How to Get a General Contractor License in California (2026 CSLB Guide)

California requires a Contractors State License Board (CSLB) license before you bid or build almost any paid job in the state, and for most builders that means the B General Building classification. Getting one takes four years of documented journey level experience in that classification, two passed exams, a $25,000 bond, and proof of workers' compensation coverage or a valid exemption, all tied to a qualifying individual who actually supervises the work. This guide walks through each step CSLB requires in 2026, with every fee, statute and deadline checked against the board's own pages and the Business and Professions Code on October 16, 2026.

At a glance

• Issued by: the Contractors State License Board (CSLB)
• Required when: labor, materials and everything else reach $1,000, or a permit or a helper is involved (BPC 7048)
• Exams: Law and Business plus the trade exam, 3.5 hours each, delivered by PSI at $51.43 per exam
• Fees: $450 application, $200 or $350 initial license fee, plus a $25,000 bond
• Timeline: 6 to 9 months, faster with a qualifier

For specialty trades and local rules alongside the state picture, start with our California contractor license overview; for how California's system compares with other states, see the contractor license guide. If you are short on the experience CSLB wants, or you already hold a license elsewhere, faster paths exist and are covered near the end.

Do you actually need a CSLB license?

Yes, for almost any paid construction job. Under Business and Professions Code section 7048, the minor work exemption applies only when the total contract price for labor, materials and everything else is less than $1,000, the job needs no building permit, and you hire no one to help. AB 2622 (Stats. 2024, Ch. 240) raised that figure from $500 to $1,000 on January 1, 2025, and it remains the operative threshold today. Section 7027.2 lets an unlicensed person advertise only for work under that line, and the ad must say they are not licensed.

Working over the line without a license is a misdemeanor under section 7028. A first conviction carries a fine of up to $5,000, up to six months in county jail, or both; a second conviction brings at least 90 days in jail plus a fine of $5,000 or 20 percent of the contract price, whichever is greater; a third runs from $5,000 to the greater of $10,000 or 20 percent, with 90 days to a year. As of July 1, 2026, a newly operative version of section 7028.7 also lets the Registrar issue citations of $1,500 to $15,000, with the minimum adjustable for inflation every five years.

Section 7031 bars an unlicensed contractor from suing to collect for the work while letting the customer sue to recover every dollar already paid, and a security interest taken to secure payment is unenforceable if the contractor was not licensed throughout the job. Courts apply a narrow substantial compliance exception, but only where the contractor was licensed before the work began and the lapse was brief and promptly corrected; it does not reach someone who was never licensed in California. A bill introduced in the current legislative session, SB 342, would loosen the section 7031 bar for contractors who were licensed when they signed the contract, but it had not been enacted as of this writing. Read the penalties for unlicensed contracting before taking a job near the threshold.

Step 1: Choose your CSLB classification

California does not issue one generic contractor license. You apply for a specific classification, document experience in it, and pass its trade exam; exam applicants apply for one classification at a time, though additional classifications can be added to an existing license later without starting the whole process over.

Notes on the table:

• Class A, General Engineering, covers fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge, such as highways, dams, pipelines, sewers and water systems.
• Class B, General Building, is the license most readers of this guide want, and the rest of this article follows that path. A B contractor may take a framing or carpentry project alone, but for any other project the contract must call for at least two unrelated trades besides framing or carpentry, or the B contractor must hold the matching C classification or subcontract that scope. A B license cannot contract for fire protection systems or C-57 well drilling without that specialty license or a licensed subcontractor.
• Class B-2, Residential Remodeling, became available for applications on June 1, 2021 under SB 1189 (statute effective January 1, 2021). It requires at least three unrelated trades or crafts on a single contract, excluding framing and rough carpentry, which is what separates it from the B threshold of two trades; it covers existing residential wood frame structures only, cannot touch load bearing walls, footings, foundations or roof structures, and cannot install or replace electrical, mechanical, plumbing or HVAC systems beyond minor alterations to what already exists.
• Class C holds 43 specialty classifications on CSLB's current schedule, covering trades such as C-10 Electrical, C-36 Plumbing, C-20 Warm-Air Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning, C-8 Concrete, C-9 Drywall, C-29 Masonry, C-39 Roofing, C-46 Solar, C-49 Tree and Palm and C-61 Limited Specialty, which carries its own D subcategories such as D-49 Tree Service. A specialty contractor performs one trade; a B contractor who wants to also bid single-trade work in a C classification applies to add it to an existing license.
• Adding a classification later costs $230 under a standard application, or $150 when filed with a waiver or as part of a joint venture application for an original license, per CSLB's current fee schedule.

