soft wash renewal in alaska: no state license, one real recourse if bleach drifts

Last updated 2026-08-18

Do you need a license for soft wash in Alaska?

No. Alaska does not issue a standalone soft washing, pressure washing, or exterior cleaning license at the state level. There is no exam, no state contractor board registration for soft wash, and no continuing education tied to soft wash specifically. You can start the work as a sole proprietor tomorrow.

The question that actually matters is whether the state regulates what leaves your job site. Alaska regulates discharges to water through the Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (APDES), which is the state’s delegated arm of the federal NPDES program. The statute is Alaska Statute 46.03.100 and the rules live in 18 AAC 83 ^[1][2]. If wash water containing sodium hypochlorite, surfactants, or lifted organic matter reaches a waterbody or a municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) without permit coverage, you are in violation. ADEC enforcement for unpermitted discharges can carry fines up to $10,000 per day per violation under state law ^[3].

The short, practical read on ADEC’s position is their “Wash Water Discharges” fact sheet: “Discharges of wash water to a waterbody or to a storm drain system that leads to a waterbody without a permit are prohibited.” ^[4]

So the binary is:

• Rinse water that evaporates on grass, gravel, or is fully reclaimed with a wet vac and disposed of to sanitary sewer (with your local wastewater plant’s okay), no NPDES permit needed.
• Rinse water that sheets across pavement into a catch basin that goes to Campbell Creek, or runs off a dock into a lake, you need APDES permit coverage.

For most residential soft wash in Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau, you are washing a roof or siding where the rinse water soaks into landscaping. You likely have no permit obligation. If you start doing commercial flatwork near a storm drain, or you soft wash boats on a trailer next to salt water, your permit requirement just became very real.

There is no local business license requirement that is specific to soft wash. Municipalities like Anchorage do require a general business license for any commercial activity inside city limits. Anchorage Municipal Code 10.20 requires any person engaged in business in the municipality to obtain a license ^[5]. That is a flat fee, no skills test, no insurance requirement tied to the license itself. Other cities in Alaska, like Fairbanks and Juneau, have similar general business license ordinances. You check with the clerk’s office in each municipality you will work in.

How much does soft wash cost in Alaska?

Residential soft wash pricing in Alaska ranges from $0.18 to $0.35 per square foot for roof cleaning in 2026, with siding washing $0.12 to $0.20 per square foot. That puts a 2,200 square foot single-story home roof between $396 and $770. A full house wash, roof and siding together on a 1,800 square foot rancher, runs $600 to $1,100.

Commercial rates in Anchorage and the Mat-Su run higher because surface area is larger and water access is more complex. Multi-story commercial flatwork on a strip mall exterior, where crews need a lift or extended wand work in icy conditions, runs $0.25 to $0.50 per square foot.

Why the wide spread?

First, seasonal compression. The soft wash season in Southcentral Alaska runs hard from May through September. Operators who only work six months charge more to cover their year. Operators who run year round on commercial contracts inside heated warehouses price lower because they are buying chemicals in bulk and have zero downtime.

Second, water access. In Anchorage, you are pulling from a municipal supply at low cost. In a remote cabin community on the Kenai Peninsula, you may be hauling your own water or paying a high per-gallon rate, adding $80 to $150 per job.

Third, chemical cost. Sodium hypochlorite already costs more in Alaska than the Lower 48 because almost all of it arrives by barge. A typical roof wash formula runs 2.5% to 3.5% SH at the nozzle, with a surfactant. For a 2,000 square foot roof, chemical cost alone is $15 to $30 per job in the Lower 48. In Alaska, that same material cost is $25 to $50.

Route density also shapes pricing. In Anchorage or Fairbanks, you can knock out three houses a day because drive time between jobs is 10 to 15 minutes. In a spread-out area like the Kenai-Soldotna corridor, you may do one large job a day and price for it.

A note for first year operators: national soft wash forums quote $0.10 per square foot as a “competitive” rate. Those numbers come from Florida and Texas, where the season is year round and bleach is trucked in at commodity pricing. If you try to price Alaskan work at Texas rates, your material cost alone eats 30% of the job. Price for the geography.

How long does soft wash take in Alaska?

