City of Birmingham, AL Plumber and Pipe Fitter ($10,000) Bond - Statewide in Alabama

Brief Summary

A state plumbing or gas fitting license is not the end of the paperwork in Birmingham. The City of Birmingham expects a $10,000 surety bond from plumbing and pipe fitting contractors before they pull permits and open a business license, and the bond is written the same day for most applicants. The premium is a fraction of the $10,000 face amount, set by a quick credit review.

The City of Birmingham, Alabama requires a $10,000 surety bond from plumbers and pipe fitters doing permitted work inside the city. The City of Birmingham is the obligee. The bond runs alongside, not in place of, a state license from the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, which the city's Tax and License Division checks before issuing a business license. Plumbing permits are issued by the Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits through its Online Permit Center.

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How to Apply for a City of Birmingham, AL Plumber and Pipe Fitter ($10,000) Bond:

• Hold a current license from the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board. The city checks it before issuing a business license.
• Provide the legal business name and the licensed master plumber's name exactly as they appear on the state license and the city business license application.
• Provide the owner's name, home address and Social Security number for the credit review.
• Confirm the bond form, principal name and term with the Permitting and Inspection Division at 205-254-2904 before the bond is issued.
• Complete the bond application, review the premium quoted on the $10,000 amount and pay it.
• File the executed bond with the City of Birmingham with your business license application and permit registration, and renew it before it expires.

Detailed Information About the Alabama City of Birmingham, AL Plumber and Pipe Fitter ($10,000) Bond:

Two credentials, not one

Plumbers in Alabama are licensed at the state level by the Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board. Birmingham treats that state license as a prerequisite. Its Tax and License Division lists Master Plumbers, Master Gas Fitters and Master Plumbers and Gas Fitters among the state-regulated occupations that must furnish evidence of state licensing or a certification card before the city issues a business license. The $10,000 bond on this page is a separate city requirement. Holding the state license does not waive it, and holding the bond does not substitute for the state license.

What the bond does

The City of Birmingham is the obligee. The bond is a $10,000 guarantee to the city that the contractor will perform plumbing and pipe fitting work in compliance with the city's adopted codes and permit conditions and will correct defective or unpermitted work. Birmingham's 2024 Technical Code, effective October 1, 2024, adopts the 2021 International Plumbing Code and the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code, so those are the standards the bonded work is held to. If the contractor abandons a job, leaves work that fails inspection, or performs work without a permit, the city can make a claim against the bond and the surety can recover from the contractor.

Where to file and how long it runs

The Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits is moving its permitting to a new Online Permit Center, and that is where plumbing permits are now pulled. The bond and the state license are the two documents a plumbing contractor is asked for in that process. Birmingham has not published a standalone bond form on its website. Before the bond is issued, confirm with the Permitting and Inspection Division at 205-254-2904 or OnlinePermitCenter@birminghamal.gov whether the city wants the bond on its own form or on the surety's standard form, the exact name to show as principal, and the term the city expects. Trade contractor bonds of this kind are usually written for one year and renewed with the city business license, which the Tax and License Division handles separately. Keep the bond continuous. A lapse stops permits.

Related bonds in the same city

Birmingham lists a separate $10,000 bond for plumber and gas fitter combination contractors and separate bonds for electrical contractors. If your state license covers both plumbing and gas fitting, ask the city which bond title it wants on file so you do not buy two.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Alabama City of Birmingham, AL Plumber and Pipe Fitter ($10,000) Bond:

• Bond amount of $10,000 with the City of Birmingham named as obligee.
• A surety company authorized to write bonds in Alabama.
• A current state plumber or gas fitter license, which the bond supplements and does not replace.
• Principal name on the bond matching the state license and the city business license.
• Personal credit review of the owner. At $10,000 the review mostly sets the rate rather than eligibility.

Alabama City of Birmingham, AL Plumber and Pipe Fitter ($10,000) Bond FAQs:

Official and Additional Resources for the Alabama City of Birmingham, AL Plumber and Pipe Fitter ($10,000) Bond: