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Interested in earning your Alabama home builders license? You’ll need to pass two state examinations, various experience and education requirements, and several legal requirements to obtain a home builders license in Alabama. 

Experience and Education Requirements for the Alabama Home Builders License

The specific educational and experiential requirements you must meet will vary depending on whether you will obtain a residential building contractor license or a limited residential building contractor license. 

Residential Building Contractor License

The following educational/experiential requirements are for professionals obtaining the residential building contractor license:

• A minimum of four years of verifiable experience in the construction industry
• At least two verifiable years of experience in residential construction
• A high school diploma or equivalent

If you will be going for the limited residential building contractor license instead, you’ll need to provide proof of the following:

• At least two years of verifiable experience in the construction industry
• A minimum of one year of verifiable experience in residential construction
• At least a high school diploma or equivalent

More information can be found on the Alabama Board of Licensure for the Construction Industry website.

Legal Requirements

To obtain an Alabama home builders license, you must designate a qualifying party and be registered with the Alabama Secretary of State. In addition, you will be required to show proof that you have general liability insurance. Finally, you must provide current financial statements.

More basic requirements must be met as well:

• You must be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• You must pass a criminal background check
• You must have no felony convictions

Once you’ve checked the boxes for the legal requirements for licensure, you’ll need to move on to studying for the exams. 

Passing the Alabama Home Builder Contractor Exam

The Alabama Home Builder Licensing Board (HBLB) Exam has 80 questions; to pass, you must answer a minimum of 56 (70%) of them correctly. The test is an open-book exam, but you will not be able to access some specific materials while you are taking it. You will be given 240 minutes to finish.

Some of the topics on the Alabama HBLB Exam include:

• OSHA regulations and safety
• Plan reading
• Concrete and reinforcement
• Carpentry
• Interior finishes
• Sitework and foundations
• Exterior finishes
• Associated trades

You must also pass the Alabama HBLB Business & Law Exam. This one has 40 questions on it, and you must answer 28 of them (70%) correctly to pass. 

Topics on this exam include:

• Estimating and bidding
• Lien laws
• Safety
• Tax laws
• Board rules
• Financial management
• Business organization

You will have two hours to take the exam, which is open book.

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The best thing you can do to prepare for these exams is to sign up with RocketCert for the most comprehensive exam prep courses available. We offer a “no pass, no pay” guarantee, 24/7 access to materials, and the best pricing anywhere. 

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