A standard single story residential roof and siding wash takes 3 to 5 hours of crew time on site in good summer weather. Cure time for the bleach solution is 20 to 30 minutes before rinsing when ambient temperature is above 60°F. In Alaska, that window collapses for much of the year.

When ambient temperature drops below 50°F, sodium hypochlorite activity slows sharply. Bleach oxidation rate roughly halves with every 18°F drop in temperature. A roof wash that needs 25 minutes of dwell time in July needs 45 to 60 minutes in an Anchorage October morning at 38°F. If the surface is near freezing, the standard soft wash chemistry barely works. You end up reapplying, waiting, and rinsing twice, which turns a 4 hour job into a 6 hour job.

The other time factor is light. Winter soft wash in Fairbanks, where you have 4 hours of usable daylight in December, effectively caps you at one small job per day, and only if the temperature cooperates. Summer soft wash lets you run two crews starting at 6:00 AM and finishing before the evening mosquito clouds roll in.

Table 1: typical soft wash timeline, 2,000 sq ft roof, Southcentral Alaska, May, September, crew of 2

Step	Time (minutes)
Site prep, plant protection, wet-down of landscaping	20 to 30
Low pressure chemical application to roof	25 to 40
Dwell (no touch)	25 to 30
Gentle rinse with fan nozzle, low pressure	25 to 35
Cleanup, customer walk-through	15 to 20
Total on site	110 to 155 min

Add siding wash to the same job and site time rises to 3.5 to 4.5 hours including setup for the siding pass, which uses a weaker mix (around 1% SH) and a faster dwell.

For operators pushing into the shoulder season, September and early October in Anchorage are still very workable but you budget an extra 45 minutes per roof for dwell. November through March, most residential soft wash operators go dark. The operators who stay busy move inside to heated commercial spaces, or they switch to equipment in the oil and gas sector where exterior cleaning is budgeted year round and the site has warm water access.

A realistic annual cap for a single truck in Southcentral Alaska: 120 to 160 full house washes across the May-to-October window, assuming weather losses and two weeks of rain-out. That is a solid first year, and the math works if you are pricing for the geography.

What does the first year paper path actually look like?

Start with an Alaska business license from the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. The fee is $50 for a one year license or $100 for two years ^[6]. This is not specific to soft wash. Every business that operates in the state needs one. You can file online in under 20 minutes.

Next, determine if your jobs trigger the APDES permit requirement. If at least some of your work sends rinse water to a storm drain or surface water, you file a Notice of Intent (NOI) for coverage under the Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) for stormwater discharges associated with industrial activity, or the Pesticide General Permit if your soft wash chemicals are classified as a pesticide application. The sector applicable to soft wash under the MSGP is Sector AD: “Other Industrial Facilities Not Elsewhere Classified,” but confirm directly with ADEC’s stormwater program staff because Alaska’s MSGP reissuance cycle may have shifted classifications ^[7]. The NOI filing cost varies; ADEC’s current fee schedule shows a stormwater general permit authorization fee of $210 for the first year and $170 annual renewal for subsequent years ^[8].

The grey area: some operators say they never discharge to a drain and therefore never file. That is a decision with real downside. If a neighbor photographs soapy water running into a lake and sends it to ADEC, the operator is in an unpermitted discharge posture with no permit shield. The safe play for a first year operator who does any hardscape work (driveways, sidewalks, commercial flatwork) is to get MSGP coverage and set up standard berming and wet vac reclaim as your on site protocol.

A step often missed in Alaska: municipal wastewater approval. If you are capturing wash water and discharging it to the sanitary sewer, the federal Clean Water Act’s general pretreatment regulations (40 CFR 403) require you to notify the local wastewater treatment authority ^[9]. In Anchorage, that means the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility (AWWU). Write them a brief letter describing the volume and chemistry of your discharge (bleach breaks down to salt and water quickly, but surfactants are the part AWWU cares about). Most small operators report AWWU gives a no objection letter within a few weeks.

Insurance. A commercial general liability policy with pollution coverage is the one non negotiable. Standard GL policies exclude pollution. Soft wash without pollution coverage leaves you exposed if a bleach mix damages landscaping or a koi pond. Minimum limits in the market are $1 million per occurrence, $2 million aggregate. Premiums in Alaska for a one man soft wash operation run $1,800 to $3,400 a year depending on revenue and claim history. The pollution endorsement adds $400 to $800 annually.

