The steps, exams, fees and timeline for an Alabama journeyman or electrical contractor license, plus what changes when you are licensing a company instead of yourself.
Alabama issues two electrical credentials: a journeyman electrician license for installation work performed under supervision, and an electrical contractor license for anyone who plans, bids and directly supervises electrical construction. To get either one, you document qualifying hours, pass a board-approved exam through the board's testing vendor, and file the matching application with the Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors.
At a glance
- Who issues it: Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors (AECB), Montgomery
- Experience: 8,000 hours for each track, with up to 2,000 hours of approved substitution
- Exam: Administered by Prov, Inc., open book, 75% required to pass
- Fees: $115 to $165 to test, $35 to $150 for the initial license
- Approval window: one year to finish testing and licensing for contractors, two years for journeymen
This guide follows the AECB rules revised February 14, 2026, using official sources retrieved October 7, 2026. It walks the application in order: who needs a license, the two license types, experience and exams, the filing steps, fees, renewal and what changes when a business is the applicant. For the broader construction licensing picture, see our Alabama contractor license guide. For the general framework that applies in every state, see our contractor license overview.
How to get an Alabama electrical license
Getting an Alabama electrical license comes down to four stages: document your qualifying hours for the journeyman or contractor track, pass the matching exam through the board's testing vendor, file the application and fee with the Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors, and keep the license current through annual renewal and, for contractors, continuing education. The sections below walk each stage in order, starting with the board itself and who actually needs to go through this process.
The Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors
The Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors (AECB) was created to license qualified electrical contractors and journeyman electricians on a statewide basis, protecting the public by identifying who has the knowledge and ability to install, service or repair electrical systems. The board is a separate licensing authority from the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors, so an electrical credential and a general contractor credential are not interchangeable.
The board meets at least twice a year, in the first and third quarters, with five members needed for a quorum to conduct business. It also publishes a list of certified contractors on its own website and keeps a permanent record of every certification it issues, which is the basis for verifying a license number described in the FAQ below.
Who needs an Alabama electrical license
Alabama licenses electrical work by activity, not by a dollar threshold. Anyone who installs, services or repairs electrical wiring, equipment or control systems for someone else must hold a journeyman or electrical contractor credential from the AECB. A business that contracts electrical work must have a certified electrical contractor as its person in responsible charge.
A narrow set of activities fall outside AECB licensing: a building owner working on that owner's own building, a maintenance employee doing electrical work only on their employer's own premises, utility company work governed by the national electrical safety code, and systems that operate at 25 volts or less. These exemptions are specific to the activity described, not a general pass for unlicensed electrical work, so confirm an exemption applies before relying on it.
If your company also performs other trades, use the separate Alabama plumbing license guide and Alabama HVAC license guide to check those paths. An Alabama electrical credential does not answer another trade's licensing questions, and a general contractor license from a different board is a separate requirement for larger mixed-trade projects.
Alabama electrical license types
| License | Scope | Who holds it |
|---|---|---|
| Journeyman electrician | Installs wiring under required supervision | Individual electricians |
| Electrical contractor | Plans and supervises electrical construction | Business's person in responsible charge |
The electrical contractor license is not a step above journeyman work experience on its own. It requires documenting a different kind of experience: design, planning, layout and direct supervision rather than installation alone. Time spent as a journeyman in charge of jobs is one accepted way to document that supervisory experience. The license itself is unlimited in voltage and bid size, and an individual can hold it without being tied to one business.
Experience and education requirements
The board requires 8,000 qualifying hours for each track, with different experience content for each. Approved education or an industry-recognized apprenticeship can substitute for part of the requirement, subject to the board's limits.
| Track | Qualifying experience | Approved substitution |
|---|---|---|
| Journeyman | 8,000 hours of installation experience | Up to 2,000 hours, at 1,000 hours per approved year |
| Electrical contractor | 8,000 hours of design, planning, layout and supervision | Up to 2,000 hours, at 1,000 hours per approved year |
The journeyman experience rule appears in Rule 303-X-3-.03. The contractor experience rule appears in Rule 303-X-3-.02. A maximum of 2,000 of the 8,000 total hours can come from one year of an accredited electrical curriculum or an approved apprenticeship program, documented separately from field experience.
