Renewing licences is typically an arduous process, annoying even, depending on whom you ask. But what if we told you that renewing your Alabama Home Builder licence doesn’t have to be a troublesome chore? There’s something you must do to make this possible, however, and that’s marking down the key deadlines and acting early.
That’s what this guide is all about. So, if you were wondering what you should do to renew your licence on time, here are some tips you’ll want to follow.
1. Understand the Renewal Window and Fees
The secret to a timely licence renewal is knowing the renewal deadlines and fees so you can plan early. Home builders in Alabama should renew their licences yearly during the renewal season that runs from October 1st until December 31st. The recommended time to submit your renewal application is October 1st, since this gives you plenty of time to make changes if your application has any errors.
The renewal cycle is divided into two periods: a standard renewal period that runs from October 1st to November 30th, and a late period that runs from December 1st to December 31st. The fees for the standard period are only the licence renewal fee, which is currently at $250.
If you renew your licence during the late period, you’ll pay the standard fee and a $50 penalty. After 31st December, your licence expires, thus you’ll have to reapply and pay a $350 processing fee alongside the $250 renewal fee (total of $600).
There’s also an inactive option for builders handling less than $10,000 worth of residential projects. This option requires you to pay $125 every year to keep your licence from expiring. It’s the option you should go with if you’re planning to take on lighter loads in the next licensing year.
2. Continuing Education Requirements
Any licensee or designated qualifying representative (DQR) who is under the age of 60 must earn 6 credit hours of Alabama home builders license renewal continuing education from a Board-accredited provider. The course must contain a minimum of 2 state-specific topics such as Business Organisations and Law, Consumer/Customer Relations and Management, and more. The remaining 4 hours can be earned from elective topics.
You can carry over a maximum of 6 hours into the next licensure year. It’s always advisable to complete your continuing education by October 1 to avoid delays in licence renewals.
3. Renewing on Time
After understanding what you should do before renewal, we always advise our readers to start planning immediately. First things first, make sure you have set the right reminders for important dates. After this, create a study schedule for the 6 hours of CE that you must complete. As you can expect, it’s much easier if you start as early as possible, since that leaves you with plenty of time for the other tasks and responsibilities that you have.
The good thing about renewing your licence is that your CE course provider will report the total hours taken on your behalf. This leaves you with only one last step to worry about: submitting your licence application and fee.
4. So, Online or Paper Renewal?
At this point, you more than likely already know the option we will recommend. Paper applications work, yes, but they are cumbersome. So, always go with the online renewal, unless you don’t have the ability to do so.
Complete Your CE Course Effortlessly Today
Continuing your education is a vital part of renewing your home builder’s licence in Alabama, but most professionals find it bothersome. Do you know why that is? Well, it’s simply because they take the wrong courses.
You want to take a simplified CE course like the ones RocketCert offers. This will not only save a lot of your time, but you’ll also enjoy taking the course and actually learn a couple of new things.