Step 2: Meet the four year experience rule

Under Title 16, California Code of Regulations section 825, the qualifying individual needs at least four years of experience, within the 10 years immediately before applying, as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the classification applied for. A journeyman is a fully qualified worker who performs the trade without supervision, or someone who has completed an apprenticeship. Time as an apprentice, helper, trainee or laborer does not count, and neither does office work or simply hiring subcontractors to do the trade.

CSLB's current experience guidance allows up to three years of credit toward the four, with at least one year required to be practical, hands on experience. The maximum credit depends on the credential: an A.A. degree in building or construction management is worth up to 1.5 years, a qualifying four year degree or a professional law degree is worth up to 2 years, and a completed apprenticeship or a qualifying four year degree in construction technology, management or engineering is worth up to 3 years. All education and training credit requires official, sealed documentation sent by the school.

Owner-builders can also earn credit toward the B classification by demonstrating journeyman level skill and completing a Construction Project Experience form for each property worked on. Every claimed year has to be supportable: the experience certification portion of the application must be signed by someone with firsthand knowledge of your work, such as an employer, a licensed contractor, a foreman, a fellow journeyman, a union representative, a building inspector, an architect, an engineer or a homeowner you worked for. Under 16 CCR 824, CSLB can require supporting documentation for any claimed year, and the board separately publishes the kinds of records it may ask for, including W-2s, 1099s, Schedule C returns, paycheck stubs, permits, contracts and invoices; an undocumented claim is one of the most common reasons a California application stalls or gets denied.

If you do not personally have the four years, California law supplies a lawful workaround: a company can qualify through a Responsible Managing Officer or Responsible Managing Employee who holds the experience and genuinely runs the work. We cover that route in how to get a contractor license without experience, and the mechanics of the RMO and RME roles appear again below.

Step 3: File the application and pay $450

1. File the Application for Original Contractor's License with CSLB in Sacramento with the non-refundable $450 processing fee for one classification.
2. Confirm the qualifying individual is 18 or older with a Social Security number or ITIN.
3. If applying as a corporation or LLC, register the entity with the California Secretary of State first and keep it in good standing, since the license is issued to that entity and cannot be transferred.
4. Sign every required section of the application and the experience certification, since a missing signature is one of the most common reasons CSLB returns a file for correction.
5. Wait for CSLB's acknowledgment letter, which arrives within four to six weeks and includes an application fee number and PIN.

There is no financial statement or net worth test for a standard application. Do not send the bond or the initial license fee with the application; both come later, after the exams. CSLB's processing times page, updated weekly, showed on October 12, 2026 that staff were working exam applications received September 28, 2026 and waiver applications received September 29, 2026, so a clean file is moving in roughly two weeks.

The same page breaks out every downstream unit, so you can gauge where a file sits later in the process: on that update the Bond Unit was processing contractor bonds received October 5, 2026, the Workers Compensation and Liability Insurance Unit was working certificates of insurance received October 6, 2026 and exemptions received October 8, 2026, and the Issuance Unit was processing final fee documents received October 2, 2026. Missing signatures and undocumented experience remain the biggest cause of delay at the front end, since a returned application goes to a separate correction queue.

Step 4: Complete Live Scan fingerprinting

Every applicant, and every officer, partner, owner and RME on the license, submits fingerprints through Live Scan for a Department of Justice and FBI background check under section 7069. CSLB itself charges no fee for this step; the Live Scan operator collects a $32 DOJ processing fee and a $17 FBI processing fee, plus its own rolling fee that varies by location, so most applicants pay roughly $70 to $90 all in. CSLB mails each applicant a Live Scan packet with a request form that must be taken to a Live Scan site; return the third copy of that form to CSLB within 90 days of receiving the packet, or the application can be voided and will need to be refiled with new fees.

A criminal record does not automatically disqualify an applicant. CSLB's own guidance says a license applicant is not required to disclose a criminal conviction on the application; the board learns of any record through the fingerprint results, weighs whether the offense is substantially related to contracting, and may ask for mitigating information, which an applicant can supply or decline without penalty for declining. If a background is complicated, read what to do when a contractor license application is denied before filing.

Step 5: Pass the two CSLB exams

Unless a waiver applies (see below), the qualifier must pass two computer based, multiple choice, closed book exams administered by PSI on the board's behalf. Eligibility to test runs 18 months from the date CSLB deems the applicant eligible, and both exams must be passed inside that window.

Per PSI's official candidate bulletin, each registration costs $51.43, whether it is a first attempt or a repeat, for $102.86 total across both exams; fees are paid directly to PSI and are non-refundable and non-transferable. Cancel at least two days ahead of a scheduled appointment or forfeit the fee. A failed attempt can be retaken after 21 calendar days as long as the 18-month eligibility window has not closed, and a passing score does not expire inside that window, so a candidate who fails one exam only retakes that one.

Notes on exam content:

• Law and Business covers business organization and licensing, business finances, employment requirements, insurance and liens, contract requirements and execution, public works, and safety.
• The General Building trade exam, per PSI's official content outline, weights Planning and Estimating at 15 percent, Framing and Structural Components at 20 percent, Core Trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, concrete, earthwork, insulation, roofing) at 30 percent, Finish Trades at 20 percent, and Safety at 15 percent, written to the 2025 Title 24 codes.
• CSLB does not publish a single passing percentage; the passing score is disclosed at the test site, and a passing report shows no numeric score.

PSI runs 20 test centers across California, open six days a week, plus one out-of-state site in Wilsonville, Oregon; trade exams must be taken in California or Oregon. Per PSI's current site list, those 20 centers are in Agoura Hills, Atascadero, Bakersfield, Carson, Diamond Bar, El Monte/Santa Fe Springs, Fresno, Irvine, Lawndale, Redding, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Union City, Ventura, Visalia and Walnut Creek.

The candidate bulletin lists the official reference publications the General Building exam is written to: the 2025 California Building, Electrical, Energy, Fire, Green Building, Mechanical, Plumbing and Residential Codes under Title 24, plus a short list of general construction reference texts, and it tells candidates where those codes can be viewed online rather than pointing them to any particular exam prep course. Every new applicant also completes CSLB's asbestos open book examination before a license can issue, under section 7058.5.

Step 6: File the $25,000 contractor's bond

California requires a $25,000 contractor's bond, or a cashier's check deposit in that amount, before an active license issues, under section 7071.6. This is not insurance for the licensee. Under section 7071.5 it pays homeowners harmed by a licensing violation on their own residence, anyone harmed by a willful violation or fraud, and employees left unpaid for wages or fringe benefits. What a contractor pays is a premium, typically $100 to $400 for the first year, with the surety setting the exact rate based on personal credit, financial history and whether the applicant has held a license before.

If the license is qualified by an RME, or by an RMO who owns less than 10 percent of the voting stock, CSLB also requires a separate $25,000 Bond of Qualifying Individual under section 7071.9; an RMO or LLC member who owns at least 10 percent files an exemption certification instead. An LLC additionally needs a $100,000 employee and worker bond under section 7071.6.5, plus liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 cumulative for five or fewer persons listed as personnel of record, with each additional person adding $100,000 up to a $5,000,000 cap, under section 7071.19. An inactive license needs no bond. See our contractor bond requirements by state for how California compares with other states.

Step 7: Handle workers' compensation

Under section 7125, CSLB will not issue, renew or reactivate a license without a Certificate of Workers' Compensation Insurance, a Certification of Self-Insurance, or a signed exemption certifying under penalty of perjury that the licensee has no employees. Today's exemption rule excludes anyone with employees, including registered Home Improvement Salespersons, any license qualified by an RME, and the C-8 Concrete, C-20 HVAC, C-22 Asbestos Abatement, C-39 Roofing and C-61/D-49 Tree Service classifications, all of which must carry coverage even with zero employees.

SB 1455 (Stats. 2024, Ch. 485) set January 1, 2028 as the date every active licensee must carry workers' compensation coverage, even with no employees, and directed CSLB to build a verification process by January 1, 2027. SB 291 (Stats. 2025, Ch. 455) then rewrote that verification mandate: CSLB must create an audit based process to confirm exemption claims and report to the Legislature. In its March 2026 report, CSLB proposed that a future exemption require the licensee to be an individual owner (not a partnership, corporation, LLC or tribal business), carry no RME or registered salesperson, hold none of five named classifications, sign an attestation, submit a business plan, and pay a filing fee, with a preliminary review that checks public records and online business listings before issuance and an ongoing audit of about 5 percent of exemption filers each year, coordinated with the Employment Development Department, the Department of Insurance and the Department of Industrial Relations. That framework is a proposal tied to the January 1, 2027 reporting deadline, not yet the operative rule, so the exemption available today remains the one described above; a B contractor with no employees can still file it, and should plan for the 2028 coverage requirement regardless.

