By Oussama Chicha, EditorUpdated Checked against primary sources · not yet reviewed by a licensed professionalFact-checked
Quick answer
The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) issues California's contractor license by classification, including the general building contractor class, for structures needing at least two unrelated building trades or crafts. Every license needs a $25,000 contractor's bond. As of October 3, 2026, the original application fee (exam or waiver for one classification) is $450 per application.
California · Contractor licenseVerified 2026-10-04
State license
Contractor license (residential and commercial)
Unless exempted, acting as a contractor in California without a license is a misdemeanor. The Contractors State License Board issues the contractor license by classification; the general building contractor classification is for a contractor whose principal contracting business is in connection with any structure requiring in its construction the use of at least two unrelated building trades or crafts.
The board requires an applicant to show knowledge and experience in the classification applied for and general knowledge of the building, safety, health and lien laws and the administrative principles of the contracting business; the required documents and initial license fee are submitted after the examination is passed
Contractor license (residential and commercial). Unless exempted, acting as a contractor in California without a license is a misdemeanor. The Contractors State License Board issues the contractor license by classification; the general building contractor classification is for a contractor whose principal contracting business is in connection with any structure requiring in its construction the use of at least two unrelated building trades or crafts.
Threshold. The Contractors State License Law does not apply to work on one project, under one or more contracts, when the aggregate contract price for labor, materials and all other items is less than $1,000, that work being considered of casual, minor or inconsequential nature, and the work does not require a building permit. This does not apply where the work is part of a larger or major operation or is divided into contracts of less than $1,000 to evade the law, or to a person who advertises as a contractor or employs another person to do the work. The section in this form took effect January 1, 2026.
(a) Unless exempted from this chapter, it is a misdemeanor for a person to engage in the business of, or act in the capacity of, a contractor within this state under either of the following conditions: (1) The person is not licensed in accordance with this chapter.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7028(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
You do not have to meet any education requirements in order to qualify for a contractor license.
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,
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7057(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
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.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7048(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
(b) This section does not apply in a case wherein the work of construction is only a part of a larger or major operation, whether undertaken by the same or a different contractor, or in which a division of the operation is made in contracts of amounts less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) for the purpose of evasion of this chapter or otherwise.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7048(b) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
(c) This section does not apply to a person who does either of the following: (1) Advertises or puts out a sign or card or other device that might indicate to the public that the person is a contractor or that the person is qualified to engage in the business of a contractor. (2) Employs another person to perform, or assist in performing, the work or operation.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7048(c) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
(Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 67, Sec. 12. (AB 1170) Effective January 1, 2026.)
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7048 history note · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
License classes
Class
Scope
Source
General building contractor
Structures 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
Exam. The board requires an applicant to show knowledge and experience in the classification applied for and general knowledge of the building, safety, health and lien laws and the administrative principles of the contracting business; the required documents and initial license fee are submitted after the examination is passed. Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7068(a); Applying for the Contractors Examination, CSLB
Experience. At least four years of experience in the class applied for, at journey level or as a foreman, supervising employee, contractor or owner-builder, reported and confirmed on the Certification of Work Experience form 13A-11; up to three years of credit for technical training, apprenticeship training or education. Source: Qualifying Experience for the Examination, CSLB; Applying for the Contractors Examination, CSLB
(a) The board shall require an applicant to show the degree of knowledge and experience in the classification applied for, and the general knowledge of the building, safety, health, and lien laws of the state and of the administrative principles of the contracting business that the board deems necessary for the safety and protection of the public.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7068(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
Upon successful completion of your examination, you will be instructed to submit the required documents and initial license fee.
You may receive credit of up to three (3) years for technical training, apprenticeship training, or education toward the four (4) years of required experience in the classification for which you are seeking licensure.
(a) The board shall require as a condition precedent to the issuance, reinstatement, reactivation, renewal, or continued maintenance of a license, that the applicant or licensee file or have on file a contractor’s bond in the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000).
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7071.6(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
Fees
Fee
Amount
As of
Source
Original application (exam or waiver for one classification)
Renewal of an unexpired license shall continue the license in effect for the two-year period following the expiration date of the license, when it shall expire if it is not again renewed.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7140 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
Active Timely Renewal (Non-Sole Owner) (Postmarked or received at CSLB [for hand deliveries] on or before the expiration date) $700
Term and renewal. A license expires two years from the last day of the month in which it is issued, or two years from the date on which the renewed license last expired.
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.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7140 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
Contracting without a license
Unless exempted, acting as a contractor without a license is a misdemeanor. A first conviction is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000, up to six months in county jail, or both. A person who used an unlicensed contractor may bring an action to recover all compensation paid to the unlicensed contractor.
(b) A first conviction for the offense described in this section is punishable by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000) or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7028(b) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
(b) Except as provided in subdivision (e), a person who utilizes the services of an unlicensed contractor may bring an action in any court of competent jurisdiction in this state to recover all compensation paid to the unlicensed contractor for performance of any act or contract.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7031(b) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
California's contractor license comes from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), which issues it by classification [3]. The credential covers residential and commercial work alike. Unless an exemption applies, acting as a contractor in the state without a license is a misdemeanor under the Business and Professions Code [1].
One of those classifications is the general building contractor. Section 7057 ties it to a contractor's "principal contracting business" and to structures whose construction calls for at least two unrelated building trades or crafts [3].
Where the dollar floor sits
Section 7048 draws a floor beneath the Contractors State License Law. The law does not reach work on one project, under one or more contracts, when the aggregate contract price for labor, materials and all other items is less than $1,000 [4], the work counts as casual, minor or inconsequential, and no building permit is required.
That floor carries its own limits. It does not cover work that is only part of a larger or major operation, or an operation split into contracts of less than $1,000 [4] to evade the law. It also does not cover a person who advertises as a contractor or who employs another person to do the work [4]. The section in its current form took effect January 1, 2026 [4].
Classifications and qualifications
Section 7068 has the board require each applicant to show knowledge and experience in the classification applied for, plus general knowledge of the state's building, safety, health and lien laws and of the administrative principles of the contracting business [5]. The order matters: the CSLB asks for the required documents and the initial license fee after the examination is passed [6].
Before the exam comes experience: at least four years in the class applied for [2], gained at journey level or as a foreman, supervising employee, contractor or owner-builder [2], and reported and confirmed on the Certification of Work Experience form 13A-11 [6]. Technical training, apprenticeship training or education can supply up to three years of credit toward those four years [2].
The bond runs through the whole life of the license. Section 7071.6 makes a contractor's bond of $25,000 a condition of issuance and keeps it in place for reinstatement, reactivation, renewal and the continued maintenance of the license [7].
Cost of applying and renewing
As of October 3, 2026, the original application fee (exam or waiver for one classification) is $450 per application [8]. The initial license fee and the active timely renewal fee each differ for a sole owner and a non-sole owner [8]. A license expires two years from the last day of the month in which it is issued, or two years from the date the renewed license last expired [9].
Working without the license
Section 7028 makes unlicensed contracting, absent an exemption, a misdemeanor [1]. A first conviction is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 [1], by up to six months in county jail, or by both [1].
There is a civil side as well. Under section 7031, a person who used the services of an unlicensed contractor may bring an action to recover all compensation paid to that contractor [10].
