California requirements
California contractor license requirements
Everything the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) asks of a new contractor: qualifying experience, the exams, the bond, and the fees, each figure checked against the board and dated. California is the state we cover in full today.
CA
Verified
California
CSLB Law and Business exam plus a trade exam
- Fixed state fees
- $450 application + $200 license (sole owner)
- Exam vendor
- PSI (for CSLB)
- Last reviewed
- 2026-07-19
- At least four years of journey-level or higher experience in the classification, gained within the last ten years
- Experience certified by an employer, licensed contractor, supervisor, or fellow journeyman
- Pass the Law and Business exam plus your trade exam (both in person at a PSI center)
- Live Scan fingerprint background check (California DOJ and FBI)
- File a $25,000 contractor bond (SB 607, effective January 1, 2023, reported)
- Pay the $450 application fee and the $200 (sole owner) or $350 (non-sole owner) license fee
Not in California?
California is the state we cover in full today. We publish a state only after every experience, exam, bond, and fee figure is verified against that state's board, so a stale number never teaches you a wrong answer. See which states are live and which are in verification.