Finally, chemical storage. Alaska has no state specific secondary containment statute for small volumes of consumer sodium hypochlorite at an operator’s home, but the fire marshal and your insurer will want a locking cabinet in a ventilated space. If you scale to a bulk tank, ADEC’s spill prevention and response rules (18 AAC 75) may require a secondary containment basin ^[10]. Most first year operators are buying 5-gallon carboys, not bulk tanks, so this rarely triggers.

How much does the APDES NPDES permit actually cost and how long does it take?

Some operators hear “permit” and picture a six month, multi thousand dollar slog. That is not the MSGP in Alaska. The Notice of Intent is a two to three page form. You describe your business, your discharge points, your best management practices (BMPs), and you sign. ADEC’s published timeline for processing a complete NOI for general permit coverage is up to 60 days under 18 AAC 83.520(d), though real world processing in recent years ran 30 to 45 days ^[11].

Fees are per 18 AAC 83, Article 3. The authorization fee schedule effective in 2025 shows $210 for the first year. The annual permit maintenance fee after that is $170 ^[8]. If your discharge fits the Pesticide General Permit instead (because you are applying a biocide to kill moss or lichen), fees may differ slightly. Call the ADEC stormwater program and describe your operation before filing.

There is no notice period. You can file the NOI online through ADEC’s Alaska Online permitting portal. Once you submit, you are legally allowed to discharge consistent with your BMPs while the NOI is pending, so long as you do not discharge before filing. That is a key detail: file first, discharge second.

The ongoing soft cost is the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). The MSGP requires you to prepare and keep a SWPPP on site. For a soft wash operator, it is a lean document: a map of your typical job site showing drains and waterbodies, a list of BMPs (sandbags, berms, wet vac, no rinsing within 50 feet of a waterbody), and a log of any spills. ADEC does not require you to submit the SWPPP with the NOI, only to have it done and keep it available on request. Most first year operators write a 4 to 6 page SWPPP themselves using ADEC’s template, or they use a cheap template from a provider. The SoftWashPath chem + dwell + insurance kit includes an editable SWPPP template matched to Alaska’s requirements if you want a jumpstart.

What actually works below 45°F for chemicals and cold weather?

Off-the-shelf sodium hypochlorite degrades slower at low temperature, which is good for shelf life and bad for kill time on organic growth. Alaska’s shoulder season, when roofs are still mossy but air temperatures sit at 38°F to 45°F, demands formulation adjustments.

First, starting chemical temperature. If your SH and water mix goes onto a cold roof at 38°F, dwell time is close to an hour. If you bring a bucket heater and apply the mix at 65°F to 70°F, the thermal mass of the shingles still cools it fast, but the initial 15 minutes of contact see faster oxidation. This knocks dwell time from 60 minutes down to about 40 minutes in the same conditions.

Second, surfactant choice. Most southern surfactants thicken and lose cling below 40°F. A cold weather surfactant, sometimes labeled “winter blend” by suppliers, maintains thin film adhesion down to about 28°F. If you are working a roof in October in Wasilla, the winter surfactant is not optional.

Third, concentration. A 2.5% SH mix that kills Gloeocapsa magma in Florida’s 82°F heat needs to be closer to 3.5% to 4% in Alaska’s cold shoulder to get equivalent kill in a workable dwell time. That increases chemical cost per job but also makes the difference between a clean roof and an angry callback.

Fourth, freeze risk. Pump lines freeze if you stop moving for more than 20 minutes when it is 25°F or colder. Operators who work into November carry a propane torch to thaw lines, or they rig a cheap RV antifreeze loop to purge the pump between jobs. No rocket science, but it is a real operational friction that eats 20 to 30 minutes per winter job.

Which municipal business licenses catch operators off guard?

The state of Alaska leaves business licensing to municipalities. Here is where the paper path bites operators who assume they are done after the state business license.

Anchorage: Anchorage Municipal Code 10.20.030 requires a business license for any person engaging in business within the municipality. The fee is $50 annually ^[5]. No exam. File with the City Clerk. If you live in Anchorage and do a single house wash in Eagle River, you need both an Anchorage license and a separate municipality license if Eagle River (part of the Municipality of Anchorage) requires one, though in practice the single Anchorage license covers the entire municipality’s boundaries, including Eagle River and Girdwood.

