Certificate of Authorization - Alabama?

After receiving my letter from the State, it says that my employer must submit an application for a Certificate of Authorization (CA) within 30 days of my being Licensed. If they don't submit the application, they are in violation of Alabama Code and can be punished.

My question: What is this CA? Although not explicitly stated in the information packet I received, it implied that it was my responsibility to notify my employer of this requirement. Why is it my responsibility? If the company doesn't submit the required application, how does it affect me or my ability to operate as a professional engineer in the State?

I tried going to the FAQ section of my State's Licensure Board, but the answers to many of my questions are phrased in a "here's the answer, but you probably understand the underlying principles, so I'm not really going to explain what it actually means" kind of way.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

To offer engineering service in the state of Alabama under a corporation, llc, partnership, etc, you must have a CA. Same as Florida and probably every other state.

Yes, that's exactly what the enclosed forms and FAQ page said, but it doesn't explain what the CA actually is...

My question is what is the CA? Telling me why my employer needs it does not answer the question of what it is. Does that make sense?

Is my employer required to secure a CA for every PE on staff, or is just one CA sufficient for the entire company?

What happens if my employer won't (or can't) secure a CA? How does this affect me?

Why the implication that I'm responsible for notifying my employer of this requirement? 

I guess it's sort of like a business license. You can only obtain 1 CA per state, and it covers all of the licensed engineers in your office. 

I talked to my manager today, and our home office (out of Atlanta) filed for the CA after they won ownership of our contract, but it's still in process by the State. 

He was, however, as ignorant as I am about what it actually is, but he said whether they secure the CA or not won't affect any of us personally. 

The CA is the company's version of the license. The company cannot offer engineering services without a CA in a particular state.

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Ken PE 3.1 said:

The CA is the company's version of the license. The company cannot offer engineering services without a CA in a particular state.
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Click to expand...

Pretty much this but the regulations vary by state so make sure to read through the legal stuff for every state you are licensed in.

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