Step 8: Pay the initial license fee

When both exams are passed, CSLB's Issuance Unit mails a bond and fee letter. The final step is the initial license fee, $200 for a sole owner or $350 for a non-sole owner entity (corporation, partnership, LLC or joint venture), which covers two years. Once CSLB has the exam scores, the bond, the workers' compensation proof or exemption, the asbestos exam result and this fee, the license issues; see the processing times noted in Step 3 for how current the Issuance Unit's queue is running. Some files go to formal investigation first, and a passed exam does not shortcut that review.

Every CSLB fee in one table

Section 7137 lets the board raise several of these fees by regulation up to stated ceilings, including $563 for the application and $438 for a non-sole owner initial fee, so confirm the amount on CSLB's fee list the day you pay.

What it all adds up to, and how long it takes

State filing costs for a California general contractor license in 2026 run roughly $1,000 to $1,500:

• Application fee: $450
• Two exams: $102.86
• Initial license fee: $200 to $350
• Live Scan fingerprinting: $70 to $90
• First year bond premium: $100 to $400

That is before business insurance, the LLC bond and insurance, or a qualifier arrangement. For the national picture, see how much a contractor license costs.

The realistic timeline runs 6 to 9 months: one to two months for CSLB to acknowledge and accept the application, one to three months to schedule and pass both exams (a failed exam adds at least 21 days), and one to two months for issuance once the bond, workers' compensation proof and fees are in. A returned application, an experience audit or a formal investigation adds months on top of that. Contractors who need to move faster typically qualify through someone who already holds the experience, and in some cases through an exam waiver.

Renewing the license

An active license expires two years from the last day of the month it was issued, under section 7140; an inactive license runs four years. CSLB mails the renewal notice roughly 60 days out.

A timely active renewal costs $450 for a sole owner and $700 for a corporation, LLC or partnership; inactive renewals are $300 and $500. Miss the date and the delinquent fee runs 50 percent higher ($675 or $1,050 active, $450 or $750 inactive), and any work performed while expired is unlicensed work. Section 7141.5 gives a narrow safety net: if a completed renewal application and the appropriate fees reach CSLB's headquarters, by delivery or postmark, within 90 days of expiration, the Registrar grants a retroactive renewal rather than treating the license as lapsed.

Beyond that 90 day window, renewal stays available for up to five years at the delinquent rate. CSLB's renewal requirements are the fee, the bond and current workers' compensation status; there is no continuing education course required for a B license.

Exam waivers and reciprocity

Section 7065 lets the Registrar waive both exams for a qualifier who is currently the qualifier on a license in good standing in the same classification, was a qualifier on one within the past five years, or personally passed both exams in the same classification within the past five years. Section 7065.1 adds two five-of-seven-year family-business paths, per CSLB's current waiver page: an immediate family member of a licensee whose individual license was active and in good standing for five of the past seven years, and someone who was actively engaged in that same licensed business for five of the past seven years and needs the license to continue the family business after the licensee's absence or death; both require applying in the same classification the original licensee held. CSLB is explicit that requesting a waiver does not mean receiving one; the Registrar has full discretion, and an applicant still has to document journey level experience unless specifically exempted.

Out of state contractors have a separate door. Under section 7065.4 and CSLB's reciprocity program, a contractor licensed in good standing for the previous five years in Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada or North Carolina, in a classification on the board's Reciprocal Classifications List, can submit a Request for Verification of License and ask CSLB to waive the trade exam; the B classification maps to each state's closest equivalent, such as Louisiana's General Builder license or North Carolina's Building Contractor license. Separately, a general building contractor from any state who has passed the NASCLA Commercial General Builders exam and held a general building license in good standing for five years can request the same trade exam waiver by sharing their NASCLA results with CSLB. Either path still requires passing the Law and Business exam, posting the bond, completing fingerprinting and satisfying the workers' compensation requirement.

