sounds less than ideal, don’t worry. The Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors has approved certain CE providers to offer their courses online and on-demand (such as the ones for Alabama we offer here). That means you can take all 14 hours from your phone, tablet, or home computer whenever you find a time that’s convenient for you.

Licensed journeymen and people with a provisional license, you’re off the hook. Right now, the Board doesn’t require you to take any CE as a prerequisite for renewal.

Step two: complete the renewal form

A lot of people dread paperwork, but this one isn’t too painful. The electrical license renewal form is just one page long and shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to complete.

Just make sure you check the appropriate box for your license type: contractor, journeyman, or provisional license holder.

Step three: send it in with your fee

Once your form is completed — and, if you’re a contractor, you have your CE done — all you have left to do is pop the form in the mail. Make sure you include the appropriate renewal fee with it. That’s:

$150 for electrical contractors
$35 for electrical journeymen
$75 for provisional licenses

You need to pay your fee as a money order or cashier’s check. The state won’t accept a personal or company check.

If you’re the type of person who likes to get things over with as quickly as possible, you’ll have to cool your heels a little bit. Your license can only be renewed in the quarter that it would expire.

There’s no limit on when you can do your CE, though. You can take it whenever is convenient so that when the time comes to get your renewal in, all you need to do is pop the form in the mail.

Once it’s time, mail your renewal form and fee to:

AECB 2777 Zelda Road

Montgomery, AL 36106

Mark your calendar to make sure you get these steps knocked out every two years and you’ll have no issues maintaining the proper licensing from the Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors.