PE stamp in Alabama: local permits and the state construction office

When an Alabama PE stamp is required

The Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors licenses Professional Engineers under Title 34, Chapter 11. Drawings, plans, specifications, reports, and other work product issued by a licensee are sealed, signed, and dated, certifying that the licensee is competent in the subject and responsible for the work. The project address controls the license. A digital signature may be used in place of a handwritten signature.

AllInStamp matches an Alabama-licensed PE and verifies the license before sealing. If the city or the state reviewer has already asked for a seal, upload that comment with the drawings.

Local building departments and the Division of Construction Management

Private commercial buildings are reviewed by the city or county that has adopted a building code. Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile, and the counties each publish their own edition and portal. There is not one municipal code for the whole state.

The Division of Construction Management enforces the State Building Code on state-owned property and work that uses state funds, on public and private K-12 schools, on public colleges and universities, and on hotels, motels, and movie theaters. That code is the 2021 International Building Code, adopted July 1, 2022, with specified sections replaced by the 2024 IBC as amended March 17, 2025. DCM’s review of other municipal and county projects is limited to ADA standards. DCM does not review ordinary private commercial buildings or houses. Say which office will receive the set. A school or a hotel is not the same intake as a private warehouse.

The seal under Chapter 330-X-11

The seal is circular, 1-5/8 to 2 inches in diameter, and bears the licensee’s name, license number, and the legend “licensed professional engineer.” A rubber stamp or a computer-generated seal of that same design may be used. Documents signed with a digital signature include the authentication procedures the rule requires.

The seal, signature, and date go on final specifications, reports, drawings, plans, and calculations when they are presented to a client or to a public agency. Preliminary sheets that are not final are marked in large bold letters: “PRELIMINARY, NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION, RECORDING PURPOSES OR IMPLEMENTATION.” A revision is described and dated. If another licensee makes the revision, that licensee seals it, and the original seal and signature stay on the sheet. Responsible charge means the licensee supervised the work, had input before it was finished, reviewed the final documents, and had authority to change them.

Coastal wind in Mobile and Baldwin Counties

Coastal sites in Mobile County and Baldwin County draw wind-design and opening-protection comments that an inland Birmingham or Huntsville set does not. Put design wind speed, exposure, and risk category on the structural notes, and include the product data the city expects for openings and roofing. Residential code adoption is on its own track through the Home Builders Licensure Board. Do not assume a commercial code cycle is the residential cycle.

How to get an Alabama set sealed

Upload the PDF plan set and calculations, and note the city or whether the project is a school, hotel, movie theater, or state-funded job reviewed by DCM. Include the code edition that office has adopted. Out-of-state drawings can be reviewed. The seal is applied only by an Alabama licensee in responsible charge.

Start a new quote with Alabama prefilled. Intake typically responds within 24–48 hours. Stamp turnaround then follows page count and whether rush service is selected.

FAQ

Does every Alabama commercial building go through the state?

No. Ordinary private commercial permits are local. The Division of Construction Management reviews state-owned and state-funded work, K-12 schools, public colleges, hotels, motels, and movie theaters. Identify the reviewer in the quote.

How are preliminary Alabama drawings marked?

Working drawings that are not final do not need a seal if they carry a large bold statement that they are preliminary and not for construction, recording, or implementation. Final documents presented to a client or an agency are sealed, signed, and dated.

Can a PE licensed in another state stamp Alabama drawings?

No. Work product that requires an Alabama seal is sealed by a licensee of the Alabama board. AllInStamp routes Alabama jobs to Alabama licensees.