§34-8-4. Fines; revocation of licenses.

(a) The board may levy and collect an administrative fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for any violation of any provision of this chapter or the rules and regulations of the board.

(b) The board may also revoke the certificate of license of any general contractor licensed hereunder who is found guilty of any fraud or deceit in obtaining a license or gross negligence, incompetence or misconduct in the conduct of business. Any person may prefer charges of the fraud, deceit, negligence, or misconduct against any general contractor licensed hereunder. The charges shall be in writing and sworn to by the complainant and submitted to the board. The charges, unless dismissed without hearing by the board as unfounded or trivial, shall be heard and determined by the board within 90 days after the date on which they were preferred. The hearing shall be held at the office of the State Licensing Board for General Contractors in Montgomery, Alabama. A copy of the charges, together with the notice of the time and place of hearing, shall be legally served on the accused by the secretary of the board, any sheriff in the state or by registered or certified mail, at least 10 days before the fixed date for the hearing. In the event that the service cannot be effected 10 days before the hearing, then the date of hearing and determination shall be postponed as may be necessary to permit the carrying out of the aforementioned condition. At the hearing the accused shall have the right to appear personally and by counsel and to cross-examine witnesses against him, her, or them and to produce evidence of witnesses in his, her, or their defense. If, after the hearing, the board votes in favor of finding the accused guilty, the board shall revoke the license of the accused. The board may reissue a license to any person, firm, or corporation whose license has been revoked. The board shall immediately notify the Secretary of State and the clerk of each incorporated city, town, or county in the state of its findings in the case of the revocation or of the reissuance of a revoked license. A certificate of license to replace any certificate lost, destroyed, or mutilated may be issued subject to the rules and regulations of the board.

(Acts 1935, No. 297, p. 721, §10; Code 1940, T. 46, §75; Acts 1959, No. 571, p. 1429, §1; Acts 1982, No. 82-400, p. 603, §4; Acts 1991, No. 91-197, p. 361, §3; Acts 1996, No. 96-640, p. 1013, §1; Act 99-199, p. 251, §3.)