Alabama Electrical Contractor License: Requirements, Fees, and the Prov Exam
What the Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors requires for a contractor license: 8,000 hours, a paper application and Board approval, the $165 exam fee, the $150 license and annual renewal, 14 hours of continuing education and the 2026 NEC switch.
Contents
Alabama Electrical Contractor License: Requirements and the Exam
Alabama licenses electrical contractors statewide through the Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors. The exam is delivered by Prov, but you apply to the Board first, on paper, and the Board decides whether you can sit for it. Here is what the license takes.
Do you need the state license?
Under Code of Ala. 34-36-13, no one may engage in the electrical contracting business without a license from the Board or from the county or city where the work is being done. Since December 31, 2011, section 34-36-16 has made it unlawful for someone not licensed as an electrical contractor to solicit, represent, seek to perform or perform the work only a licensed contractor can do. A violation is a Class A misdemeanor.
The rules describe the license broadly. A contractor's scope covers installation, design, planning, layout and directly supervising electrical construction, and an Alabama contractor license is unlimited in voltage and bid requirements (303-X-3-.02). The rules also say "electrical contractor" and "master electrician" mean the same thing.
A statewide license travels. Cities and counties can run their own exams, but someone with a valid statewide license is treated as qualified to work in any county or municipality, as long as they have the proper local permit and business license.
The license is issued to a person, not a company. Section 34-36-7(c) says a firm, partnership, association or corporation cannot itself be licensed.
Eligibility
| Requirement | Electrical contractor |
|---|---|
| Experience | 8,000 hours in the overall design, planning, layout and direct supervision of electrical construction, or 8,000 hours as a journeyman electrician in charge of jobs |
| Education credit | 1,000 hours per year of accredited electrical curriculum or approved industry-recognized apprenticeship, up to 2,000 hours |
| Engineers | A valid Alabama professional electrical engineer's license qualifies you to sit for the exam |
| Exam | Must pass the Board's exam, with Board approval first |
The education credit has to come from an electrical curriculum accredited through the Alabama community college system or from an approved apprenticeship program, and the Board has to accept your documentation. The rules require your experience to be documented truthfully, clearly and sufficiently on the application.
The exam
| Item | Alabama Electrical Contractor |
|---|---|
| Vendor | Prov |
| Questions | 110 (80 technical, 30 business and law) |
| Time | 300 minutes (5 hours) |
| Passing score | 75% |
| Format | Computer-based, 4 options per question, open book |
| References | NFPA 70 (NEC), American Electrician's Handbook 17th edition, NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management (13th or 14th edition), 2014 Alabama Supplement |
| Exam fee | $165, paid to the Board |
Because the business and law questions are built into this exam, state Contractor candidates do not take the separate Business & Law exam. That one is for candidates who qualify through a NASCLA exam or by reciprocity.
The October 31, 2026 bulletin lists the 2023 NEC, but the Board has voted to move testing to the 2026 NEC on January 1, 2027. See what is on the exam before you buy books.
How to apply
- Build your 8,000 hours, counting any education or apprenticeship credit.
- Send the Board the paper application with the fee, personal identification and supporting documents.
- Wait for the Board's decision. It can approve or deny your request to sit for the exam.
- Once approved, schedule with Prov and pass the exam.
- Meet the remaining licensing requirements. You must personally satisfy all of them before the Board issues the license.
Approval is short. A contractor application expires one year after the approval date if you have not passed the exam and met the licensing requirements by then (303-X-3-.02(7)). After that, you submit a new application. That is half the two years a journeyman gets.
Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Contractor exam | $165 |
| Contractor license | $150 |
| Annual renewal | $150 |
| Inactive contractor certificate | $75 |
| Reciprocal contractor license | $315 |
The exam fee is on top of the license fee, and no part of the fees submitted with your application is refunded. The Board adds a 4% fee on card payments.
If you fail, you wait 30 days, need new Board approval, and pay the $165 again. Exam day covers the retake steps.
Pass rates
The Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts publishes pass rates in its sunset reports on the Board. The figures come from the Board's Executive Director, are unaudited, and count attempts, including retakes.
| Period | Attempts | Passed | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 229 | 111 | 48% |
| 2024 (through September 30) | 324 | 160 | 49% |
| FY2025 (through May 14, 2025) | 142 | 71 | 50% |
About half of attempts fail. For comparison, the journeyman exam passed 66% to 73% over the same periods.
Renewal
- Contractor licenses expire annually, and renewal is $150.
- A license must be renewed before the last day of the quarter in which it was issued.
- If you have not renewed by 11:59 pm on the expiration date, the license is immediately considered expired.
- An expired contractor license can be reinstated within five years, with a reinstatement fee, all accrued renewal fees and the missed continuing education, which the rules say may be as much as 35 hours. After five years you sit the exam again as a new applicant.
Continuing education
The statute (34-36-8) requires every electrical contractor to complete 14 hours of continuing education every two years. Under the Board's rules:
- Continuing education is not required for the first renewal year after you are first licensed.
- One hour means at least 50 minutes, and hours are awarded in two-hour increments.
- You may roll over up to seven hours.
- Courses cannot be repeated for credit within the same earning period.
- Missing hours block your renewal until you submit proof.
Reciprocity
The Board may recognize a license from a reciprocating state whose standards it considers equal to or greater than Alabama's. You need a current, valid license in that state with no previous or pending disciplinary action. The Board office keeps the list of approved states, and the Executive Director approves or denies each reciprocal applicant. Reciprocity candidates take the Business & Law exam. Call the Board at (334) 679-1020 to ask whether your state is on the list.
Coming from journeyman
If you hold or are working toward the journeyman license, start with Alabama Journeyman Electrician requirements. Hours as a journeyman in charge of jobs count toward the contractor's 8,000.
Getting ready
Start with what the exam covers, then see how you do on real questions. Try our free sample test, or see the full Alabama Electrical Contractor exam prep.
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