Contractors State License Board (CSLB) administers general contractor licensing in California. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.
What it’s called
CSLB license; contractor license; “Original Contractor License” (the title of CSLB’s application form 13A-1). The general-contractor classifications are officially “A - General Engineering Contractor” and “B - General Building Contractor”; B&P 7057.5(d) provides that the residential remodeling classification “may be cited as the B-2 Residential Remodeling Contractor.” Specialty licenses are “C” classifications, with “C-61 - Limited Specialty” (16 CCR 832.61) tracked by CSLB under “D” subcategories.
License types & fees
| Type | Experience | Exam | Fee | Scope Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A - General Engineering Contractor | Four full years, within the ten years immediately before filing, at journey level or as a foreman, supervising employee, or contractor in the classification applied for. 16 CCR 825(a): "Every applicant for a contractor's license must have had, within the last 10 years immediately preceding the filing of the application, not less than four years experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the particular class within which the applicant intends to engage as a contractor." Two exceptions to the ten-year window: 825(b), a former qualifier on a license in the same classification "may compute experience without regard to the ten-year limitation"; 825(c), armed-forces service during a National Emergency "may be added to the 10 years mentioned above". 16 CCR 825(d) counts training in an accredited school or a completed approved apprenticeship program as experience, but "in no case, however, will such training or completion of an approved apprenticeship program count for more than 3 years of the experience." (B&P 7068(a) sets only the general standard - the applicant must "show the degree of knowledge and experience in the classification applied for... that the board deems necessary" - and 7068(g) is the hook for the board's regulation.) CSLB's "Summary of Acceptable Documentation to Verify Work Experience" accepts owner-builder experience only under the column headed "Owner-Builder (B-General Building Only)", so it does not apply to Class A. | California Law and Business Examination plus the A - General Engineering trade examination, both administered by PSI Exams (B&P 7065). Trade exam may be waived under the reciprocity provisions of B&P 7065.4; the Law and Business exam is still required unless passed within the last five years. | $450 original application (single classification) + initial license fee $200 (sole owner) or $350 (partnership, corporation, LLC, or joint venture). CSLB's application form states total fees required: $650 sole owner / $800 non-sole owner. Examination fees are paid directly to PSI and are not published by CSLB. CSLB reduces the initial license fee by 50 percent for a qualifying veteran (B&P 7137(a)(3)(D)(i)) and waives both the application fee and the initial license fee for a qualifying military spouse or domestic partner (CSLB form 13A-1, questions 20 and 21) - see the fee schedule for the conditions. | B&P 7056, as published by CSLB: "A general engineering contractor is a contractor whose principal contracting business is in connection with fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge and skill, including the following divisions or subjects: irrigation, drainage, water power, water supply, flood control, inland waterways, harbors, docks and wharves, shipyards and ports, dams and hydroelectric projects, levees, river control and reclamation works, railroads, highways, streets and roads, tunnels, airports and airways, sewers and sewage disposal plants and systems, waste reduction plants, bridges, overpasses, underpasses and other similar works, pipelines and other systems for the transmission of petroleum and other liquid or gaseous substances, parks, playgrounds and other recreational works, refineries, chemical plants and similar industrial plants requiring specialized engineering knowledge and skill, powerhouses, power plants and other utility plants and installations, mines and metallurgical plants, land leveling and earthmoving projects, excavating, grading, trenching, paving and surfacing work and cement and concrete works in connection with the above mentioned fixed works." No monetary cap is published on the classification itself. |