The Alabama electrical licensing exams
The AECB contracts with Prov, Inc. to administer its exams at testing centers across the state. All exams are open book, computer based, and timed, and a candidate needs a 75% score to pass.
| Exam | Questions | Time allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama Electrical Contractor | 110 | 5 hours |
| Alabama Electrical Journeyman | 80 | 4 hours |
| Electrical Contractor Business and Law | 40 | 2 hours |
The standard Alabama Electrical Contractor exam already includes business topics such as contracts, licensing law and financial management alongside the electrical content, so most in-state applicants take that single exam. Applicants who test through the NASCLA National Electrical Contractor exam instead must also separately pass the Business and Law exam, which carries its own $86 fee paid directly to Prov rather than to the board. Once the board approves an applicant to test, Prov's current bulletin gives candidates 90 days from the approval date to take the exam, and the board itself gives contractor applicants one year and journeyman applicants two years to finish testing and licensing before the approval expires.
How to apply for an Alabama electrical license
- Decide which track fits the work: journeyman installation experience, or contractor design, planning and supervision experience.
- Get the current application from the board's licensee forms page.
- Assemble your experience documentation, including supervisory and job-responsibility detail for the contractor track.
- Attach documentation for any approved education or apprenticeship substitution you are claiming.
- Submit the application and the examination fee; the board reviews applications and schedules exams at least once every three months.
- Once approved, schedule your exam with Prov and record your approval expiration date.
- Pass the exam, then complete licensing with the board before your approval window closes.
Want the application done for you?
The Licensing Company's License Application Processing service prepares and submits your Alabama electrical license application. It starts with an eligibility audit before anything is filed, works through a document checklist with you, prepares and reviews every state form line by line, submits it the way the board requires, and answers and resubmits for any paperwork questions the board raises until the board decides.
It is a flat $999 per state application, paid up front. State fees, exam fees and any background check or fingerprinting costs are paid to the state, not to us. The service does not promise approval, does not promise a timeline and does not take the exam for anyone. Call 615-219-2110 to talk through your Alabama application before you file.
If you cannot yet qualify on your own documented experience, a qualifying agent can qualify the company while you build toward your own license. See Hire a Qualifying Agent for how that works.
Alabama electrical license fees
| Charge | Journeyman | Electrical contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Examination | $115 | $165 |
| Initial license | $35 | $150 |
| Annual renewal | $35 | $150 |
| Reciprocal contractor license | Not applicable | $315 |
These figures come from Rule 303-X-3-.10. Examination fees are separate from and in addition to the initial license fee, and no part of a submitted fee is refunded. A Business and Law exam taken through the NASCLA route carries its own $86 charge paid to Prov, not the board.
Bond and insurance requirements
AECB Chapter 303-X-3 does not set a statewide surety bond or general liability insurance requirement for individual journeyman or electrical contractor licensure. Some cities and counties require a local bond or insurance proof before issuing an electrical permit, so confirm requirements with the city or county building department where you will be pulling permits before you bid work there. Carrying general liability insurance is still a sound business practice even where no rule requires it, since a certification alone does not cover a claim from a completed job.
How long it takes to get licensed
The board reviews applications and schedules exams at least once every three months, so your timeline depends on when you file relative to that cycle. After approval, Prov's bulletin gives candidates 90 days to take the exam, and the board's own approval window runs one year for contractors and two years for journeymen to finish both testing and licensing. Build your experience documentation and any substitution paperwork before you file so a single review cycle is enough. An incomplete application, missing supervisory detail or unclear substitution paperwork is the most common reason a filing slips to the next quarterly review, so matching your documentation to the track you chose matters more than filing a day earlier.
Renewal and continuing education
Licenses renew annually, before the last day of the quarter in which the license was issued. Continuing education runs on a separate two-year clock that applies only to electrical and provisional contractors, not journeymen.
| Maintenance item | What to track |
|---|---|
| License renewal | Annual, before the last day of the issuance quarter |
| Contractor education | 14 hours every two years |
| Who it applies to | Electrical and provisional contractors only |
| First-year exemption | No CE required for the first renewal year |
| Rollover | Up to seven hours may roll over annually |
An expired electrical contractor license can be reinstated within five years of expiration after paying back fees and completing up to 35 hours of continuing education. After five years (1,825 days) without reinstatement, the contractor must retake the written prelicensure exam as a new applicant.
