Alabama
Appraiser Continuing Education Requirements

Informational summary only, not legal advice — verify current requirements with the Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board. Full disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

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Alabama appraisers renew every year by September 30, but continuing education is measured over two years: 28 hours, including 7 hours of National USPAP and a Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course. For the 2026–2027 renewal, the Board states that continuing education is not required.

Because the renewal cycle and the education cycle are different lengths, some renewal years require CE documentation and some do not. Code of Alabama § 34-27A-15 requires the renewal application and fee to be filed between September 1 and September 30, and makes the licensee delinquent after September 30. Rule 780-X-12-.02 (PDF) requires 28 hours of continuing education every two years.

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Alabama appraiser CE at a glance

• Renewal deadline — September 30, every year. The statutory window is September 1 through September 30; for 2026–2027 the online portal opened August 1, 2026.

• CE documentation — collected at alternating renewals. Not required for the 2026–2027 renewal.

• Hours required — 28 every two years.

• What the 28 hours are — 7 hours National USPAP, a Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course, and the balance from the subject areas enumerated in Rule 780-X-12-.02. The rule does not state whether the VBFH hours sit inside the 28 or in addition to them — confirm with the Board if the difference matters to your plan.

• Valuation Bias and Fair Housing — required for any renewal occurring after January 1, 2026. Seven hours the first time, then at least four hours every two calendar years. The seven-hour-plus-exam qualifying education version satisfies the first completion.

• USPAP edition — the 2026–2027 7-Hour National USPAP CE course.

• USPAP instructor condition — two-part. The instructor must be AQB certified, and at least one instructor of the class must be a state certified appraiser. AQB certification alone is not sufficient in Alabama.

• Course length — minimum two hours for credit. A classroom hour is 50 minutes out of each 60-minute segment.

• Teaching and authorship — up to 50 percent of the requirement may be earned through teaching, program development, or authorship rather than as a student.

• Carryover — not addressed in Rule 780-X-12-.02. Do not assume excess hours carry into the next period.

• Renewal fee — $335 annually for every credential class. A $250 delinquent charge applies if the annual license fee is not paid by October 31.

• Course approval cycle — Alabama approves courses and instructors in two-year cycles ending September 30 of every even-numbered year. The current cycle ends September 30, 2026.

• Regulator — Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board, governed by Code of Alabama Title 34, Chapter 27A and Ala. Admin. Code Chapter 780-X.

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Is continuing education required for the 2026–2027 renewal?

No. The Board's Renewal Information page states that continuing education is not required this year. Online renewal for the 2026–2027 license year opened August 1, 2026, and the Board states that no 2026–2027 renewals, online or paper, were accepted before that date. Renewals should be submitted by September 30, 2026, and the Board has said September 30 postmarks will be honored.

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What the statute says. § 34-27A-15 states that with the application for renewal the appraiser shall present evidence, in the form prescribed by the Board, of having completed the continuing education requirements for renewal specified by the Board. The statute does not itself create an every-other-year pattern; it defers to what the Board specifies.

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What the Board specifies. The 28-hour requirement in Rule 780-X-12-.02 runs on a two-year measurement period, so the Board collects CE documentation at alternating renewals. The Appraiser License Renewal page reflects this in its form labels: the 2026–2027 online application is the annual fee notice with no continuing education required, while the 2025–2026 application is the annual fee notice with continuing education required.

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Two wording problems in the Board's own renewal materials. The Board's published renewal guidance is currently internally inconsistent on which renewal application applies for the 2026–2027 license year. Neither problem should be resolved by guessing:

• The Renewal Information page states that online renewal for the 2025–2026 licensure year remains open until September 30, 2026, and then states that licenses not renewed for 2024–2025 by September 30, 2026 will be closed. Those are two different license years. If you are behind on a prior year, contact the Board rather than assuming which year applies to you.

• The same page instructs portal users to select the annual renewal fee notice application labeled as requiring continuing education, while the Appraiser License Renewal page labels the 2026–2027 application as not requiring continuing education. If the application shown in the portal does not match what you expect, confirm with the Board before submitting.

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Do not read this as a year off. The 28-hour obligation is unchanged; only the documentation year moves. Hours completed now are hours you will not have to compress into the next documentation cycle.

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How many CE hours do Alabama appraisers need?