| B - General Building Contractor | Same four-years-in-ten rule. 16 CCR 825(a): "Every applicant for a contractor's license must have had, within the last 10 years immediately preceding the filing of the application, not less than four years experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the particular class within which the applicant intends to engage as a contractor." Two exceptions to the ten-year window: 825(b), a former qualifier on a license in the same classification "may compute experience without regard to the ten-year limitation"; 825(c), armed-forces service during a National Emergency "may be added to the 10 years mentioned above". 16 CCR 825(d) counts training in an accredited school or a completed approved apprenticeship program as experience, but "in no case, however, will such training or completion of an approved apprenticeship program count for more than 3 years of the experience." (B&P 7068(a) sets only the general standard - the applicant must "show the degree of knowledge and experience in the classification applied for... that the board deems necessary" - and 7068(g) is the hook for the board's regulation.) Class B is the one classification for which CSLB accepts owner-builder experience: its "Summary of Acceptable Documentation to Verify Work Experience" heads that column "Owner-Builder (B-General Building Only)". | California Law and Business Examination plus the B - General Building trade examination via PSI. Trade exam waiver available via B&P 7065.4 reciprocity, or via the NASCLA route: applicant has been the qualifier of an equivalent general building license in another state in good standing for at least the previous 5 years, has passed the NASCLA Commercial General Builders Examination, and has had NASCLA transcripts released to California. | $450 original application + $200 (sole owner) or $350 (non-sole owner) initial license fee; totals $650 / $800 per CSLB's application form. CSLB reduces the initial license fee by 50 percent for a qualifying veteran (B&P 7137(a)(3)(D)(i)) and waives both the application fee and the initial license fee for a qualifying military spouse or domestic partner (CSLB form 13A-1, questions 20 and 21) - see the fee schedule for the conditions. | B&P 7057, as published by CSLB: (a) "Except as provided in this section, a general building contractor is a contractor whose principal contracting business is in connection with any structure built, being built, or to be built, for the support, shelter, and enclosure of persons, animals, chattels, or movable property of any kind, requiring in its construction the use of at least two unrelated building trades or crafts, or to do or superintend the whole or any part thereof." This does not include anyone who merely furnishes materials or supplies under Section 7045 without fabricating them into, or consuming them in the performance of, the work of the general building contractor. (b) A 'B' "may take a prime contract or a subcontract for a framing or carpentry project." PRIME CONTRACTS: it "shall not take a prime contract for any project involving trades other than framing or carpentry unless the prime contract requires at least two unrelated building trades or crafts other than framing or carpentry, or unless the general building contractor holds the appropriate license classification or subcontracts with an appropriately licensed specialty contractor to perform the work." SUBCONTRACTS - this limb has no subcontracting escape: a 'B' "shall not take a subcontract involving trades other than framing or carpentry, unless the subcontract requires at least two unrelated trades or crafts other than framing or carpentry, or unless the general building contractor holds the appropriate license classification." Framing or carpentry may not be counted in calculating the two unrelated trades. (c) No 'B' shall contract for any project that includes the "C-16" Fire Protection classification or the "C-57" Well Drilling classification unless it holds the specialty license, or subcontracts with the appropriately licensed specialty contractor. (Amended by Stats. 1997, Chapter 812 (SB 857).) No monetary cap is published on the classification itself. |
| B-2 - Residential Remodeling Contractor | Same four-years-in-ten rule. 16 CCR 825(a): "Every applicant for a contractor's license must have had, within the last 10 years immediately preceding the filing of the application, not less than four years experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the particular class within which the applicant intends to engage as a contractor." Two exceptions to the ten-year window: 825(b), a former qualifier on a license in the same classification "may compute experience without regard to the ten-year limitation"; 825(c), armed-forces service during a National Emergency "may be added to the 10 years mentioned above". 