How a qualifying agent speeds this up

The biggest bottleneck in California licensing is the four year journey level requirement, and the law itself supplies the solution. Section 7068 lets a corporation qualify through a Responsible Managing Officer or Responsible Managing Employee, an LLC through a responsible managing member, manager, officer or employee, and a partnership through a general partner or an RME. Section 7068.1 makes that qualifier responsible for direct supervision and control of construction operations, meaning technical and administrative decisions, checking jobs for workmanship, and supervision on site; a qualifier who is not actually doing that faces a misdemeanor, discipline on the license, and the fine the statute sets for failing to supervise as required. Since AB 830 (Stats. 2021, Ch. 376), effective January 1, 2022, the tests for a bona fide employee of the business and for direct supervision or control are written directly into sections 7068 and 7068.1 themselves, rather than left to a separate regulation, so check the current statutory text for the exact standard CSLB applies to a given arrangement.

A qualifying agent, in practice, is a real employee who holds the experience your classification needs, sits as RME or RMO, and genuinely supervises the work, with records that keep the arrangement inside sections 7068 and 7068.1. A qualifying agent QUALIFIES the company as an owner or full time W-2 employee who actually supervises the work, not merely a name on file. Learn more about what a qualifying agent is and how to hire a qualifying agent, or review our contractor qualifier services.

This matters most at two moments: when a growing firm wants to bid California work now instead of waiting four years, and when a company loses its qualifier, because section 7068.2 gives 90 days from the date of disassociation to name a replacement before the license suspends automatically. The Registrar may grant one further 90 day extension, but only on a showing of good cause, limited to a dispute over the disassociation date, the death of the RMO, RME, member or manager, or a processing delay outside the licensee's control that the board or another agency caused. Keep in mind that a license qualified by an RME cannot file the no-employee workers' compensation exemption, so budget for coverage from the start.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a California contractor license cost in fees?

For a first license: $450 to apply, $51.43 per exam paid to PSI, $49 plus a rolling fee for Live Scan, and $200 (sole owner) or $350 (any other entity) at issuance, plus the premium on the $25,000 bond and, for a company qualified by an RME, a second $25,000 bond. Most applicants spend $1,000 to $1,500 in state costs before insurance or exam preparation.

What is a Class C contractor license?

A C license is a specialty classification covering one trade, such as C-10 Electrical, C-36 Plumbing, C-20 HVAC or C-39 Roofing. CSLB currently lists 43 C classifications, plus D subcategories under C-61. The experience, exam, bond and fee rules match the B classification, but the four years and the trade exam must be in that specific trade.

What does a general contractor B license cover?

Construction, remodel or repair of structures requiring at least two unrelated building trades on one contract, self performed or subcontracted. A framing or carpentry project can be taken alone, but framing and carpentry never count toward the two-trade requirement on other work. Fire protection and well drilling always need the specialty license or a licensed subcontractor.

What is the difference between a Class A and a Class B license?

Class A is General Engineering: fixed works needing specialized engineering knowledge, such as highways, bridges, pipelines, dams and sewers. Class B is General Building: structures for the shelter and enclosure of people and property. A contractor doing both site development and vertical construction often holds both classifications, with experience documented separately for each.

Does the business entity change the fees?

Yes. The application fee is $450 either way, but the initial license fee is $200 for a sole owner and $350 for a corporation, LLC or partnership, and the active renewal is $450 versus $700. An LLC also needs the $100,000 worker bond and at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance. A sole owner license belongs to the individual; an entity license stays with the business as long as it keeps a qualifier.

Do I need a separate license for Los Angeles or another city?

No. The CSLB license is a state license valid in every city and county; cities do not issue their own contractor licenses. Los Angeles instead requires a Business Tax Registration Certificate from its Office of Finance under Los Angeles Municipal Code section 21.188, which applies once a contractor physically performs work inside city limits for seven or more days in a year, on top of the building permits the work itself needs. Other California cities and counties levy their own business license taxes on contractors working within their borders, so check the local requirement for each jurisdiction a project sits in, separately from the statewide CSLB license.

I have 25 years of experience. Can I skip the exam?

Experience alone never waives the exam. The waivers under sections 7065 and 7065.1 turn on having passed the same exams or served as a qualifier within the last five years, or on five of the past seven years inside a licensed business. Long experience does make the certification straightforward; CSLB only asks for the four most relevant years inside the last 10.

Can an apprenticeship or a construction degree replace the four years?

Only partly. CSLB caps education and apprenticeship credit at three of the four required years, and at least one year must still be practical, hands on experience with sealed transcripts or a completion certificate backing the rest. An A.A. degree in building or construction management is worth up to 1.5 years, a qualifying four year degree is worth up to 2 years, and a completed apprenticeship is worth up to 3 years, so the fastest path still requires real fieldwork.

