Choose a classification that covers the work your business will contract for and matches your qualifier’s experience. The qualifier must be at least 18 and have a Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Start with Which California Contractor Exam Do I Need?.

The qualifier must supervise and control the business’s construction operations. Check the CSLB qualifier responsibilities for the role that fits your business structure, including employment requirements and limits on qualifying more than one license.

Electrical applicants: Read C-10 Contractor License vs. California Electrician Certification to choose the right credential and exam.

Choose a sole owner, partnership, corporation, limited liability company (LLC), or tribal business. Corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships must meet the applicable California Secretary of State registration and good-standing requirements. LLCs also need the additional bond and liability insurance described in Phase 4.

Make this choice before applying. If you change the business structure after CSLB posts your application, you must withdraw it and submit a new application. See the business-structure instructions.

Choose a name that fits your business structure and the work your license will cover. A sole owner’s business name cannot imply a partnership or corporation. Read How to Name Your California Contractor Business before completing the application.

Use the current Application for Original Contractor License (13A-1), or the online option for eligible sole owners described below. Enter full legal names exactly as shown on government-issued ID. Complete every required field. Follow our step-by-step application guide for examples.

If you are seeking an exam waiver or a joint venture license: Check CSLB’s forms and instructions for the correct application.

C-22 applicants only: Meet the training requirements of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH/Cal/OSHA). For license issuance, have DOSH registration or an active registration application in process.

C-47 applicants only: Complete initial installer training approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and include the completion certificate. See the C-22 and C-47 instructions.

Use the Certification of Work Experience (13A-11) to show four years of qualifying work within the last 10 years in the classification you want. The work must equal four full-time years, subject to allowed credit, at journey level or higher. Journey level means fully qualified to perform the trade without supervision.

Describe the specific trade duties you performed or supervised. Use a separate form for each employer or work setting. Your certifier must be at least 18, qualified and responsible, and have direct knowledge of your work. See our Work Experience form guide for short examples that fit the form.

Owner-builders claiming B-General Building experience only: Include an Owner-Builder Construction Project Experience form for each applicable project. Attach the building permit and final inspection record requested in Item 6.

Education or training credit: CSLB may allow up to three years for qualifying education, apprenticeship, or technical training. At least one year must be practical experience. Include the required official transcripts or completion records.

Military experience: CSLB evaluates qualifying military work and training separately. Include the requested service and training records.

Military fee benefits: Eligible service members and veterans can receive a 50% reduction of the initial license fee. Eligible spouses or partners of active-duty service members assigned to California who hold qualifying out-of-state licensure can receive waivers of the application and initial license fees. These benefits require CSLB approval and supporting documents. Review Questions 20–21 and the military instructions.

Answer the questions about court judgments, license discipline, and outstanding liabilities. Read each question’s exceptions and attach the explanations it requires. These required answers are separate from the optional criminal-conviction information below.

A conviction does not automatically prevent you from getting a license. You do not need to disclose criminal convictions on the license application. CSLB may ask for information about rehabilitation or other circumstances; providing it is voluntary, and declining is not a factor in the licensing decision. Read CSLB’s background-review guidance.

If a court dismissal is missing from your record: Provide proof of a dismissal under Penal Code sections 1203.4, 1203.4a, 1203.41, or 1203.42 if it does not appear in the California Department of Justice (DOJ) report. This document requirement is separate from an optional rehabilitation explanation.

TLC Note — optional rehabilitation information: CSLB reviews DOJ/FBI fingerprint records. You may include rehabilitation information with your original application, such as completed court requirements, education, steady employment, or references. You choose whether to submit this information; doing so does not guarantee approval.

If you choose to provide a statement, use the optional Statement Regarding Criminal Plea/Conviction (13A-45). Follow its instructions; you do not need to submit a statement for every past conviction.

Request testing accommodations with the Accommodation Request for Examination (13E-77) and required supporting documents. Obtain approval before scheduling your exam. For language assistance, check Spanish exam availability and advance translator approval.

Main application: The qualifier and every other person required by the form must sign and date their own declarations.

Paper Work Experience form: The qualifier completes Part 1. The certifier completes Part 2 and signs and dates Item 9. Provide the original signatures the paper form requires. For electronic filing, follow CSLB’s signing instructions.

TLC clients: Before submitting, email your completed application and Work Experience form to support@thompsonlearningco.com. We check for missing information and common errors and help you identify corrections. CSLB makes the final licensing decision.

Online, if eligible: Original sole-owner examination applicants can apply and submit electronically. The application fee is $450 plus a 2.3% online payment charge, unless an approved fee waiver applies. Easy-Fill is different: those forms must be printed and mailed.

By mail: Send your signed application, required attachments, and nonrefundable $450 application fee (unless an approved waiver applies) to CSLB, P.O. Box 26000, Sacramento, CA 95826-0026. Make payment payable to the Registrar of Contractors.

Keep a complete copy and proof of submission. Pay the separate initial license fee and arrange bonds when CSLB requests them in Phase 4. Check current fees.

Save the Application Fee Number and PIN from CSLB’s acknowledgment. Enter the number exactly as provided in Check Application Status. Use the PIN for secured status access. “Posted” means CSLB accepted your application as complete for processing; it does not mean your license is approved. Keep checking until the license is issued. Follow I Submitted My CSLB Application: What Happens Next? for the full sequence.

