Storm contractor rules in Alabama: the Unconscionable Pricing Act and the contractor licence lines
Alabama puts its emergency price rule in Chapter 31 of Title 8 of the Code of Alabama and its contractor licence rules in Titles 34, Chapters 8 and 14A. This page restates those sections and a board notice as they were read on October 9, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. All the rows below are statute text from the Alabama Legislature's code site, except the last row, which is a notice from the general contractors board. None of the sections names tree work.
The sections in one table
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| 8-31-2, definitions | A "commodity" includes goods and also "all services offered or provided or work performed" as an occupation or business to consumers, plus food, water, ice, chemicals, petroleum products and lumber needed as a direct result of the emergency |
| 8-31-3, prohibition | Imposing unconscionable prices for the sale or rental of a commodity, the rental of a facility or the provision of a service is unlawful and a violation of section 8-19-5, during a declared state of emergency, for the time periods and affected areas set out in the Governor's proclamation or a joint resolution of the Legislature |
| 8-31-4, test | A price is prima facie unconscionable when it exceeds by 25 percent or more the average price for the same or a similar commodity in the affected area during the 30 days before the declaration, and the increase is not attributable to reasonable costs |
| 8-31-5, penalties | A court imposes a civil penalty of up to US$1,000 per violation, with an aggregate of up to US$25,000 for any 24-hour period. For continuous and willful violations the court may suspend or revoke a business licence or enjoin the person from doing business in the state |
| 34-8-1, general contractor | A general contractor is a person who for a fee undertakes construction, alteration, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, remediation, reclamation or demolition of a building, highway, sewer, structure, site work, grading, paving or project where the cost is US$100,000 or more |
| 34-14A-2, residential home builder | A residential home builder undertakes the construction, repair or improvement of a residence or structure of up to three floors and four residential units when the cost exceeds US$10,000. Cost means materials, labour, supervision, overhead and profit. The section names residential roofers at US$2,500 |
| 34-8-7 and board notice | The exemption list includes routine landscape maintenance such as cutting grass, trimming, replacing and removing bushes and shrubs, and placing mulch. The board's notice of September 10, 2026 says changes to the section, under Act 2026-396, will take effect on October 1, 2026 |
Price rule
The Alabama act is written around a service as well as a good. Section 8-31-2 says services and work performed as an occupation or business are commodities, so the text reaches a contractor's price for a job, not only the price of lumber or ice. The trigger is a proclamation by the Governor or a joint resolution of the Legislature under section 31-9-8(a). The act says the dates and the affected area are those that document names. The 25 percent test in section 8-31-4 is described as prima facie evidence, which is a presumption and not the only way a price can be found unconscionable. The section also excludes increases that come from reasonable costs.
Section 8-31-5 sets the money limits and sends penalties collected by the circuit court to the State Treasurer, credited to the office that brought the case, either the Attorney General or the district attorney. The code's table of contents lists section 8-31-6 under the title Private Cause of Action Not Created.
Licence lines
Alabama splits licensing between two boards. The Licensing Board for General Contractors works under Title 34, Chapter 8, and its definition starts at US$100,000 of cost. Section 34-8-7 exempts the construction or repair of a residence or private dwelling from that chapter. The Home Builders Licensure Board covers residential building and home improvement under Chapter 14A, starting above US$10,000. Neither definition lists tree removal, pruning or hauling. The board notice asks contractors to take questions on specific projects to the board before bidding, because the law does not define every case of routine or regular maintenance.
The landscape exemption in section 34-8-7 names bushes and shrubs but not trees. This page does not say that tree work falls inside or outside it. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work. The scam warnings that attorneys general issue for storms are on the storm tree scams page.
Sources
- Alabama Legislature, Code of Alabama section 8-31-2, Definitions, read October 9, 2026
- Alabama Legislature, Code of Alabama section 8-31-3, Prohibition of Unconscionable Pricing, read October 9, 2026
- Alabama Legislature, Code of Alabama section 8-31-4, Determination of Unconscionable Price, read October 9, 2026
- Alabama Legislature, Code of Alabama section 8-31-5, Penalties, read October 9, 2026
- Alabama Legislature, Code of Alabama section 34-8-1, general contractor definitions, read October 9, 2026
- Alabama Legislature, Code of Alabama section 34-8-7, exemptions, read October 9, 2026
- Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors, notice of exemption changes, September 10, 2026, read October 9, 2026
- Alabama Legislature, Code of Alabama section 34-14A-2, Home Builders Licensure Board definitions, read October 9, 2026