How to run an Alabama contractor license lookup: Before you sign for any Hurricane Isaias repair, look up the contractor at hblb.alabama.gov or call 1-800-304-0853. Alabama requires a state home builder license for residential jobs over $10,000 and a roofer's license for roof work over $2,500. Make sure the license number matches the name on your quote.
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Find out which license threshold your job falls under ($10,000 for home building and remodeling, $2,500 for roofing).
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Look up the license at hblb.alabama.gov or by calling 1-800-304-0853.
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Get a written quote and contract that shows the license number, full name, address, phone, scope of work, timeline and total cost.
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Ask for proof of insurance yourself.
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Ask for references, especially if the crew showed up unannounced or is from out of town.
Why this check matters this week
Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, around 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 9, as a Category 2 storm and weakened to Category 1 soon after, according to CBS News, which called it the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season. Gov. Kay Ivey ordered non-residents, tourists and visitors out of Baldwin County south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which includes Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, and off Dauphin Island in Mobile County. CBS reported that "More than 697,000 customers were without power across Florida, Alabama, and Georgia."
After a storm like this, the cleanup brings out good local contractors along with crews that go door to door. Plenty of them are legitimate. Some aren't. The quickest way to tell them apart is a license check, and Alabama makes it easy.
Step 1: Know which license your job needs
Alabama has two contractor licensing boards, and for most storm repairs on a house, the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board (HBLB) is the one that matters.
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Home builder license, jobs over $10,000. The HBLB FAQ defines a residential home builder as "one who engages in the construction, remodeling, repair, improvement, or reimprovement of a residential structure where the cost of the undertaking including labor and materials exceeds $10,000." The number covers labor and materials together, so a $7,000 labor bid plus $4,000 in materials is over the line.
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Roofer's license, roof work over $2,500. In its storm warning, HBLB said "A roofer's license is necessary when roof replacement costs exceed $2,500," as reported by WJHG. KWCH's version of the same release describes the requirement as applying "for storm repairs exceeding $2,500." Most roof replacements after a hurricane cost well over $2,500, so expect your roofer to need a license.
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Unlimited Home Builders license holders can do roofing. The HBLB Licensees page says, "If you hold an Unlimited Home Builders License, you are qualified to engage in residential roofing and DO NOT need a Roofers License." If a general remodeler offers to do your roof, this is the license to look for.
A few more details that come in handy:
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Licensed roofers have to keep "a $10,000 License/Permit Bond naming the Board as the Obligee" on file, according to the HBLB FAQ.
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Holders of older General Contractor licenses numbered 1 through 18907, issued before 1992, "may engage in residential construction" without a separate home builders license, per the same FAQ.
Step 2: Run the lookup
Use the license search at hblb.alabama.gov or call 1-800-304-0853. For general questions, HBLB's main line is 334-242-2230.
When you check, don't stop at "a license exists." Make sure the license number on the quote belongs to the same name and business address the contractor gave you. If the contractor can't or won't give you a license number for a job over the threshold, you've learned what you need to know.
Step 3: Get the quote and contract in writing
HBLB recommends that written quotes and contracts include:
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The contractor's license number
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The contractor's full name
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Address
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Phone number
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A description of the work
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A timeline
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The total cost
This is the board's advice, not a checklist written into state law. Still, a contractor who won't put these basics in writing is one to pass on. A clear written scope and total price also make it much easier to compare two bids line by line and to work with your insurance adjuster.
Step 4: Ask for proof of insurance
Don't assume a license means the contractor is insured. The HBLB FAQ says plainly: "The law regulating residential home builders does not address insurance. However, insurance may be required under other state laws." Ask for proof of liability and workers' compensation coverage before anyone climbs on your roof.
HBLB Executive Director Seth Gowan's advice to homeowners, via KWCH: "be cautious and patient. Work with your insurance company, check to make sure contractors are licensed, ask a lot of questions." Talk to your insurer before you commit to a contractor, so the scope and price you sign for line up with what your claim will cover.
