§ 34-8-7 — Exemptions from Chapter; Subcontractor Requirements

(a) The following shall be exempted from this chapter:
(1) The practice of general contracting, as defined in Section 34-8-1, by an authorized representative
of the United States Government, State of Alabama, incorporated town, city, or county in this state, which is under the supervision of a licensed architect or engineer
,
provided any work contracted out by the
authorized
representative shall comply with
the definition in
this chapter for general contractor.
(2) The construction of any residence or private dwelling.
(3) A person, firm, or corporation constructing a building or other improvements on his, her, or its own property
,
provided that any of the work contracted out complies with the definition in this chapter for general contractor. A municipal governing body or municipal regulatory body may not enact any ordinance or law restricting or altering this exemption. Any municipal ordinance or regulation that conflicts with this exemption is repealed effective June 11, 2015.
(4) The installation, repair, maintenance, or removal of facilities, equipment, or systems used in or substantially related to the generation, transmission, or distribution of electric power, natural gas, or telecommunications in an emergency by a utility regulated by the Public Service Commission, or any entity engaged in the generation, transmission, or distribution of electric power, natural gas, or telecommunications, or any of their respective general contractors or subcontractors, provided the work is performed under the supervision of a licensed architect or engineer. For purposes of this subdivision, the term “emergency” is defined as a situation whereby service to the consumer has been interrupted or may be interrupted if work to remedy the emergency is not performed and completed within 60 days, and such other situations that are determined to be an emergency in the discretion of the board.
(5) The repair, maintenance, replacement, reinstallation, or removal of facilities, equipment, or systems used in or substantially related to the generation, transmission, or distribution of electric power, natural gas, or telecommunications on a routine, regular, or recurring basis by a utility regulated by the Public Service Commission or any entity engaged in the generation, transmission, or distribution of electric power, natural gas, or telecommunications or any of their respective general contractors or subcontractors, provided the work is performed under the supervision of a licensed architect or engineer.
(6) Routine or regular maintenance, repair, replacement, reinstallation, or removal of equipment, specialized technological processes, or equipment facility systems as determined by the board with regard to scope, frequency, and specialty of the work to be performed.
(7) Routine landscape maintenance work that includes cutting grass; trimming, replacing, and removal of bushes, shrubs, and similar items; the placement and removal of pine straw, mulch, bark, and similar ground covers; and other routine ground maintenance.
(8) The provision of temporary labor by a labor broker or other temporary labor provider that provides workers to a general contractor to perform work under the supervision and control of that general contractor. For the purposes of licensing, temporary workers are deemed to fall under the license of the general contractor to whom they are provided. This exemption does not allow labor brokers or other temporary labor providers to act as subcontractors or to assume a scope of work for a project as a subcontractor.
(b) The
exemptions
provided in subsection (a)
shall exclude a swimming pool contractor. Provided, however, a person, firm, or corporation constructing a swimming pool on his, her, or its own property shall be exempted from this chapter.
(c) A subcontractor, as defined in Section 34-8-1(c), is subject to and shall comply with this chapter as specified for
a
general contractor except as follows:
(1) A subcontractor shall pay one-half
of
the fees
required in this chapter for a general contractor.
(2) No bid limits shall be established for a subcontractor.
(3) A subcontractor shall submit with license application and renewals a statement of financial condition as prescribed by the board.
(4) A subcontractor shall furnish three references from any combination of the following: Licensed general contractors, registered professional engineers, or registered architects, or qualified person, as declared by the board, for whom they have worked. If a subcontractor has only been employed by one company, the subcontractor shall provide the following: Three or more jobs he or she has worked on, the amounts of the contracts, the time period of the contracts, the location of the contracts, and a statement of experience.
(5) A subcontractor is not required to be licensed at the time a project is bid, but must be licensed with the board prior to beginning work on the project.
(6) A general contractor license and license number issued by the board to subcontractors shall denote subcontractor status.
(7) A subcontractor is not required to sit for any examination before being licensed.

Legislative History

(Acts 1935, No. 297, p. 721, §13; Code 1940, T. 46, §78; Acts 1959, No. 571, p. 1429, §1; Acts 1989, No. 89-648, p. 1278, §2; Acts 1996, No. 96-640, p. 1013, §1; Acts 1997, No. 97-270, p. 486, §1; Act 99-199, p. 251, §3; Act 2009-725, p. 2168, §1; Act 2011-165, p. 308, §3; Act 2015-480, p. 1648, §1, Act 2023-99, §3; Act 2024-277, §1.)