16 CCR 825(d) counts training in an accredited school or a completed approved apprenticeship program as experience, but "in no case, however, will such training or completion of an approved apprenticeship program count for more than 3 years of the experience." (B&P 7068(a) sets only the general standard - the applicant must "show the degree of knowledge and experience in the classification applied for... that the board deems necessary" - and 7068(g) is the hook for the board's regulation.) | California Law and Business Examination plus the B-2 Residential Remodeling trade examination via PSI. Trade exam waiver where the applicant has been the qualifier of an equivalent general building or residential remodeling license in another state in good standing for at least the previous 5 years. | $450 original application + $200 / $350 initial license fee; totals $650 / $800. CSLB reduces the initial license fee by 50 percent for a qualifying veteran (B&P 7137(a)(3)(D)(i)) and waives both the application fee and the initial license fee for a qualifying military spouse or domestic partner (CSLB form 13A-1, questions 20 and 21) - see the fee schedule for the conditions. | B&P 7057.5, as published by CSLB: (a) "a contractor whose principal contracting business is in connection with any project to make improvements to, on, or in an existing residential wood frame structure, and the project requires the use of at least three unrelated building trades or crafts for a single contract." (b)(1) May take a prime contract for trades including but not limited to drywall, finish carpentry, flooring, insulation, painting, plastering, roof repair, siding, tiling, and installing/repairing/replacing electrical fixtures, plumbing fixtures and mechanical fixtures. (b)(2) Shall NOT take a contract unless it includes three or more unrelated trades. (c)(1) Shall not contract for a project including C-16 Fire Protection, C-22 Asbestos Abatement, or C-57 Well Drilling unless it holds that classification or subcontracts. (c)(2) Shall NOT contract to make structural changes to load bearing portions of an existing structure, including footings, foundations, load bearing walls, partitions, and roof structures. (c)(3) Shall not install, replace, substantially alter, or extend electrical, mechanical, or plumbing systems unless it holds the appropriate classification or subcontracts. Added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 364, Sec. 3 (SB 1189), effective January 1, 2021. |
| C - Specialty Contractor (numbered classifications C-2 through C-60) | Same four-years-in-ten rule in the classification applied for. 16 CCR 825(a): "Every applicant for a contractor's license must have had, within the last 10 years immediately preceding the filing of the application, not less than four years experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the particular class within which the applicant intends to engage as a contractor." Two exceptions to the ten-year window: 825(b), a former qualifier on a license in the same classification "may compute experience without regard to the ten-year limitation"; 825(c), armed-forces service during a National Emergency "may be added to the 10 years mentioned above". 16 CCR 825(d) counts training in an accredited school or a completed approved apprenticeship program as experience, but "in no case, however, will such training or completion of an approved apprenticeship program count for more than 3 years of the experience." (B&P 7068(a) sets only the general standard - the applicant must "show the degree of knowledge and experience in the classification applied for... that the board deems necessary" - and 7068(g) is the hook for the board's regulation.) Owner-builder experience does not apply to C classifications - CSLB accepts it only for "Owner-Builder (B-General Building Only)". | California Law and Business Examination plus the trade examination for the specific C classification (B&P 7065). Trade exam waiver available under B&P 7065.4 reciprocity. | $450 original application + $200 / $350 initial license fee. Adding a classification to an existing license is $230; an additional classification applied for with an original license is $150. CSLB states only one classification may be requested on an original application when an examination is required. CSLB reduces the initial license fee by 50 percent for a qualifying veteran (B&P 7137(a)(3)(D)(i)) and waives both the application fee and the initial license fee for a qualifying military spouse or domestic partner (CSLB form 13A-1, questions 20 and 21) - see the fee schedule for the conditions. | B&P 7058, as published by CSLB: (a) "A specialty contractor is a contractor whose operations as such are the performance of construction work requiring special skill and whose principal contracting business involves the use of specialized building trades or crafts." CSLB's classification list enumerates 42 numbered specialty classifications, which are NOT contiguous: C-2, C-4, C-5, C-6, C-7, C-8, C-9, C-10, C-11, C-12, C-13, C-15, C-16, C-17, C-20, C-21, C-22, C-23, C-27, C-28, C-29, C-31, C-32, C-33, C-34, C-35, C-36, C-38, C-39, C-42, C-43, C-45, C-46, C-47, C-49, C-50, C-51, C-53, C-54, C-55, C-57, C-60. Each is a separate scope; a specialty contractor confines work to its own trade. |
