Certified Lighting Consultant


Certified Lighting Consultant (CLC®) is the highest designation offered by the ALA.

The four CLC requirements are:

1. Become an ALA Lighting Specialist

To receive the LS designation, ALA members must purchase and review the Residential Lighting Training Manual and pass a final exam. A score of at least 80% is needed on the Final Examination of the training manual to become an ALA Lighting Specialist.

2. Complete required hours of Certification Board-approved education courses

Hours required are determined by years of experience in the lighting industry:

  • Less than 5 years of experience - 40 hours of CLC credits over a three-year period
  • 5 to 7 years of experience - 25 hours of CLC credits over a three-year period
  • 7 to 9 years of experience - 18 hours of CLC credits over a three-year period
  • 10 years of experience - no course hours required

Upon application for certification, all required hours of training must have been completed/passed within a three-year period. It is up to each individual applicant to keep track of his/her hours by obtaining some type of documentation.

CLC Approved Courses consist of the following:

  • In-house technical lighting training presented by an acceptable third party outside of the company. This third party should be industry-related, i.e. manufacturer, manufacturers' representative, designer, etc. A limit of 10 hours will apply toward certification.
  • ALA-sponsored courses on technical lighting, i.e. Area Seminars, Personalized Training Programs and January/July Market Seminars.
  • ALA live webinars and on demand webinars.
  • Pre-approved industry-related courses conducted by member lighting manufacturers.
  • ALA Annual Conference CLC seminars (technical lighting topics only).
  • College courses related to lighting design. (These must be approved by the Certification Board.)

3. Complete the CLC application form and order the CLC blueprint exam

Contact Nicole Juneau at 800-605-4448, ext. 226, or nici@alalighting.com for a CLC Application. Return the application with a payment of $190 to receive the final blueprint exam and other requirements. Download the CLC Application Here

4. Complete and pass the CLC blueprint exam

Completed blueprint exams must be returned to the ALA within 6 months of the date they are received by the member. Members will be notified with the results of their exam. Exams will be graded by the certification committee. Two out of three graders must pass the exam with an 80% to be completed successfully. Grades take approximately one to two months for grading.

All CLCs must recertify every 2 years by earning 8 CLC credit hours through ALA-approved training courses. The CLC credit hours may be earned at any time within the two-year time frame. Recertification fee: $90 Download the Recertification Application Here

Fee can be paid here