Alabama's home builder licence rule, and how it protects a foundation repair
Alabama has one rule that matters more than any other when you hire a foundation contractor, and most homeowners have never heard of it. It is short, it has a dollar figure in it, and it gives you a way to check a company before a single pier goes in. Here it is, with what to do about it.
The rule
Under Title 34, Chapter 14A of the Alabama Code, anyone who contracts to build, repair or improve a residence where the cost of the undertaking is $10,000 or more must hold a residential home builder's licence issued by the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board, the HBLB. Foundation repair is residential improvement, and a pier job, a full-perimeter waterproofing system or a house leveling almost always crosses $10,000. So the contractor doing that work on your house must be licensed, and you can check.
Below $10,000, which covers a single crack injection, a sump pump, a few crawl-space piers or a short run of drain tile, the licence is not required by the rule. Many of the crews we book hold one anyway, because they do the larger jobs too.
What the licence does and does not tell you
It tells you the company passed the board's examination, carries the insurance the board requires, and is accountable to the board for complaints. It does not tell you the company is good at foundations specifically, that its warranty is worth anything, or that its price is fair. It is a floor, not a recommendation. Use it as the first filter and the questions below as the rest.
How to check a number
- Ask the contractor for their HBLB licence number before signing. A licensed company has it on the truck, the paperwork or the first page of the quote and will not hesitate.
- Look it up with the Home Builders Licensure Board. The board keeps a public licensee search; the name on the licence should match the company on your quote, and the status should be current.
- If the number belongs to a different company, an individual who is not on your paperwork, or is expired, stop and ask why. There are legitimate reasons, such as a qualifying individual within a company, but you should hear them before you sign.
The other two rules
Permits. Inside the City of Huntsville, structural foundation work, which means underpinning, replacing piers, lifting a load-bearing slab and installing wall anchors, is permitted through City of Huntsville Building Services. A simple crack injection usually is not, and Building Services will say either way. Outside the city, the town or county office handles it. The contractor files the permit, and a company that suggests skipping it to save you money is the company to avoid.
Alabama 811. State law requires that Alabama 811 be notified at least two business days before any excavation so that buried utilities are marked. Pier holes and drain trenches are excavation. The crew makes the call; the colored flags in the yard before the dig are the sign it was made.
What a written quote has to show
The company's full name and HBLB number
On the quote, matching the licence search.
A survey, not a sketch
Floor elevations in numbers, with a plan showing where the piers go and why those spots.
Line items
Each pier, each foot of drain, the sump, the permit fee, the brick relay, the landscaping, each on its own line with a number.
The pier type and depth basis
Push or helical, how bearing or torque is verified, and what happens if the first pier goes deeper than estimated.
Payment terms
Deposit amount, if any, and when the balance is due. A deposit above a third of the job before any work is a flag.
The warranty, in writing
What is covered, for how long, whether it transfers to a new owner, and who honors it if the company changes hands.
Red flags
- A price given from the driveway, or over the phone, without a laser survey.
- A quote that covers the whole perimeter when only one wall or corner shows a problem, with no explanation.
- Pressure to sign today for a discount that disappears tomorrow.
- No licence number, or one that does not check out.
- "We don't need a permit for this" on a pier or anchor job inside the city.
- A warranty described in conversation but not on paper.
- A structural engineer's opinion offered by a salesperson who is not an engineer. When a stamped letter is needed, it comes from an engineer, and a good contractor refers one rather than pretend.
- A cash price that only exists if there is no paperwork.
What we do about all this
The crews booked through this site put their HBLB number on the findings sheet for any job that crosses the $10,000 line, file the permit, call 811, and quote only after the laser survey. If you look up the number and something is off, call us before you call them; it has not happened, and we would want to know.
What people ask about this
Is this site licensed?
This site books the work and does not perform it, so the licence belongs to the contractor who comes out. Ask them for the number and check it; that is the point of this page.
Does the $10,000 include materials or just labor?
The cost of the undertaking, which means the whole contract price. A $9,000 pier job with $1,500 of landscaping on the same contract is a $10,500 undertaking.
What if my job is $8,000 and the contractor is unlicensed?
The rule does not require a licence below $10,000, so that is legal. You would still want to see insurance, a written quote and a warranty, and you might reasonably prefer a licensed company for the accountability.
Can I file a complaint with the board?
Yes, against a licensed contractor, for work that falls under the licence. That is one of the practical reasons the licence matters: it gives you somewhere to go besides court.
Who files the permit, me or the contractor?
The contractor, as part of the job, with the fee on the quote. If you are asked to pull a permit yourself as the homeowner for work a contractor is doing, ask why.
Keep reading: Foundation repair in Huntsville · The full 2026 price list · Paying for repairs