State facts
Alaska: homes, climate zones and who licenses the work
Alaska has 328,000 housing units. 36.8% were built before 1980, and the median year built is 1986. 66.8% of occupied homes are lived in by their owners.
How old the homes are
Alaska housing units, by year built
Layers drawn to scale
Age changes what applies to a house. In general, anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 must be certified in lead-safe work practices under the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, which the EPA administers directly in Alaska.
How homes are heated
How homes in Alaska are heated
Main heating fuel, share of about 271,000 occupied homes
- Utility gas 49.1%
- Fuel oil or kerosene 27.6%
- Electricity 14.3%
- Wood 4.6%
- Propane or other tank gas 2.4%
- Other fuel 1.0%
- No fuel used 0.7%
- Coal or coke 0.2%
- Solar energy <0.1%
Climate and building zones
The 2021 International Energy Conservation Code assigns every county a climate zone from 1 to 8 and a moisture regime: A for moist, B for dry, C for marine. Zones 7 and 8 have no letter. Here is how Alaska's residents divide among them, by the county they live in.
| IECC 2021 zone | Share of residents | Counties |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 67.3% | 10 |
| 8 | 18.8% | 7 |
| 6A | 7.6% | 7 |
| 5C | 3.8% | 3 |
ENERGY STAR rates windows, doors and skylights for four climate zones of its own. All of Alaska falls in the Northern zone.
By NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals, counties here average 193 days a year with a low of 32°F or colder, weighted by where people live. The range runs from 0 days in the mildest county to 257 in the coldest.
Flood risk and flood insurance
1.1% of residential structures in Alaska carry a National Flood Insurance Program policy: 2,707 policies, in FEMA's count as of August 3, 2026.
In FEMA's National Risk Index, none of Alaska's 30 counties rates high or very high for riverine flooding, coastal flooding or hurricanes.
Fire ants and termites
No county in Alaska is inside the federal imported fire ant quarantine.
Who licenses the work in Alaska
Before anyone starts work, check the license with the agency below. Where the state does not license a trade, cities and counties may; ask the one where the house is.
- Pest control Individuals who apply pesticides commercially or for hire must be certified by the department; structural pest control (in, on, or around structures) is its own certification category. Agency: Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Who to call about pest control.
- Heating and cooling Mechanical work under the Uniform Mechanical Code, which covers HVAC, is the responsibility of a state-licensed mechanical administrator, and the business registers with the state as a contractor. Agency: Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. Look up a license. Who to call about heating and cooling.
- Window replacement and other home improvement Anyone who bids or works as a contractor must hold a state certificate of registration as a general or specialty contractor, and a general contractor also needs a residential contractor endorsement to build a one- to four-unit home or make alterations worth more than 25 percent of its value. Agency: Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. Look up a license. Who to call about window replacement.
- Mold remediation We found no statewide license for this work in official sources. Cities and counties may license it; ask the one where the house is. Who to call about water damage and mold.
Checked 2026-09-29. Licensing rules change; the agency's own page is the authority.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, tables B25034, B25035, B25040 and B25003 data.census.gov
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Guide to Determining Climate Zone by County: Building America and IECC 2021 Updates basc.pnnl.gov
- U.S. Department of Energy Prototype Building Models (climate zones 1–8 and moisture regimes A, B, C) energycodes.gov
- ENERGY STAR Climate zones by county for windows, doors and skylights energystar.gov
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual and seasonal ncei.noaa.gov
- Federal Emergency Management Agency OpenFEMA NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (as of 2026-08-03) fema.gov
- Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index, county ratings fema.gov
- USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Imported fire ant quarantine map aphis.usda.gov
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations 7 CFR part 301, subpart P, Imported Fire Ant ecfr.gov
- Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation dec.alaska.gov dec.alaska.gov
- Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation akleg.gov akleg.gov
- Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing commerce.alaska.gov commerce.alaska.gov
- Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing akleg.gov akleg.gov
- Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing akleg.gov akleg.gov
- Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing akleg.gov akleg.gov
- Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing akleg.gov akleg.gov
- epa.gov epa.gov epa.gov