Twenty-eight hours every two years. Rule 780-X-12-.02 (PDF), last amended by a filing published November 26, 2025 and effective January 10, 2026, requires all classes of state licensed real property appraisers seeking renewal to present evidence of having completed the equivalent of 28 hours of continuing education every two years.

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Several mechanics in the rule determine whether a course will actually count:

• Classroom hour definition. A classroom hour is 50 minutes out of each 60-minute segment.

• Two-hour minimum. Credit is granted only where the length of the educational offering is at least two hours. The Board's Education Approval Process page states the same minimum.

• Closed list of providers. Credit may be earned only from colleges or universities, community or junior colleges, real estate appraisal or real estate related organizations, state or federal agencies or commissions, proprietary schools, or other providers approved by the Board.

• Enumerated subject areas. The rule lists the acceptable topics, which include ethics and standards of professional practice, valuation bias and fair housing laws and regulations, real estate law, litigation, ad valorem taxation, arbitration, construction estimating, land use planning and zoning, and real property appraisal, among others.

• Teaching and authorship credit. Up to 50 percent of the continuing education credit may be granted for participation other than as a student — teaching, program development, authorship of textbooks, or similar activities determined to be equivalent to obtaining continuing education. This is a substantial allowance that many Alabama appraisers do not use.

• Unapproved courses. Where an appraiser takes an appraisal-related course the Board has not approved, the Board will consider granting credit if the appraiser submits the course content, timeline, and syllabus with a non-refundable $35.00 review fee. If the Education Committee finds the content meets Appraisal Foundation continuing education criteria, a maximum of 7 hours of credit may be granted.

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What is the Alabama USPAP requirement?

At least 7 of the 28 hours must be the National USPAP Continuing Education course, or its equivalent as determined by the AQB, taught by an instructor certified by the AQB. The Board's Education Approval Process page states the same 7-of-28 requirement in its own guidance.

The second instructor condition. Rule 780-X-12-.02 adds a requirement that is easy to miss and that not every provider satisfies: at least one instructor of the class must be a state certified appraiser. AQB instructor certification alone is not sufficient under the Alabama rule. If you are taking USPAP from a national provider, this is worth confirming.

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What is the Valuation Bias and Fair Housing requirement?

Alabama amended Rule 780-X-12-.02 so that, for any license renewal occurring after January 1, 2026, appraisers must also successfully complete a course meeting the content requirements of the Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations Outline every two calendar years.

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First completion — seven hours. The first time an appraiser completes this continuing education requirement, the course length must be seven hours.

 

The qualifying education exception. An appraiser who successfully completed a seven-hour course plus a one-hour exam as part of qualifying education has already met this requirement and does not repeat the seven-hour version.

 

Every two calendar years thereafter — four hours minimum. After the first completion, the course length must be at least four hours. Alabama's approved course list currently carries both four-hour and seven-hour valuation bias and fair housing continuing education courses.

 

Note that the rule ties this requirement to renewals and to calendar years, not to the 28-hour measurement period. Track it separately from your hour count.

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Important Alabama deadlines

• August 1, 2026 — online renewal for the 2026–2027 license year opened. The Board accepted no 2026–2027 renewals, online or paper, before this date. This is the second consecutive cycle in which the Board held renewal until August 1.

• September 30, 2026 — renewal deadline. § 34-27A-15 makes the licensee delinquent after September 30. The Board has stated that September 30 postmarks will be honored on mailed renewals.

• September 30, 2026 — every course and instructor approval currently shown on the Board's education listing expires. Approval for one cycle does not automatically carry into the next.

• October 1, 2026 — the new two-year education approval cycle begins and runs through September 30, 2028.

• October 31, 2026 — Rule 780-X-4-.02 (PDF) imposes a $250.00 delinquent charge if the annual license fee is not paid by this date.

 

§ 34-27A-15 also allows the Board, where it determines an applicant failed to meet the renewal requirements through mistake, misunderstanding, or circumstances beyond the applicant's control, to extend the term of the license for a period not to exceed six months upon payment of a prescribed extension fee. If the applicant satisfies the renewal requirements during that extended term, the new renewal license begins October 1. Separately, an appraiser who fails to renew before expiration or within a granted extension may still obtain a renewal license by satisfying all renewal requirements and paying late renewal fees set by the Board.