Reciprocity and NASCLA applicants
The board recognizes licenses from reciprocating states it considers equal to or greater than Alabama's own standards, with the current list of approved agreements maintained at the board office. An Active Electrical Contractor reciprocal application costs $315 and requires a passing score on the Alabama Business and Law exam, corporation or foreign-authority documents, and either a Verification of License form from your home state's board or a NASCLA exam waiver form.
Passing the Business and Law exam is not optional for a reciprocal applicant, even with a NASCLA waiver covering the trade exam itself. Confirm which documentation your specific license or exam qualifies for before spending time on a reciprocal filing, since the accepted-agreement list changes.
The person in responsible charge for a company
Alabama defines a person in responsible charge as the license holder who supervises, directs, manages and controls a business's electrical work. That person may be an employee, owner, partner or corporate officer, and must possess the skill, knowledge and experience the role requires, not just a title.
For company owners who have not yet documented their own 8,000 hours, hiring a qualifying agent lets the business operate under a qualified person's credential while the owner builds toward independent licensure. Learn more about what the role does and does not cover at What Is a Qualifying Agent: a qualifying agent qualifies the company as an owner or full time W-2 employee who supervises the work, not a figurehead on paper.
If a licensed contractor in responsible charge separates from the business, the company and the departing contractor must notify the board within five days, and the business must stop entering new electrical contracts until a replacement contractor is approved. Keep the responsible-charge arrangement, the license records and the renewal calendar in one file so the business's licensing representations match its actual operation.
Alabama electrician licensing questions
What does "certified electrical contractor" mean in Alabama?
The AECB uses "certification" and "license" interchangeably throughout its rules, and "certified contractor" is the board's own term for a licensed electrical contractor. It is not a separate or additional credential beyond the electrical contractor license described above.
How many hours does a journeyman electrician need?
A journeyman applicant needs 8,000 hours of qualifying installation experience, with up to 2,000 of those hours available through approved education or apprenticeship substitution at 1,000 hours per approved year.
What exam do I take for an Alabama electrical contractor license?
Most applicants take the Alabama Electrical Contractor exam: 110 questions over 5 hours, open book, administered by Prov, Inc., requiring a 75% score. Applicants using the NASCLA National Electrical Contractor exam also take the separate 40-question Business and Law exam.
How do I look up an Alabama electrician or contractor's license number?
The board publishes its list of certified contractors on the board's website. Confirm an unfamiliar license number directly with the board's office in Montgomery before relying on it.
Does my examination approval expire?
Yes. A contractor applicant has one year from approval to finish testing and licensing, and a journeyman applicant has two years. Record the expiration date when your approval arrives so you do not have to reapply.
Is license renewal annual even though continuing education covers two years?
Yes. Renewal is annual and tied to the quarter your license was issued in, while the 14-hour continuing education requirement for contractors runs on its own two-year cycle with a first-year exemption and a seven-hour annual rollover.
How often does the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board review applications?
The board reviews applications and schedules examinations at least once every three months. Filing a complete application with clear experience documentation before the next review date is more useful than filing early with gaps the board has to question.
Who can serve as the person in responsible charge for a company?
An employee, owner, partner or corporate officer can serve, provided that person holds the required license and actually supervises, directs, manages and controls the business's electrical work rather than holding the title without the responsibility.
Plan your Alabama electrical application
Licensed contractor Jeremiah Jaskulski and contractor exam prep instructor Marshall Schofield lead The Licensing Company. Call 615-219-2110 to talk through your Alabama electrical application, your experience documentation and which track fits your business, or see License Application Processing if you want the filing handled for you.
Sources
All sources below were retrieved October 7, 2026.
- Chapter 303-X-3, Licensing and Fees.
- Rule 303-X-3-.10, Fees and Charges.
- Chapter 303-X-4, Continuing Education Requirements.
- Chapter 303-X-2, Organization and Administrative Procedures of the Board.
- Alabama Electrical Contractor Board Examinations, Candidate Information Bulletin (Prov, Inc.).
- Current reciprocal contractor application.
- Current board licensee forms hub.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, licensing guidance, or an offer of services. Licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction. For specific compliance questions, contact The Licensing Company for a confidential consultation.