Use processing time to plan your preparation. Read How to Choose a California Contractor Exam School to compare course format, access, application assistance, and refund terms.

Correct and return an incomplete application within 90 days of the original rejection notice. Missing the deadline can void your application, requiring a new application and fee. Put each CSLB deadline on your calendar. See our guide to handling application corrections for an example.

Application corrections due:

Wait for CSLB’s fingerprint packet after your application is posted. Each person required to provide fingerprints must use the issued Live Scan form; an employer’s earlier background check does not replace this process. Pay $32 for DOJ + $17 for FBI, plus the provider’s fingerprinting fee (called the rolling fee).

Keep your receipt. Return CSLB’s copy within 90 days of receiving the packet. Out-of-state applicants: Follow the fingerprint-card instructions. Read the official fingerprint instructions and our fingerprint walkthrough with a date-tracking example.

Fingerprint form return deadline:

Follow the Notice to Schedule an Examination when CSLB sends you for testing. Record the date your exam eligibility expires, also called the void date. You generally must pass the required exams within 18 months after CSLB accepts your application; the clock does not start at your first test appointment. Keep your dates together in our printable application progress tracker.

Exam eligibility expires:

Book through PSI’s California contractor scheduling page or call (877) 392-6422. PSI is the exam provider. Pay a separate fee to PSI for each required exam. Follow the current exam instructions and our scheduling walkthrough.

Bring ID to every exam: Use one valid, unexpired document from the accepted identification list, such as a U.S. driver’s license, U.S. state-issued ID, or government-issued passport. Your photo must be recognizable and your name must match your application. This applies to both exams.

TLC ProTip — consider separate test days: Two exams in one day can be tiring. Separate dates let you focus on one subject at a time. About 30 days apart may fit your study plan; choose a gap based on your readiness, available appointments, and eligibility deadline. This is TLC’s recommendation. CSLB also allows both exams on the same day.

Take the multiple-choice computer exam for your classification. The standard time limit is 3½ hours. C-61 Limited Specialty has no trade exam; approved waivers may also change which exams you need. Take the exams CSLB assigns to you. Prepare with How to Pass the California Contractor Exam: Study Tips and Test-Day Strategy.

Take the multiple-choice computer Law & Business exam. The standard time limit is 3½ hours. Use our study and test-day guide to prepare.

If you do not pass: Wait at least 21 calendar days before retesting and pay PSI’s retest fee. Leave room for the waiting period and an available appointment before your 18-month eligibility expires. Read what to do after receiving your results.

To cancel or reschedule: Give at least 48 hours’ notice through PSI’s website or by speaking directly with a PSI representative. An email or voicemail does not count. Follow the cancellation and retest instructions.

When CSLB sends your Bond and Fee letter, pay $200 for a sole owner or $350 for another business structure, unless an approved reduction or waiver applies. This is separate from the application fee you paid earlier. Follow your letter and check current CSLB fees.

Issuance documents and fee due:

Arrange the required $25,000 contractor license bond, or a permitted cash alternative. Match the business name and application/license details to CSLB’s records. See the bond requirements.

What you pay: $25,000 is the bond amount, not the price of buying a surety bond. A surety (bond company) quotes the price, called the premium. A cash alternative requires the deposit CSLB specifies.

Filing deadline: CSLB must receive this bond and any required qualifier bond within 90 days of each bond’s effective date. Also meet your issuance-notice deadline. Ask the bond company to file the bonds and confirm CSLB received them.

Check whether you need an additional $25,000 Bond of Qualifying Individual. It is required for a responsible managing employee (RME)—an employee who serves as the qualifier—and certain corporation/LLC qualifiers with less than 10% ownership. Eligible owners must file the required ownership exemption; tribal exceptions apply. Follow the qualifier bond and ownership-exemption instructions. This bond amount is also separate from its premium.

For an active LLC license, file the additional $100,000 employee/worker bond. Obtain liability insurance of at least $1 million for five or fewer people listed on CSLB’s personnel record, plus $100,000 for each additional person, up to $5 million. These are required bond and insurance coverage amounts, not premium prices. Check the CSLB LLC requirements.

If you have employees, including an RME: Obtain workers’ compensation insurance. If you have no employees: Check whether your classification still requires coverage. File an exemption only if you qualify under the current CSLB coverage and exemption rules.

Ask your insurer to list CSLB as the Certificate Holder and use the correct business name and application/license number on the coverage documents.

Future change: As of October 2026, the broader coverage requirement for contractors without employees is scheduled for January 1, 2028. Existing employee and classification requirements already apply. Recheck the rules if applying later.

Have the qualifier complete CSLB’s online Asbestos Open Book Examination, or follow the paper submission instructions. This is an awareness requirement for license issuance. Passing it does not authorize asbestos removal or abatement work.

Before you bid, sign a contract, or perform work that requires a contractor license, use CSLB’s license lookup to confirm the license is issued and active. Check the business name, business structure, and classification. Passing the exams alone does not authorize you to contract.

Check your wall certificate and pocket card when they arrive. Keep required bonds and insurance current.

Once your license is active, use How to Make Your Contractor Bid Stand Out to prepare clear proposals that help clients evaluate your business.