Application Form

When the CSLB receives your application, they will send you an acknowledgment explaining how to check the status of your application online at www.cslb.ca.gov or by calling (800) 321-CSLB (2752).

Get Original Applications Now

All correspondence should be sent to:

Mailing Address:
California Contractors State License Board
P.O. Box 26000,
Sacramento CA 95826-0026

California Contractors State License Board
9821 Business Park Drive
Sacramento CA 95827-1703

Application for Original Contractor's License-Instructions

Use the following checklist to make sure your application form is complete and accurate before you submit it' incomplete applications will be returned. Make checks payable to the 'Registrar of Contractors.'

• Enclose the $250 application fee's we can't process your application without it. (The $150 Initial License Fee can be submitted after you pass the exam.)

• All areas of the application must be completed.

• You must provide a street address for both your business and residence.

• The full business name must be provided, and must comply with the classification applied for. (In other words, the business name must agree with the license classification.) If you have a corporation, the business name on the application must appear exactly as it is recorded with the California Secretary of State. (See below.)

• Before you can apply for a contractor's license for your corporation, you must first register it with the California Secretary of State and provide a current and active registration number to the CSLB. To reach the Secretary of State, call (916) 653-2318 or visit their Web site at www.ss.ca.gov . Domestic corporations must also provide the names of their corporate officers: president, secretary, and treasurer.

• All partnerships must list their Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), available from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Call (800) 829-1040.

• Complete the personnel information in Section 9 for each individual who will be listed on the license. U.S. Social Security Numbers are required for all applicants.

• If you checked 'yes' for question 10, 11, or 12 on page 2 of the application, attach a detailed explanation for each situation. Failure to report a conviction is considered falsification of your application and is grounds for denial of your application. The information provided will be verified through the Board's fingerprinting requirements.

• The Certification of Work Experience form must be completed by the applicant/qualifier and certified by a person who has direct knowledge of the experience listed. The experience must be verifiable through payroll records or similar documents.

Definition of 'Qualifying Individual' or 'Qualifier'

In some cases, the individual applying for the license is not the owner of the business, but a 'qualifying individual' with the required work experience. A qualifying individual, or qualifier, is the person who meets the experience and examination requirements for the license. A qualifier is required for every classification on every license issued by CSLB. The qualifier for a license is responsible for the employer's or principal's construction operations. (See Contractors License Law & Reference Book, Ch. 1; or Blueprint for Becoming a Licensed Contractor, Questions 52-56.)

Taking Examinations Over Again

If you are required to take an exam, you can take it an unlimited number of times within 18 months of approval of your application; however, a $50 fee is required each time you schedule a re-examination.

About Examination Waivers

An exam is waived if the qualifier is currently (or has been in the past five years) licensed in the classification applied for; or has taken and passed the required exams within the past five years in the classification applied for. (See Business and Professions Code Section 7065.) 

An exam may be waived under certain other circumstances; for example, if the applicant is an immediate family member who has actively participated in a family business. You must list and have evidence of your experience and involvement in the business you think qualifies you for the waiver. (See Business and Professions Code Sections 7065.1-7065.3.)

If you are applying for a waiver of the examination, CSLB recommends submitting the following additional items with your application:

• $150 Initial License Fee.

• $10,000 original Contractor's Bond. (Bonds may be submitted electronically by the issuing surety company.)

• Workers' Compensation Certificate of Insurance (in the business name shown on this application), or if you have no employees, a completed Exemption from Workers' Compensation form.

• Completed 'Asbestos Open Book Examination'

• If your new license will be qualified by a Responsible Managing Employee (RME), you must submit a $7,500 Bond of Qualifying Individual. (Bonds may be submitted electronically by the issuing surety company.)

• If your new license will be qualified by a Responsible Managing Officer (RMO) who owns less than 10% of the new business, he or she must submit a $7,500 Bond of Qualifying Individual. (Bonds may be submitted electronically by the issuing surety company.) If the RMO qualifier owns less than 20% of the new business, he or she may be required to disassociate from or inactivate all other licenses he or she qualifies.

Limited Partners

A Limited Partner is responsible for a business only in proportion to the amount of his or her financial interest, and does not participate in its daily operation. If a member of the personnel is listed on an application as a Limited Partner, he or she cannot be granted a waiver of the exam or a license continuance.

Reissue or Reassignment of the License

If the applicant/qualifier has previously been licensed, it may be possible to have the previous license number reissued or reassigned. (See Form 13A-1H, Licensed Sole Owner Applying for Corporate License, and Business and Professions Code Section 7075.1)

If you have difficulty understanding or reading the English language, the CSLB may allow you to use a translator to read the examination for you. The translator you choose must be approved in advance by the CSLB. If you would like to use a translator during your examination, please notify the CSLB in writing. Include your Application Fee Number in all correspondence.

CSLB has a variety of publications available to help you to become a licensed contractor and maintain your license. You can order the following free publications from CSLB's informative Web site, www.cslb.ca.gov , write to the CSLB, or call the 24 hour automated phone number (800) 321-CSLB (2752).

CSLB publications that can help you understand the licensing process include Blueprint for Becoming a California Licensed Contractor, Description of Classifications, Building Your Careers, and A Guide to con tractor License Bonds. Please check the Web site or call the toll-free number to find out how to order the current edition of the California Contractors License Law & Reference Book.