I already have a workers' compensation exemption on file. Does anything change soon?

Not immediately, but plan ahead. CSLB's March 2026 report to the Legislature notes that roughly 100,000 licensees currently hold a no-employee exemption, and the board is building an audit based verification system, required by SB 291, that is expected to review about 5 percent of exemption filers a year once it launches. The underlying law still requires every active licensee to carry workers' compensation coverage by January 1, 2028 regardless of employee count, so an exemption filed today is not a permanent substitute for that deadline.

What happens if a licensee employs workers without coverage?

The penalties are real money, not just a license problem. SB 291 set minimum civil penalties for employing workers without workers' compensation coverage at $10,000 per violation for a sole owner licensee and $20,000 per violation for a partnership, corporation, LLC or tribal business licensee, and it bars CSLB from renewing or reinstating a license tied to a past violation until current proof of coverage or self-insurance is on file. Coverage has to stay continuous once a license carries it; a lapse can trigger suspension even outside a formal investigation.

Is there a lawful shortcut around the four years of experience?

Yes: qualify the company through an RMO or RME who has the experience, works as a real, permanently employed member of the business, and actually supervises the work, under section 7068. Up to three of the four years can also come from an accredited degree or a completed apprenticeship, with at least one year hands on. Nothing else survives an experience audit, and a false certification voids the application.

Quick reference

• Threshold: license required when labor, materials and everything else reach $1,000, or a permit or a helper is involved (BPC 7048).
• Experience: 4 years journey level in the classification within the past 10 years; up to 3 years credit for education, at least 1 year hands on (16 CCR 825).
• Exams: Law and Business plus the trade exam, 3.5 hours each, delivered by PSI at $51.43 per exam; 18 months to pass, 21 days between attempts.
• Bond: $25,000 contractor's bond, plus a $25,000 Bond of Qualifying Individual for an RME or an RMO under 10 percent.
• Fees: $450 application, $200 or $350 initial license fee, $450 or $700 active renewal every two years.
• State costs: roughly $1,000 to $1,500. Timeline: 6 to 9 months, faster with a qualifier.

Sources

• CSLB, Licensing Classifications (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, B General Building Contractor (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, B-2 Residential Remodeling Contractor (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• Business and Professions Code 7048 (minor work exemption) (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• Business and Professions Code 7027.2 (advertising) (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• Business and Professions Code 7028, 7028.7 and 7031 (penalties) (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• Business and Professions Code 7056, 7057, 7057.5 and 7058 (classifications) (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, Qualifying Experience for the Examination (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• 16 CCR 825 (experience) (retrieved 2026-10-16; state site did not load, Cornell checked for currency)
• CSLB, Processing Times (retrieved 2026-10-16, as of 10/12/2026 update)
• CSLB, Get Fingerprinted / Live Scan (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, Fingerprinting and Applicants with Convictions FAQ (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, Examinations FAQ (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• PSI, General Building (B) Licensing Examination Information Guide (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, Bond Requirements (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, Licenses for Limited Liability Companies (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, Workers' Compensation Requirements (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, Exemption from Workers' Compensation (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, Senate Bill 291 Workers' Compensation Exemption Report (March 2026) (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, List of All CSLB Fees (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, General Renewal Information (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, Qualifying for a Waiver (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CSLB, Reciprocity Requirements (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• Los Angeles Office of Finance, business tax information (LAMC 21.188) (retrieved 2026-10-16)

Ready to get licensed in California?

Every fee, deadline and statute above was checked against CSLB's published pages and the Business and Professions Code on October 16, 2026. CSLB, PSI and the legislature change these figures, and section 7137 lets the board raise fees by regulation, so confirm the current amounts on CSLB's fee list before you pay.

If your problem is not how to get licensed but how your company holds a California license now, without waiting four years for someone's experience to accrue, that is the problem The Licensing Company solves. Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski built the company around one rule: the qualifying individual is a real, full time employee who supervises the work, exactly as sections 7068 and 7068.1 require.

Call 615-219-2110 to talk through your situation, or start at hire a qualifying agent. Expanding into more than one state? Compare requirements on our states overview, read how contractors enter new states without starting over, and if you are a licensed contractor who wants to serve a company as its qualifier, read about becoming a qualifying agent.