Moving between states / Utah

Flag of AlabamaAlabamatoFlag of UtahUtah, Truck driver

Moving from Alabama to Utah as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Alabama has to do to work in Utah, what the move does to your pay, and who in Utah is hiring from out of state.

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Utah resident you surrender the Alabama CDL at a Utah driver licence office, pass the vision test, pay the fee, and your endorsements carry over. A hazmat endorsement needs a fresh TSA threat assessment in Utah. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Utah takes roughly $600 a year more than Alabama does.

SalaryAlabama state taxUtah state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,400$1,800-$400
$60,000$2,100$2,700-$600
$90,000$3,150$4,050-$900

Rough figures for a single filer: exact in the flat-rate and no-tax states, approximated at 70% of the top bracket in the progressive ones. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Alabama to Utah

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Alabama certificate stays on the Alabama Nurse Aide Registry (Alabama Department of Public Health); to work in Utah you apply to the Utah Nursing Assistant Registry (Utah Department of Health and Human Services) for reciprocity. It accepts an active certificate in good standing from another state; there is no retest if your record is clean. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

RN and LPN: Alabama to Utah

Works on day one. Both Alabama and Utah are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Alabama is valid in Utah the day you arrive. Once Utah is your primary residence, apply there for a Utah multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.

Electrician: Alabama to Utah

Reciprocity likely. Utah licenses electricians at state level through the Utah Division of Professional Licensing, and reciprocity with most western states for journeymen who passed an equivalent exam. Your Alabama licence comes from the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

No statewide program in Utah pays people to move in. Towns sometimes list an offer through MakeMyMove, and employers in short-staffed trades pay relocation themselves; ask for it in writing before you accept.

Going the other way? Alabama has Remote Shoals. See moving from Utah to Alabama.

Openings filed in Utah

48 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Utah employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Alabama to Utah

Tell us your trade and your licence. We write the steps for your case, check the job offer for scams, and keep your resume ready for Utah employers.

Plan my move to Utah

Same move, by trade

CNA: Alabama to Utah · RN or LPN: Alabama to Utah · Electrician: Alabama to Utah · All licences: Alabama to Utah

From Alabama to the states next to Utah

Idaho (flat 5.3% state income tax) · Wyoming (no state income tax) · Colorado (flat 4.4% state income tax) · New Mexico (progressive, top rate 5.9%) · Arizona (flat 2.5% state income tax) · Nevada (no state income tax)

To Utah from the states next to Alabama

Mississippi · Tennessee · Georgia · Florida

Everything about working in Utah · All moves between states · All 50 states

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