| C-61 - Limited Specialty | Same four-years-in-ten rule. 16 CCR 825(a): "Every applicant for a contractor's license must have had, within the last 10 years immediately preceding the filing of the application, not less than four years experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the particular class within which the applicant intends to engage as a contractor." Two exceptions to the ten-year window: 825(b), a former qualifier on a license in the same classification "may compute experience without regard to the ten-year limitation"; 825(c), armed-forces service during a National Emergency "may be added to the 10 years mentioned above". 16 CCR 825(d) counts training in an accredited school or a completed approved apprenticeship program as experience, but "in no case, however, will such training or completion of an approved apprenticeship program count for more than 3 years of the experience." (B&P 7068(a) sets only the general standard - the applicant must "show the degree of knowledge and experience in the classification applied for... that the board deems necessary" - and 7068(g) is the hook for the board's regulation.) | California Law and Business Examination only - C-61 is the one classification with no trade examination. CSLB, "Step 7: Studying for the Examination": "All qualifying individuals must pass the standard Law and Business examination; in addition, with the exception of the C-61 Limited specialty classification, qualifying individuals must pass a second test covering the specific trade or certification area for which they are applying." CSLB's Examination Study Guides list says the same: "C-61 - Limited Specialty - No study guide available (No trade exam required)". | $450 original application + $200 / $350 initial license fee. CSLB reduces the initial license fee by 50 percent for a qualifying veteran (B&P 7137(a)(3)(D)(i)) and waives both the application fee and the initial license fee for a qualifying military spouse or domestic partner (CSLB form 13A-1, questions 20 and 21) - see the fee schedule for the conditions. | Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, section 832.61 ("Classification C-61-Limited Specialty", in div. 8, art. 3 Classifications), as published by CSLB: (a) "Limited specialty is a specialty contractor classification limited to a field and scope of operations of specialty contracting for which an applicant is qualified other than any of the specialty contractor classifications listed and defined in this article." (b) "An applicant classified and licensed in the classification Limited Specialty shall confine activities as a contractor to that field or fields and scope of operations set forth in the application and accepted by the Registrar or to that permitted by Section 831." (c) "Upon issuance of a C-61 license, the Registrar shall endorse upon the face of the original license certificate the field and scope of operations in which the licensee has demonstrated qualifications." (d) "A specialty contractor, other than a C-61 contractor, may perform work within the field and scope of the operations of Classification C-61, provided the work is consistent with established usage and procedure in the construction industry and is related to the specialty contractor's classification." CSLB notes it has listed the C-61 classifications into 'D' subcategories for administrative tracking, and that those definitions "were developed by staff and approved by the Board as policy" - i.e. policy, not regulation. |
Who does NOT need this license — exemptions
MONETARY THRESHOLD - CONFLICT BETWEEN TWO LIVE CSLB PAGES, both stated. (1) B&P 7048(a) as currently published by the Legislature: “(a) This chapter does not apply to a work or operation on one undertaking or project by one or more contracts if the aggregate contract price for labor, materials, and all other items is less than one thousand dollars ($1,000), that work or operation being considered of casual, minor, or inconsequential nature, and the work or operation does not require a building permit.” Subdivision (b): the exemption does not apply where the work of construction is only part of a larger or major operation, or where a division of the operation is made in contracts of amounts less than $1,000 for the purpose of evasion. Subdivision (c): it does not apply to a person who “advertises or puts out a sign or card or other device that might indicate to the public that the person is a contractor”, or who “employs another person to perform, or assist in performing, the work or operation.” (Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 67, Sec. 12 (AB 1170), effective January 1, 2026.) CSLB’s “Step 1: Before Applying for the Examination” page agrees: “A contractor’s license is not necessary as long as you don’t advertise yourself as a licensed contractor and the project does not require a building permit, no employee labor is used, and the combined value of labor, materials, and all other costs on one or more contracts is less than $1,000.” (2) CSLB’s “Building Official Information Guide” FAQ, live on the same site, STILL STATES THE OLDER FIGURE: “B&P Code section 7048 (small operations) provides an exemption from licensure for minor work if the aggregate contract price, including labor, materials, etc. is less than $500. This exemption does not apply if the ‘minor work’ is part of a larger project.” OWNER-BUILDER (B&P 7044): the chapter does not apply to (1) an owner who builds or improves a structure on their property where none of the improvements are intended or offered for sale AND the owner personally performs all the work, or any work not performed by the owner is performed by the owner’s employees with wages as their sole compensation; (2) an owner who builds or improves a structure on their property where the owner directly contracts with licensees duly licensed for the respective trades AND, for single-family residential structures, no more than four such structures are intended or offered for sale in a calendar year (this limit does not apply if the owner contracts with a general contractor for the construction); (3) a homeowner improving their principal place of residence where the work is performed prior to sale, the homeowner has actually resided there for the 12 months prior to completion, and the homeowner has not used this exemption on more than two structures more than once during any three-year period; (4) a nonprofit corporation assisting an owner-builder participating in a mutual self-help housing program. Sale or offering for sale within one year after completion creates a rebuttable presumption the structure was undertaken for sale; five or more such structures within one year is a conclusive presumption. OTHER EXEMPTIONS listed by CSLB: an employee who is paid wages, who does not usually work in an independently established business, and who does not have direction or control over the performance of work; public personnel working on public projects; officers of a court acting within the scope of their office; public utilities working under specified conditions; oil and gas operations performed by an owner or lessee; sale or installation of finished products that do not become a fixed part of the structure; a seller of installed carpets who holds a retail furniture dealer’s license but contracts installation to a licensed carpet installer; security alarm company operators licensed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (fire alarm company operators must be licensed by CSLB); and persons installing satellite antenna systems on residential structures, who must be registered with the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair. PENALTIES for unlicensed contracting: first offenses are usually a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail and/or a $500 fine, plus a potential administrative fine of $200 to $15,000; a second conviction can mean a fine of 20 percent of the contract price or $4,500 and no less than 90 days in jail; felony charges may be filed for contracting without a license in a declared state of emergency or disaster area.
Fees
SOURCING (stated precisely, because the tiers do not all carry the same items): the application and licensing figures below - $450 / $200 / $350 / $150 / $230 / $125 - appear on CSLB’s live fee page, in CSLB application form 13A-1 (rev. 01/2026), in the statute B&P 7137 and in the board’s own fee regulation 16 CCR 811, and all four agree. The reactivation ($450 / $700), joint-venture total ($800), certified license history ($67), status letter ($8) and fingerprinting ($32 / $17) amounts appear ONLY on CSLB’s live fee page - they are not in form 13A-1, B&P 7137 or 16 CCR 811. Conversely, 16 CCR 811(b)(1)-(2) publish $100 examination scheduling/rescheduling fees that the live fee page does not list. APPLICATION/LICENSING: Original application (exam or waiver, one classification) $450; Initial license fee $200 (sole owner) / $350 (non-sole owner) - CSLB’s form states total fees required $650 / $800, with the initial license fee paid after examinations; Additional classification with waiver or joint venture application $150; Additional classification for an existing license $230; Replacing the qualifier $230; Add new personnel $125; License reactivation application $450 / $700; Joint venture application total for one classification $800; Home Improvement Salesperson registration $200; Asbestos certification $125; Hazardous substance removal certification $125. MILITARY FEE RELIEF (asterisked on the very lines above, on CSLB’s own form): B&P 7137(a)(3)(D)(i) - “The board shall grant a 50-percent reduction in the fees prescribed by this paragraph to an applicant who is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces, including the National Guard or Reserve components, and was not dishonorably discharged.” The paragraph referred to is the initial license and registration fee paragraph, so the