Fairbanks: Fairbanks General Code 14 requires a business license for operations in the city limits. Fee is $60 per year ^[12]. The city also collects a seasonal transient vendor permit if you come in from outside for a specific set of jobs, which costs $25 per 30 day period.

Juneau: City and Borough of Juneau Code 20.10 requires a CBJ business license, $25 annually ^[13]. Juneau’s wet climate means soft wash operators there stay booked all summer, but the license office is strict about making sure you are current.

Kenai and Soldotna: both require city business licenses, $25 to $40 annually. Operators serving the whole peninsula often end up holding 3 or 4 municipal licenses and get very good at renewal time.

The bottom line: budget $200 to $400 a year for municipal licenses if you work across multiple jurisdictions in Southcentral or the Interior. It is a rounding error compared to insurance, but missing one can get a job site shut down by a code enforcement officer making rounds on a slow Tuesday.

insurance specifics for alaska soft wash: pollution coverage is the whole game

A general liability policy without a pollution endorsement covers slips and falls and a broken window. It does not cover bleach damage to a $15,000 Japanese maple or a backyard pond with prize koi. Standard GL policies contain an exclusion for “pollutants,” and insurers define bleach and surfactants as pollutants.

The fix is a pollution liability endorsement, sometimes called a contractors pollution liability (CPL) rider. In Alaska, the surplus lines market provides this more often than standard carriers because the volume of soft wash operators is too small for actuarial comfort. Two carriers known to underwrite small environmental contractors in Alaska are listed through independent agents in Anchorage, not online aggregators.

What you pay: $1 million per occurrence, $2 million aggregate, with pollution coverage, runs $2,500 to $4,200 a year for a one operator business in 2026. Add a second crew and vehicle and you are at $5,500 to $7,800. The variance is driven by revenue, claim history, and whether you do flatwork near water (higher risk, higher premium).

One carve out: some insurers offer a “discharge coverage” rider that specifically covers releases to a waterbody, making the Clean Water Act penalty defense costs part of the coverage. That rider adds $500 to $900 a year. If you hold APDES coverage and follow your SWPPP, the rider may be overkill. If you are doing dock and boat wash near Resurrection Bay, you should probably buy it.

Workers’ compensation is a separate line but mandatory in Alaska the moment you have even one employee, including a part time helper you pay cash. Alaska Statute 23.30 requires all employers to carry workers’ comp. A sole proprietor with no employees is exempt, but the kid you hire to move ladders for the summer is not. Workers’ comp for exterior cleaning runs $8 to $14 per $100 of payroll depending on classification ^[14].

the permit renewal cycle you cannot miss

The Alaska state business license renews every one or two years depending on what you chose at filing. ADEC email reminders go out 60 days before expiration. Since 2023, ADEC has moved to online renewal for most permits, which takes 10 minutes and a credit card.

The MSGP coverage is not a one and done. Under 18 AAC 83.520, general permit coverage may be administratively continued if the permit is reissued before your coverage term ends, but you still have to pay the annual maintenance fee. Let that fee lapse and your permit coverage terminates by operation of regulation. A terminated permit means every discharge after that date is unpermitted, and your SWPPP on file is dead letter.

alaska vs. lower 48 soft wash: 3 things nobody tells you

First: bleach supply is a real constraint. Anchorage has three main chemical suppliers that stock 12.5% SH in bulk. Fairbanks has one. Juneau has one, and he closes at 3:00 PM. Ordering a pallet from a Seattle supplier means barge freight at $300 to $500. Operators who do high volume keep a 250-gallon tote in a heated outbuilding and buy once a quarter. First year operators buy 5-gallon carboys at retail pricing from a cleaning supply house and pay $28 to $38 per carboy, which is 40% above Lower 48 pricing.

Second: algae morphology is different. Alaska roofs grow thick black moss and lichen, not the pink bacteria common in the Southeast US. Moss has a waxy cuticle that resists bleach penetration. The solution is dwell time, not more bleach. Two applications of 3% SH with 45 minutes of combined dwell time strip Alaska moss efficiently; one application at 5% with 20 minutes of dwell leaves patches. That insight changes your labor math.