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Approved courses

Alabama approves courses and instructors in two-year cycles rather than continuously. The Board's Education Approval Process page states that, for courses taught in Alabama, the Board approves courses and instructors for a 24-month period or any portion of one, with approval expiring September 30 of every even-numbered year, and that approval for one cycle does not automatically mean approval for any other cycle. The Board begins accepting applications on August 1 of every even-numbered year for courses taught from October 1 of that year through September 30 of the next even-numbered year.

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The practical consequence for appraisers is timing. Before registering for a fall course, confirm the provider has been re-approved for the cycle beginning October 1, 2026 — not merely that the course appears on a list generated earlier in the year.

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Courses taken outside Alabama. For a course or seminar taken out of state to count, the Board requires that it be appraisal related as outlined in the Administrative Code and that both the course and the instructor be approved by the appraiser regulatory board in the state where it is taught.

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College and university courses. The Board may grant approval, without application or fees, for appraisal and appraisal-related courses offered as part of the curriculum of schools accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In that case the course and instructor are automatically approved, but the student must provide transcripts or a Uniform Request for Licensure and Continuing Education Credit form at the time of application or renewal. If the school is not SACS accredited, the course and all instructors must be approved by the Board in writing before the course is taught.

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Verify before you register. The Board's Approved Appraisal Courses search and its full education listing report (report download) are the current sources for confirming whether a specific course is presently approved, by whom it is offered, and when that approval expires.

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Stay on track with your Alabama CE

Dennis Badger & Associates, Inc. appears on the Board's education listing report generated August 2, 2026 with the following approved continuing education courses, delivered live and instructor-led:

• 2026-2027 7-Hour National USPAP Course — Alabama course number C03214. Seven hours, satisfying the USPAP portion of the 28-hour requirement. Taught by Dennis Badger, an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor and a former member of the Appraisal Standards Board of The Appraisal Foundation — the board that writes the standards.

• Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations — Alabama course number C03182. Seven hours, the length Alabama requires the first time an appraiser completes this requirement.

• Appraiser's Guide to the New URAR — Alabama course number C03181. A practical walk-through of the redesigned Uniform Residential Appraisal Report and the UAD 3.6 dataset.

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Alabama course and instructor approvals run in two-year cycles ending September 30 of each even-numbered year, so confirm current approval status on the Board's list before registering. Because Alabama does not require CE documentation at the 2026–2027 renewal, this is the year to complete hours without deadline pressure rather than the year to skip them. Current session dates are posted on our Education Calendar.

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Appraiser CE requirements in nearby states

Florida · Georgia · Mississippi · Tennessee · All state CE requirements

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Legal Authority / Compliance References

Statute. Code of Alabama § 34-27A-15, Renewal license, sets the September 1 to September 30 application and fee window, makes the licensee delinquent after September 30, requires evidence of completed continuing education in the form prescribed by the Board, and provides for the six-month extension and for late renewal. Code of Alabama § 34-27A-19 authorizes the Board to establish continuing education requirements by regulation and governs reinstatement. The official code is published by the Alabama Legislature at Code of Alabama.

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Administrative rules. Rule 780-X-12-.02 (PDF), Continuing Education Requirements, is the operative CE rule. It cites §§ 34-27A-5, 34-27A-15, and 34-27A-19 as its statutory authority, and its current text was published November 26, 2025 and became effective January 10, 2026. Rule 780-X-4-.02 (PDF), Adoption and License Fees, sets the annual license fee, states that annual license fees are payable during September each year, and sets the delinquent charge.

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Instructor qualification. Alabama applies a two-part test to the National USPAP CE course: the course must be taught by an instructor certified by the AQB, and at least one instructor of the class must be a state certified appraiser. Separately, the Board's education guidance states that approved instructors should have education experience, preferably a bachelor's degree, and a record of having taught the course, or a substantially similar course, twice; an instructor who has not previously taught the course may be approved after assisting with it four times, and the Board must approve all assistant instructors.

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Provider obligations. Approved instructors are required to distribute to their students a signed Uniform Request for Licensure and Continuing Education Credit form, which the student files with the original license application or renewal. All approved courses remain subject to Board review at any time for compliance with AQB criteria, and on review the provider must make available all records the Board requests.

Pending rulemaking — nothing identified. As of August 3, 2026, no proposed amendment to Rule 780-X-12-.02 was identified in the Alabama Administrative Code filing record. The most recent Board filing activity located concerns Rule 780-X-3-.06, qualifying education curricula, which does not affect the continuing education requirements described here. Because rulemaking can move between reviews, confirm with the Board if you are relying on a specific provision.