Step 5: Check references
HBLB says to ask for references, especially when the contact is unsolicited or the contractor is from out of town. Call two or three past customers. Ask if the job finished on schedule, if the final bill matched the quote, and if they'd hire the contractor again.
Unlicensed storm work is now a felony
The state has raised the penalties for this storm. According to HBLB, as reported by WJHG, Gov. Ivey's emergency proclamation covers 37 Alabama counties and triggers the Aggravated Home Repair Fraud law. Offering unlicensed homebuilding after an emergency declaration becomes a Class C felony. KWCH reports it's normally a Class A misdemeanor. The HBLB homepage alert warns that "Law Enforcement may charge unlicensed homebuilders with a felony."
"Taking advantage of fellow Alabamians who suffer damage or loss of property will not be tolerated," Gowan said, via KWCH.
Price gouging rules for repair and cleanup
The emergency also turned on Alabama's price-gouging law. Attorney General Steve Marshall said the law took effect at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, covers 40 counties and runs through Oct. 14, according to Wiregrass Daily News and the Trussville Tribune. (The AG's 40-county count differs from the 37 counties HBLB cites for the emergency proclamation.)
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What counts: prices 25% or more above the average of the previous 30 days, unless reasonable costs justify the increase.
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Who's covered: repair and cleanup services are included.
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Penalties: fines up to $1,000 per violation, and repeat violators may be barred from doing business in Alabama.
"The Governor's emergency declaration triggers Alabama's price gouging law, and my office is watching," Marshall said.
A practical tip: if a tree removal or tarp quote seems high, ask the contractor what they charged for the same work in September. If the price jumped sharply and they can't point to higher costs, report it. Complaints about fraud and price gouging go to the AG at www.alabamaag.gov or 1-800-392-5658.
What the Oct. 1 licensing change does (and doesn't) do
You may hear that Alabama loosened contractor licensing this month. Here's what happened. Act 2026-396 amended Section 34-8-7 of the Code of Alabama, effective Oct. 1, 2026. It adds exemptions for "construction and repair of residential swimming pools" and for "routine or regular maintenance, repair, cleaning, and facility support services."
The key point is which license those exemptions apply to. They come from the State Licensing Board for General Contractors, which licenses jobs costing "one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or more" under Act 2024-277 (the threshold was $50,000 before Oct. 1, 2024). That board's notice doesn't mention HBLB licenses. Nothing in it changes the HBLB's $10,000 home builder line or the $2,500 roofer line. And the GC board itself says "the law does not define every situation that may qualify as routine or regular maintenance."
Bottom line: if a contractor tells you the new law means they don't need a license to replace your roof or rebuild storm damage, look it up anyway.
When to walk away
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No license number on a roofing job over $2,500 or a home repair over $10,000.
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The license number doesn't match the name or address on the quote.
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They won't give you a written quote with the scope, timeline and total cost.
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They can't show proof of insurance.
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No references, especially from a crew that knocked on your door.
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Prices well above what the same job cost before the storm, with no explanation.
Before you sign: quick checklist
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Threshold: home builder license over $10,000 (labor plus materials); roofer's license over $2,500 for roof work; Unlimited Home Builders license covers roofing.
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Lookup: hblb.alabama.gov or 1-800-304-0853. HBLB main line: 334-242-2230.
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In writing: license number, full name, address, phone, work description, timeline, total cost.
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Insurance: ask for proof; the HBLB law doesn't require it.
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References: call at least two past customers.
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Report problems: AG at www.alabamaag.gov or 1-800-392-5658.
If your contractor passes all six, you're in good shape to sign. If they don't, call the next one on your list.
Related reading
Sources
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WJHG: State warns of contractor scams as Hurricane Isaias approaches (Oct. 9, 2026)
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KWCH: State warns of contractor scams as Hurricane Isaias approaches (Oct. 9, 2026)
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Wiregrass Daily News: Alabama Price Gouging Law Now in Effect Ahead of Isaias (Oct. 9, 2026)
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Trussville Tribune: Price gouging laws in effect during State of Emergency (Oct. 9, 2026)
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Alabama State Licensing Board for General Contractors: Changes to the Code of Alabama (Act 2024-277)
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