Third: customers don’t know what soft washing is. The Google search volume for “soft wash Alaska” is tiny. Your lead generation is Facebook community groups and Nextdoor, not SEO. Your sales pitch has to explain why you are not pressure washing, because Alaskans know pressure washing from DIY driveway blasting. “Low pressure roof cleaning that kills the moss, doesn’t blast granules off” is the line that converts in Anchorage. Operators who call it “soft wash” without explaining lose the click.

What changes if you add a second crew in year two?

The licensing picture does not change much. The state business license already covers the business entity. The NPDES permit covers the discharge location, not the number of operators. You add the second crew employee to workers’ comp, bump the GL policy to reflect the new headcount and vehicle, and add municipal licenses for any new areas that crew works. Paper path cost for year two scaling is $600 to $1,100 extra in insurance and municipal fees, not thousands.

What does change: APDES spill reporting. If your second crew has a surfactant spill that reaches a waterbody, the MSGP requires you to report it to ADEC within 24 hours. You as the owner are responsible for that compliance, not the crew lead. Put a laminated reporting cheat sheet in every truck.

If you want a structured kit that bundles the SWPPP template, spill plan, and chemical dwell guidelines in one folder, SoftWashPath’s chem + dwell + insurance kit is built for exactly this scaling moment and costs $149 once.

summary of first year costs to budget for alaska

Table 2: first year soft wash startup costs, one operator, Anchorage base

Item	Estimated Cost (2026)	Required?
Alaska state business license (1 year)	$50	Yes
Anchorage municipal business license	$50	Yes, if operating in Anchorage
APDES MSGP NOI first year fee	$210	Only if discharging to storm drain or waterbody
General liability with pollution endorsement	$2,200, $4,200	Yes, practically required
Workers’ comp (sole proprietor, no employees)	$0	Exempt
Chemicals (bleach, surfactant) for 120 jobs	$3,000, $6,000	Yes
Equipment (soft wash pump, hose, reel, ladder, wet vac)	$2,500, $5,000	Yes
SWPPP preparation (DIY)	$0	Required if you hold MSGP coverage
Fuel and vehicle operating cost (May, Oct)	$2,000, $4,000	Yes

Total first year outlay: $7,500 to $15,000 excluding vehicle purchase. That range puts Alaska in the middle of the pack nationally. See how Alabama costs stack up or compare with Arizona’s very different regulatory load. If you discharge to water, the permit fee is small but the insurance cost rises.

Frequently asked questions

Is soft washing even legal in Alaska’s winter?

There is no law against soft washing in winter. The practical barrier is chemical performance and ice formation. Applying a water based solution to a frozen surface risks glaze ice that endangers the operator and damages the surface. Most insurers will not cover slip and fall claims when the operator knowingly worked below freezing on an exterior surface. Most operators suspend roof and siding work when ambient temperature drops below 34°F.

Do I need an Alaska contractor license for soft washing?

No. Alaska’s contractor licensing statute, AS 08.18, applies to general contractors, specialty contractors, and mechanical administrators doing construction valued over $10,000. Soft washing is not construction, and the state does not classify it as a specialty trade. If your soft wash job is part of a larger construction project (like new build punch list cleaning), the general contractor already holds the license.

What happens if I discharge soft wash rinse water into an Anchorage storm drain without a permit?

You are in violation of the Clean Water Act and state regulations. Fines under state law can reach up to $10,000 per day per violation. ADEC also has authority to issue a compliance order requiring you to cease discharge and clean up any contamination. Federal EPA enforcement concurrent with state action can add civil penalties up to $64,618 per day for CWA violations as of 2024. This is not an edge case; ADEC has an active stormwater inspection program in Anchorage.

Can I soft wash roofs in Alaska all year?

You can, but late October through early April usually means frozen or near frozen roof surfaces. Soft wash chemistry requires a surface temperature above 40°F for dwell times under an hour. Most Alaska operators book heavy from May to September and supplement winter income with indoor commercial surface cleaning, snow removal, or equipment cleaning in heated shops.

How do I prove my soft wash business has APDES permit coverage when a customer asks?