reduction applies to the $200 / $350 initial license fee and not to the $450 application fee: a qualifying veteran’s total is $550 (sole owner) or $625 (non-sole owner) rather than $650 / $800. Form 13A-1’s fee block prints “* Military Veterans see question #18” against those lines, and the form’s Military Service instructions (Questions 20 and 21) state CSLB “will expedite the licensure process and reduce the initial licensing fee by 50% for an applicant who is a current active-duty member of the Armed Forces or who was not dishonorably discharged after having served as an active-duty member of the United States Armed Forces or the National Guard or Reserves”, on production of military orders, a DD 214 long form, an NGB 22, a DD 256, or a driver’s license or ID card carrying the word “Veteran”. MILITARY SPOUSE / PARTNER FEE WAIVER: the same form states CSLB “will expedite the licensure process and waive the application fee and initial license fee for an applicant who” is married to, or in a domestic partnership or other legal union with, an active-duty member of the Armed Forces “who is assigned to a duty station in California under official active-duty military orders” AND “holds a current license in another state, district, or territory of the United States in the profession or vocation for which the applicant seeks a license from the board”. Both the $450 and the $200 / $350 are waived on that route; CSLB adds “All other fees will still be required.” RENEWAL: Active timely $450 / $700 - CSLB notes C-10 contractors are charged $470 / $720; Active delinquent $675 / $1,050 (C-10: $695 / $1,070); Inactive timely $300 / $500; Inactive delinquent $450 / $750. MISCELLANEOUS: duplicate/replacement certificate $25; business name change $100; certified license history $67 per name; general status letter $8; bond status letter $8. FINGERPRINTING (paid to the Live Scan operator): DOJ $32, FBI $17, rolling fee varies. $25 service charge for each dishonored check. EXAMINATION FEES: paid directly to PSI; B&P 7137(a)(2) says the fee “shall be no greater than the actual cost of the administration of the examination and shall be paid directly to the organization by the applicant”, and CSLB does not publish the amount.
Exam
Two written examinations administered by PSI Exams under contract to CSLB: (1) the California Law and Business Examination, and (2) the trade examination for the classification applied for (B&P 7065). CSLB, “Step 7: Studying for the Examination”: “All qualifying individuals must pass the standard Law and Business examination; in addition, with the exception of the C-61 Limited specialty classification, qualifying individuals must pass a second test covering the specific trade or certification area for which they are applying.” CSLB publishes free official study guides for the Law and Business examination and for each trade examination, including ‘A - General Engineering’, ‘B - General Building’ and ‘B-2 - Residential Remodeling Contractor’; the one entry on that list with neither is “C-61 - Limited Specialty - No study guide available (No trade exam required)”. Applicants have 18 months from application acceptance to pass - CSLB: “All applications are given 18 months from the day they are accepted to pass the examination(s). If you do not pass within 18 months after your application is accepted by the board, your application is considered void, and you will have to submit a new application with new fees.” A candidate who fails is “eligible to retake the examination after 21 calendar days”, and re-examination fees are paid to PSI each time; separately, the board’s own fee regulation 16 CCR 811(b)(1) sets a $100 CSLB fee for “Rescheduling an examination for an applicant who has applied for an original license, additional classification, a change of responsible managing officer, responsible managing manager, responsible managing member, or responsible managing employee, or for an asbestos certification or hazardous substance removal certification”, which CSLB’s live fee page does not list. CSLB states the Law and Business exam may be taken out of state, but “all trade exams must be completed in California or Oregon” - PSI has 20 test centers in California plus Wilsonville, Oregon. Waivers: no exam is required if the applicant currently serves, or within the past five years has served, as qualifying individual for the same classification on a license in good standing, or within the past five years passed the law and trade examinations (B&P 7065). Trade-exam-only waivers exist for reciprocity (B&P 7065.4), the NASCLA Commercial General Builders route for Class B, and the B-2 out-of-state route. CSLB: “Currently, waiver provisions defined in B&P Code section 7065.1 may be granted under subsections 7065.1(b) and 7065.1(c). While 7065.1(a) also provides for waiver of the exam, the Registrar exercised his authority to suspend waivers under this section.”
