Requirements by state
California contractor license requirements
Quick answer
California contractor license requirements
To get a California contractor license you must prove at least four years of qualifying experience, pass two closed-book exams at a PSI center (the Law and Business exam plus your trade exam), clear a Live Scan background check, and file a $25,000 contractor bond. Fixed CSLB fees are $450 to apply and $200 to license as a sole owner ($350 for a corporation or LLC).
At a glance
- Exam
- CSLB Law and Business exam plus a trade exam
- Vendor
- PSI (for CSLB)
- Fees
- $450 application + $200 license (sole owner)
- Last reviewed
- 2026-07-19
California licenses contractors through the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), and exams are administered by PSI. This is the complete, verified requirements picture for 2026, every figure sourced to CSLB and dated. If you only read one page before you apply, make it this one.
Who must be licensed
Anyone who contracts for construction work in California where the total for the whole project, labor plus materials, is $500 or more must hold the matching CSLB license. Work under $500 can fall under the minor-work exemption, and permitted work always requires a license regardless of price. See handyman vs contractor for exactly where that line sits.
Eligibility: the four-year experience rule
You need at least four years of journey-level, foreman, supervising, or contractor experience in the classification you are applying for, gained within the last ten years. Journey-level means you worked at the skill level of a fully qualified worker, not an apprentice.
The application process, step by step
Here is the exact order CSLB uses. Doing these out of sequence, or paying before you qualify, is what wastes people months.
-
Confirm four years of experience
Journey-level or higher in your classification, within the last ten years, certified by someone reachable who will confirm your dates and duties on audit.
-
Choose your classification
A specific class (A, B, or a C-series trade), not a generic contractor license. You sit the trade exam for the class you apply for.
-
File the Original Application
Submit the Application for Original Contractor License with certified experience and, if not a sole owner, entity details. Pay the nonrefundable $450 fee.
-
Complete Live Scan
A DOJ and FBI background check at an approved location. Results must be on file before a license issues, so book it the same week.
-
Pass both exams at PSI
After CSLB approval, sit the Law and Business exam and your trade exam in one appointment, 3.5 hours each, closed book, scored pass or fail.
-
Post the bond and pay the license fee
File a $25,000 contractor bond and pay the initial license fee before the license activates.
The full itemized cost
| Item | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Original application One classification, nonrefundable | $450 | CSLB fee schedule |
| Initial license, sole owner $350 for a corporation, partnership, or LLC | $200 | CSLB fee schedule |
| $25,000 contractor bond Annual surety premium, priced on credit (reported) | $100 to $400/yr | Market surety estimate |
| Live Scan fingerprinting DOJ + FBI, one time (reported) | $70 to $90 | California DOJ Live Scan |
| Exam prep Free banks exist; paid courses optional | $0 to a few hundred | Market range |
| Realistic first-year total, sole owner | $820 to $1,140 |
See the full breakdown, including entity-type differences and later renewal costs, in how much a California contractor license costs.
Exam format
Every applicant takes the Law and Business exam. Most also take a trade exam for their classification (the C-61 Limited Specialty class is the exception, with no trade exam). Both exams are:
- In person at a PSI location (no online option for the qualifying exam)
- Closed book, computer based, multiple choice
- Timed at 3.5 hours each
- Scored pass or fail (CSLB does not release a numeric score)
If you fail a section, you keep any section you passed and can retake the failed one after 21 calendar days, within your 18-month application window. Full walkthrough in our exam day guide.
Bond and fingerprinting
You complete Live Scan fingerprinting (about $70 to $90) through the California DOJ and FBI before the license activates. LLCs carry the additional $100,000 worker bond plus liability-insurance requirements on top of the standard bond.
How long it takes
Plan on roughly two to four months from filing to an active license: several weeks for CSLB to review the application, then scheduling and sitting the exams, then posting the bond. The two things you control, and that speed everything downstream, are submitting a complete, correctly certified application and getting Live Scan done immediately.
Common rejection reasons
Almost every rejection or delay traces to the application itself, not the exam. Avoid these:
- Incomplete application. Missing signatures, entity details, or fee. This is the single most common cause of delay.
- Uncertifiable experience. If CSLB audits you and your certifier cannot confirm your dates and duties, the claim fails. Padding experience is the classic trap.
- Name mismatch. The name on your application must match your government photo ID exactly, or you can be turned away at the exam.
- Missing Live Scan results. Results must be on file before a license issues, so a late Live Scan stalls the whole thing.
- Applying for the wrong classification. You sit the trade exam for the class you applied for, so a mismatch means paying to pass the wrong exam. Confirm yours in our classifications guide.
Official source
Verify everything at the source: start at the CSLB Applicants page, cslb.ca.gov/Applicants.aspx, which links the official Examinations FAQ, the fee schedule, and the exam study guides.
Sources: CSLB Applicants page, official fee schedule, and Examinations FAQ (cslb.ca.gov, reviewed 2026-07-19); California SB 607 (bond amount, reported pending primary-source re-confirmation); Business and Professions Code sections 7048 and 7071.6. Bond premium, Live Scan, and prep figures are current market estimates, not fixed CSLB fees.