Jefferson County has 698 listed contractors, the most of any Alabama county

Jefferson County is home to 698 firms in this site's Alabama directory, ranking No. 1 of the 67 counties with listed firms. 213 are general or prime contractors and 485 are specialty contractors. ALDOT's current letting information has no project in the county, so the hub's bids list will fill in as new lettings are posted.

Where the firms are

By city, the most listed firms are in Birmingham (358), Bessemer (61), Trussville (45), Irondale (29), Gardendale (25), Leeds (21), Hoover (16) and Homewood (15).

Trades

The most common trade tags among the county's firms are general contracting (356), electrical (65), underground utilities (48), bridge & highway (46) and concrete (46). Tags come from license classes or firm names and can be corrected by the firm.

A sample of listed firms

• A G Gaston Construction Co Inc, Birmingham (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• A G Peltz Group LLC, Irondale (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Abramson LLC, Irondale (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Ahr Metals Inc, Bessemer (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Alabama Power Company, Birmingham (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• All-south Subcontractors Inc, Birmingham (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Allen Binkley Construction Inc, Birmingham (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Alscan Inc, Birmingham (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Amac Developmet Group LLC, Birmingham (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Anderson/belcher Construction Inc, Gardendale (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Apt DB LLC, Birmingham (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Archer Construction Inc, Birmingham (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Ard Contracting Inc, Birmingham (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))
• Argo Building Company LLC, Birmingham (general/prime; LBGC general contractor license (prime classification))

The full list is on the county hub.

Statewide lettings

ALDOT's nearest projects with upcoming bid dates are in Baldwin County, Coffee County, Houston County, Jackson County and Russell County. By description they break down as resurfacing or pavement (24), safety and signals (4) and other work (2).

In context

Jefferson County holds 14.0% of the firms in the Alabama directory. Statewide, 27% of listed firms are general or prime contractors; here the figure is 31%. Statewide, ALDOT's upcoming letting information has 30 projects in 25 counties.

How to bid

ALDOT prequalifies primes through its Bureau of Office Engineer; applications are due at least 14 days before a bid opening and renew yearly. Bids go in electronically through Bid Express with a Digital ID. Since Oct. 1, 2024, an LBGC license is required when the cost of the undertaking is $100,000 or more, for general contractors and subcontractors alike. Public works contracts of $50,000 or more carry a 100% performance bond and a payment bond of at least 50% (Ala. Code § 39-1-1). A claimant must give the surety written notice and wait 45 days before suing, and must sue within one year of final settlement.

Our guides cover each step: how to bid ALDOT work, licensing and lien and bond deadlines.

About the data

Counts come from the LBGC full roster report for licensees with an Alabama address in Jefferson County. Firms whose classifications include building (BC), highway (H/HS), municipal and utility (MU) or railroad (RR) work are counted as general contractors; the rest as specialty contractors. Listings carry only what the public source publishes. A firm that is missing or listed in the wrong county can add or claim its listing for free.

Terms used in this story

• Retainage: a share of each progress payment held back until the work is accepted.
• Low bidder: the responsive bidder with the lowest total price; most public construction is awarded to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder.
• Award: the agency's formal acceptance of a bid, after which the contractor signs the contract and posts its bonds.
• Change order: a written change to a signed contract's work, price or time.