Renewal & continuing education
CSLB: “Active licenses expire every two years.” “Inactive licenses expire every four years.” BOTH terms are in the statute. B&P 7140 sets the general term: “All licenses issued under the provisions of this chapter shall expire two years from the last day of the month in which the license is issued, or two years from the date on which the renewed license last expired.” B&P 7076.5(c) sets the specific inactive term: “Inactive licenses shall be valid for a period of four years from their due date.” (7076.5 amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 592, Sec. 18 (SB 861), effective January 1, 2026; the same text is published at pages 297-298 of CSLB’s own official 2026 Contractors License Law book, and the authority note to the board’s fee regulation 16 CCR 811 cites B&P 7076.5 and 7137.) CSLB sends a renewal application approximately 60 days before expiration; if an acceptable renewal is not received on or before the expiration date the renewal is delinquent, a delinquency fee applies, and there is a break in licensing time during which any work performed is unlicensed. RETROACTIVE RENEWAL: CSLB states “Beginning in 2021, the registrar is required to retroactively reinstate an expired contractor’s license if a completed license renewal application is received with the appropriate fees within 90 days of the license expiration date (SB 1474).” The statute SB 1474 amended, B&P 7141.5, is more specific in two respects: the licensee must pay “the appropriate renewal fee and delinquency fee prescribed by this chapter”, and “an application shall be deemed submitted if it is delivered to the board’s headquarters or postmarked within 90 days of the expiration of the license.” An expired license may be renewed at any time within five years after its expiration (B&P 7141(a)); if it is not renewed within five years the applicant must reapply for a license (B&P 7141(d), B&P 7066). Not established either way, and deliberately not stated as “none required”. CSLB publishes no continuing education requirement for contractor licence renewal, but it also publishes no statement that none is required. Checked live on 2026-08-05 and re-checked on 2026-08-06 across every official tier we can reach: CSLB’s “Maintain and Change Your License” section; its “Renew Your License” pages, including “Step 1: General Renewal Information”, the page CSLB tells renewing licensees to read in full; the Business and Professions Code renewal and fee provisions as published by the Legislature; CSLB’s Examinations FAQ; all 22 pages of CSLB application form 13A-1 (rev. 01/2026); and the complete 603-page official 2026 Contractors License Law book, in which the phrase “continuing education” occurs throughout in provisions that impose no continuing education on contractors: B&P 166 (the Department of Consumer Affairs-wide provision on guidelines for boards that operate a CE program), B&P 462 and 464 (the DCA-wide inactive and retired licence categories), B&P 7139.x (construction management education grants), 16 CCR 890 (eight hours of continuing education for CSLB arbitrators, not for licensees), and the DCA-wide military provisions B&P 114.3 (which WAIVES “the renewal fees, continuing education requirements, and other renewal requirements” for active-duty members) and B&P 115.10. Not one of them creates a contractor CE requirement. That law book’s own index carries exactly one continuing-education entry, “CONTINUING EDUCATION, Ch 7 B&P 166”, and no contractor entry at all. Because a requirement absent from the sources we can reach is not proof that no requirement exists, this page does not tell you that California requires no continuing education - confirm with CSLB before relying on it.
How to apply
Applications are handled by Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Start at the official application page .
Verify a license in California
Contractors State License Board (CSLB) publishes a public license search , searchable by Contractor license number, Contractor business name, Contractor personnel name, Home Improvement Salesperson registration number or Home Improvement Salesperson name. It covers California contractor licenses in all CSLB classifications and Home Improvement Salesperson registrations; CSLB describes it as a lookup to “verify information, including complaint disclosure”. Business-name searches return up to 50 names; personnel-name searches up to 100. Unavailable Sundays 8 p.m. to Mondays 6 a.m. for maintenance.
Records come from Contractors State License Board (CSLB)’s own system. LicensingAtlas does not hold license records and cannot confirm any individual’s status — the date on this page refers to the requirements described above, not to anyone’s credential.