To check a California contractor, enter the license number, business name or a person’s name in CSLB’s Check a License tool and confirm three lines: the status is active with no suspension, the classification fits the job, and the bond and workers’ compensation entries are current. Since January 1, 2025, any job totaling $1,000 or more in labor and materials needs a licensed contractor, and so does a smaller job that uses workers or needs a building permit, according to CSLB’s AB 2622 release.
The record behind that tool is public. In CSLB’s master list of licensed contractors, downloaded October 25, 2026, 245,633 licenses were listed and 11,734 (4.8%) were suspended, most often over the $25,000 contractor bond (6,876) or workers’ compensation (2,828). Another 3,887 had a workers’ comp suspension pending, and 49.0% of all licenses were marked exempt from workers’ comp because they report no employees.
At a glance: what CSLB requires and what its October 25, 2026 file showed.
| Check | What CSLB requires | What the file showed |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Active, with no suspension or pending action | 233,899 clear (95.2%); 11,734 suspended (4.8%) |
| Contractor bond | $25,000 on every license | 99.8% show $25,000; 6,876 suspended over the bond |
| Workers’ compensation | Required with employees. C-8, C-20, C-22, C-39 and D-49 need it even without employees. All licensees from January 1, 2028 | 49.0% exempt; C-20 HVAC 0.1% and C-39 roofing 0.0% exempt; 2,828 suspended, 3,887 pending |
| LLC licenses | Extra $100,000 worker bond and at least $1 million liability insurance | 14,346 LLC licenses (5.8%); 14,330 show the $100,000 bond |
| Renewal | Renew before the expiration date shown | 10,216 (4.2%) expire within 60 days |
| Discipline signal | Disciplinary bond after certain board actions | 1,858 licenses (0.8%) carry one |
How to use CSLB Check a License
- Open Check a License. Search by license number if you have it (on the bid, contract, truck or ads); name searches return many near matches.
- Confirm the business name and address match your contract.
- Read the license status. “This license is current and active” is what you want. A suspension line names the reason, such as bond or workers’ comp.
- Read the classifications and compare them with the work (next section).
- Open the bonding and workers’ compensation sections. An “exempt” entry means the contractor told CSLB it has no employees.
- Look for any disclosed complaints, citations or legal actions listed with the license.
- Check the personnel tab for the qualifying individual and officers, especially if a salesperson is the one you dealt with. Home improvement salespeople have their own HIS registration in the same tool.
Which California classification fits a home project
CSLB’s license classifications set the type of work. Counts are licenses holding each one in the October 25 file.
- B – General Building (108,569): may take a prime contract that needs at least two unrelated trades other than framing or carpentry, or subcontract the rest to licensed specialists.
- B-2 – Residential Remodeling (1,752): improvements to an existing wood-frame home, and the contract must include three or more unrelated trades such as drywall, flooring and painting.
- C-10 Electrical (29,263), C-36 Plumbing (18,382), C-20 HVAC (12,280): single trades.
- C-39 Roofing (5,818), C-33 Painting (16,350), C-27 Landscaping (12,732): single trades; roofers carry workers’ comp in every case.
- A – General Engineering (15,317): grading, paving, utilities and similar fixed works.
A painter holding only C-33 is licensed for painting. If the same contract adds new drywall and flooring, the job calls for a B or B-2 license, or separately licensed trades.
What workers’ comp exempt means on a California license
Under SB 1455, the rule that every licensee carry workers’ compensation moved from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2028. Until then, a contractor with no employees may file an exemption, except in C-8 concrete, C-20 HVAC, C-22 asbestos abatement, C-39 roofing and D-49 tree service.
- Exempt by business type: 69.8% of sole-owner licenses and 29.4% of corporation licenses.
- Exempt by trade: B general building 57.3%, B-2 73.0%, C-33 painting 52.8%, C-36 plumbing 51.2%, C-10 electrical 50.5%, C-27 landscaping 39.2%.
- What to ask: if more than one person will work at your house under an exempt license, ask who employs them and for a certificate of insurance.
What 245,633 CSLB license records show
- Suspension reasons: contractor bond 6,876, workers’ comp 2,828, liability insurance 659, no qualifying individual 237, Secretary of State 176, family support 153, unpaid judgment 152.
- Who holds them: corporations 46.4% and sole owners 46.2% of active clear licenses; LLCs 5.8% of all licenses.
- Long-standing firms: half of clear licenses were first issued 13.2 or more years ago, and 16,947 were issued in the past 12 months.
- Where: Los Angeles County addresses hold 47,690 clear licenses (20.4%), then San Diego (20,764) and Orange (19,377). 3.4% use an out-of-state address.
- More than one trade: 45,381 licenses (18.5%) list two or more classifications.
Checklist before you hire in California
- License current and active in Check a License, under the business name on your contract.
- No suspension and no pending suspension line.
- Classification that covers every trade in the contract, or licensed subcontractors for the rest.
- $25,000 contractor bond on file; for an LLC, the $100,000 worker bond too.
- Workers’ comp policy, or an exemption that matches a one-person crew.
- Home improvement salesperson registered, if someone other than the owner sold you the job.
- Building permit pulled before work starts.
To see the permit side in Los Angeles, use our Los Angeles building permit search guide and our analysis of unpermitted construction complaints in Los Angeles. Other states, including Virginia and Washington, are in our contractor license lookup guide.
Counts are our calculations from CSLB’s License Master file, downloaded October 25, 2026. CSLB pages checked October 25, 2026.