ADEC issues a Certificate of Coverage to the permittee once the NOI is processed. Keep a PDF of the certificate on your phone and a paper copy in the truck. The certificate includes your permit number and effective date. It is the single document that satisfies customer, municipal, and inspector requests.

Is soft wash chemical runoff considered a pesticide in Alaska?

It can be, if you are marketing the service as moss killing or algae killing. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation maintains a Pesticide General Permit specifically for point source discharges from the application of pesticides. If you make an explicit pest control claim on your website or in your contract, ADEC may require you to apply under the PGP instead of the MSGP. Most soft wash operators avoid ‘pesticide’ language and describe the service as ‘roof cleaning’ to stay in the MSGP lane.

Does a soft wash business need a special water use permit in Alaska?

No, if you are using municipal water from a hose bib. If you are drawing water directly from a lake, river, or creek for your soft wash operation, you may need a water right permit from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources under AS 46.15. Few soft wash operators do this; most use a customer’s spigot or their own truck mounted buffer tank filled from a municipal supply.

How long does algae treatment last after a soft wash in Alaska?

In Southcentral Alaska’s wet climate, a properly applied soft wash with 3% SH keeps a roof clean for 2 to 4 years. Moss regrowth starts at 18 to 24 months on north facing aspects. In the drier Interior around Fairbanks, 3 to 5 years is common. Operators typically offer a 2 year clean roof guarantee and schedule a maintenance wash at year 3 for repeat customers.

What insurance company in Alaska covers soft wash pollution?

Most policies are placed through independent agents with surplus lines carriers. Two agencies known in the Anchorage market that write CPL coverage for exterior cleaners are Ribelin Lowell & Co and Alaska USA Insurance Brokers. Neither is an exclusive partner; both shop multiple carriers. Get quotes from at least two agents because the premium spread can be $1,500 for the identical coverage level.

Do I need a license to buy bulk sodium hypochlorite in Alaska?

No state license is required to purchase 12.5% SH in bulk. Some chemical suppliers require a business license on file before they will sell commercial quantities, but that is internal company policy, not law. The Fire Marshal may have local storage limits for facilities over a certain volume; Anchorage Fire Department follows the International Fire Code, which limits residential storage of oxidizing chemicals to 10 gallons in most occupancies.

Does the Alaska state business license exempt me from municipal licenses?

No. Alaska allows municipalities to levy their own business license requirements. Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and most mid size cities require a separate municipal license for any business activity within city limits. You hold both, or you risk a citation. The state license does not preempt local licensing.

What is the most common regulatory mistake new soft wash operators make in Alaska?

Assuming that because there is no state soft wash license, there are no regulations at all. The APDES discharge permit obligation surprises operators when a code enforcement officer or ADEC inspector observes rinse water entering a storm drain. The second most common mistake is not getting pollution coverage and then learning after a bleach claim that the standard GL excludes it.

Sources

1. Alaska Legislature, Alaska Statute 46.03.100: Statutory authority for ADEC to regulate water quality and discharges.
2. Alaska Administrative Code, 18 AAC 83: Regulations implementing the Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
3. Alaska Statute 46.03.760(e): Maximum civil penalty of $10,000 per day for violations of water quality statutes and regulations.
4. ADEC, Wash Water Discharges Fact Sheet: Discharges of wash water to a waterbody or storm drain without a permit are prohibited.
5. Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Business License Fee Schedule: Business license fee is $50 for one year, $100 for two years.
6. ADEC, Multi-Sector General Permit for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity: Sector AD covers other industrial facilities; soft wash may fall under this sector.
7. ADEC, APDES Permit Fee Schedule, 18 AAC 83 Article 3: Stormwater general permit authorization fee of $210 first year, $170 annual renewal.
8. EPA, General Pretreatment Regulations, 40 CFR 403: Requirement to notify the POTW before discharging industrial wastewater to a publicly owned treatment works.
9. Alaska Administrative Code, 18 AAC 75, Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Control: Spill prevention and response requirements including potential secondary containment for bulk chemical storage.
10. Alaska Administrative Code, 18 AAC 83.520(d): ADEC must process a complete NOI within 60 days.
11. Alaska Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation Statute AS 23.30: Alaska requires all employers to carry workers' compensation insurance.