December 04, 2014
Thursday PM

(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Need your deck repaired? New screen door installed? Until January 1, these minor jobs can be performed by anyone - no registration or bond required. Starting in 2015, all construction contractors will require registration and bonding, regardless of the size or type of work performed.

State law currently exempts work in a number of categories, including jobs less than $10,000. In a move designed to provide consumer protection to Alaskans, the legislature passed SB 193 extending the bonding requirement to all construction contractors - including those often known as “handymen” who work on smaller jobs.

While many handymen don’t consider themselves construction contractors, Alaska Statute currently defines a contractor as “a person who, in the pursuit of an independent business, undertakes or offers to perform, or claims to have the capacity to perform, or submits a bid for a project to construct, alter, repair, move, or demolish a building, highway, road, railroad, or any type of fixed structure, including excavation and site development and erection of scaffolding” (AS 08.18.171(4)). According to the new law, regardless of the size of the job, any business or person that advertises as performing this type of work must be registered, bonded, and insured.

The new law also increases bonding requirements for all construction contractors, providing additional recourse for consumers who feel they have not received the work for which they paid. SB 193 received broad support from Alaska construction industry associations, who stated the increase underscores the integrity and public expectation of the profession. Information on these requirements is available on the division’s web site.

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

On the Web:

Bonding requirements for all construction contractors
http://commerce.state.ak.us/dnn/cbpl/ProfessionalLicensing/
ConstructionContractors.aspx

Construction Contractors must also obtain an Alaska Business License
http://commerce.state.ak.us/dnn/cbpl/BusinessLicensing.aspx

Source of News: 

Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development
www.commerce.alaska.gov

Alaska’s Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing ensures competent, professional, and regulated commercial services are available to Alaska consumers. The Division, along with the Division of Banking and Securities, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, and the Division of Insurance, are tasked with protecting consumers in Alaska.

 

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