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Board guidance. Published guidance appears on the Board's Renewal Information, Appraiser License Renewal, and Education Approval Process pages, and on the Approved Appraisal Courses search.

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State Appraisers Board Contact Information

Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board
Website: reab.alabama.gov
Contact page and form: Contact the Board
Phone: (334) 242-8747
Fax: (334) 242-8749
Physical address: 100 N. Union Street, Suite 370, Montgomery, AL 36104
Mailing address: P.O. Box 304355, Montgomery, AL 36130
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Public records requests: Alabama public records request portal

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How to Renew

Alabama appraisers renew annually. For the 2026–2027 license year the online portal opened August 1, 2026, the Board states that continuing education is not required for this renewal, and renewals should be submitted by September 30, 2026.

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Online. Renewals are filed through the Board's online licensing portal. Appraisers who have not logged into the portal before are directed to use the "forgot username" function, which sends the username by email from the Board's licensing system, and then to reset the password before selecting the appropriate annual renewal fee notice application from those available.

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By mail. Renewal forms for 2026–2027 are posted by credential classification on the Board's Appraiser License Renewal page. The Board states that mail-in renewals will not be accepted without the completed application, any required course completion certificates, and a check or money order for the appropriate fees.

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Fees, set by Rule 780-X-4-.02 (PDF):

• Annual license fee — $335.00 for Trainee, State Registered, Licensed, Certified Residential, and Certified General Real Property Appraiser

• Delinquent charge if the annual license fee is not paid by October 31 — $250.00

• Application fee — $150.00 for Trainee; $275.00 for State Registered, Licensed, Certified Residential, and Certified General

• Mentor status application — $200.00, a one-time fee that is not repeated unless Mentor status is revoked through disciplinary action

 

Under the Alabama Military Family Jobs Opportunity Act, the license fee is not required on initial issuance of a reciprocal license for an applicant who is the spouse of active duty military personnel or of a transitioning service member, as defined in Act 2018-540.

 

What you will and will not receive. The Board no longer mails hard copies of certificates, wallet cards, or renewal acknowledgement letters. The Board sends an updated appraiser report to the Appraisal Subcommittee daily during renewals. The Board does not report to the FHA; the FHA receives its reports from the Appraisal Subcommittee. Renewal questions are directed by the Board to its contact form.

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Pro-Tips for 2026

• Do not treat a no-CE renewal year as a year off. Alabama's 28-hour obligation runs on a two-year measurement period regardless of which renewal you document it at. Completing hours this year is the least expensive way to avoid a compressed schedule at the next documentation cycle.

• Track valuation bias and fair housing separately from your hour count. The rule ties that requirement to renewals occurring after January 1, 2026 and to calendar years, not to the 28-hour period. Seven hours the first time, at least four every two calendar years after.

• Confirm approval for the cycle beginning October 1, 2026 before you register this fall. Every approval on the Board's current list expires September 30, 2026, and approval does not roll forward automatically.

• Check the second instructor condition on USPAP. Alabama requires the National USPAP CE course to be taught by an AQB-certified instructor and requires at least one instructor of the class to be a state certified appraiser.

• Do not assume renewal opens in July. For both the 2025–2026 and 2026–2027 cycles the Board held online renewal until August 1. August, not late September, is the safer target for beginning your renewal.

• Use the teaching and authorship allowance if it applies to you. Up to 50 percent of the CE credit may be granted for teaching, program development, or authorship of textbooks determined to be equivalent to obtaining continuing education.

• Verify out-of-state courses on both ends. A course taken outside Alabama must be appraisal related and both the course and the instructor must be approved by the appraiser regulatory board in the state where it is taught.

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Important Disclaimer

This page is provided for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Continuing education and renewal requirements change, and the Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board's published renewal guidance is currently internally inconsistent on which renewal application applies for the 2026–2027 license year. Where the Board's published guidance and the codified rule text differ, this page presents both. Appraisers should verify current requirements directly with the Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board before relying on any statement here.

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Dennis Badger & Associates does not guarantee this summary reflects every requirement applicable to every appraiser, credential type, or individual circumstance.

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Last reviewed by Dennis Badger: August 3, 2026.