The experience portion of your California contractor application is called the Certification of Work Experience. This guide follows CSLB’s two-page Certification of Work Experience, form 13A-11 (rev. 12/2024), so you and your Certifier can see what information goes where. Read the instructions on page 1 before filling in page 2.

For a straightforward application, focus on accurate qualifying dates, a specific trade-duties description, a qualified Certifier with firsthand knowledge, and a completely filled-out form. Submit the documents required for your situation; an extensive audit file is not a standard attachment for every Qualifier.

Use the official PDF and its instructions for the paper form described here. CSLB also offers an Easy-Fill version. The main application packet has additional application and attachment requirements.

1. Know who completes each part

The Qualifier completes Part 1, items 1–4. The Certifier then completes all of Part 2, items 5–9, including the time, duties, relationship, contact details, certification, signature, and date. Both the Qualifier and Certifier must be at least 18.

Choose a qualified, responsible person who personally knows the work and period being claimed. Confirm their availability before starting. A contractor license alone does not establish firsthand knowledge. The Certifier must be able to verify journey-level or higher skills in the classification.

Journey-level means fully qualified in the trade: the worker can perform the trade without supervision, or has completed an apprenticeship. Being sent out alone on basic tasks does not by itself establish that level. See CSLB’s journey-level FAQ.

The usual experience requirement is four qualifying years in the classification within the ten years immediately before filing the application. Education or training credit may affect the practical time needed. Check CSLB’s experience guidance if you are unsure of your qualifying period.

2. Part 1, item 1: your full legal name

Enter the Qualifier’s full legal name exactly as it appears on their driver’s license or government-issued ID card. Use that same name on the main application and this certification. The PDF’s name fields are ordered Last, First, Middle; enter each name in the matching field. For a name consisting only of an initial, or no middle name, follow the main application’s full-legal-name instructions.

3. Part 1, items 2–3: where the experience was gained

Enter the company or setting where the experience was gained, which may or may not have been your employer. Provide the company’s actual license number where applicable and its business street address, city, state, and ZIP code. Use the experience setting’s details, which may differ from the new business you are applying to license. The street-address field does not accept a P.O. box.

If this was self-employment: follow the self-employed checkbox instruction. The form directs you to leave the company-name space blank, skip item 3, and go to item 4. Use a separate certification for each employer or work setting.

4. Part 1, item 4: the owner-builder question

Answer whether this experience was gained working on your own property as an owner-builder. This experience can qualify only for B-General Building. If you answer “Yes,” complete an Owner-Builder B-General Building Construction Project Experience form for each completed project. Its item 6 requires a copy of the building permit and final inspection record. Report time actually worked on the project, rather than its entire elapsed duration. See the project form in the main application packet.

5. Part 2, item 5: dates, time worked, and total

Completed by the Certifier. Enter only the qualifying period in the requested classification, using month/day/year dates. Select full-time or part-time and enter the actual qualifying total in years and months.

Exclude helper or trainee time and employment gaps from a journey-level claim. Adjust for part-time work and periods when the relevant duties were only one part of the job.

6. Part 2, item 6: specific trade duties

Completed by the Certifier. Use a short paragraph or semicolon-separated list of the tasks the Qualifier performed or directly supervised in the classification. Put dates and time in item 5; keep office duties and individual project names out of item 6.

Use CSLB’s classification descriptions as a reference, then describe the actual work in your own words. The concrete example below aligns with the C-8 Concrete classification. Identify whether the Qualifier performed the tasks or directly supervised them, and cover the range of duties being claimed. Use the signed extra sheet if more space is needed.

If more space is needed: the form allows an additional duties sheet, signed under the same certification statement used in item 9. Identify the certification it continues, include the certification statement from item 9 with its date, signature, and printed-name fields completed by the Certifier, and refer to the attached sheet in item 6.

7. Part 2, items 7–8: relationship and contact details

Completed by the Certifier. Item 7 identifies the Certifier’s relationship to the Qualifier. The name in that sentence is the Qualifier’s name. Select every relationship that actually applies. If the contractor relationship is selected, provide the requested license number.

Item 8 is the Certifier’s actual street address and contact information. Enter the street address, city, state, ZIP, and phone number; the address field excludes P.O. boxes. Enter the fax number and email address where applicable. For this paper form, follow the main application’s instruction to write “N/A” when a field does not apply, such as no fax number. Follow explicit leave-blank or skip directions where the form provides them.

8. Part 2, item 9: sign, date, and check the packet

The Certifier signs and dates the certification and prints their name. Item 9 certifies direct knowledge of the work and that the information is true and correct, under penalty of perjury.

For this printed form, the signature must be original; a faxed, photocopied, or stamped signature is not acceptable. Type or print legibly using black or dark blue ink, never pencil. The Certifier must initial corrections. Forms containing strikeouts or other modifications may not be accepted.

• The Qualifier’s full legal name matches their driver’s license or ID card and the main application; the experience company is accurate.
• The qualifying dates, work pattern, total, and duties agree.
• The Certifier has firsthand knowledge and has completed all of Part 2.
• The form has the Certifier’s original signature, printed name, and signing date.
• Entries are legible in black or dark blue ink, and the Certifier has initialed any corrections.
• Any extra duties sheet has its own required certification and signature.
• Inapplicable paper-form fields are marked “N/A,” except where the form directs you to leave a field blank or skip it.
• The full application includes the required fee and applicable attachments.

Keep a copy of the completed, signed form. Creating an Easy-Fill document does not file it with CSLB; follow its completion instructions and the submission route for your application. Use our Un-Official CSLB License Checklist for the remaining licensing steps.

Questions that come up while filling out the form

Must I send payroll records or tax returns with every application?

No. Start with the completed certification and the documents the application requires for your situation. A bundle of payroll records, tax returns, and project photographs is not a standard attachment for every Qualifier. Respond with supporting evidence if CSLB requests it.

What if I have served as a Qualifier on a license before?

The instructions say this form may not be needed if you previously served as a Qualifier in the same classification. They still require it for examination waivers under Business and Professions Code sections 7065.1(b) or 7065.1(c), and after a previous application was denied for insufficient qualifying experience, even if you passed the examination. Check the PDF’s instructions for your situation.

A former Qualifier in the same classification also has an exception to the ten-year experience limit under 16 CCR 825(b). Use the CSLB application appropriate to your situation.

What if I am claiming education or apprenticeship credit?

Report the education or training you are claiming under the main application’s education question. Formal schooling needs certified official transcripts from the institution in a sealed envelope. A completed apprenticeship needs its certificate and beginning/end dates; that period cannot overlap the journey-level experience being certified.

CSLB may grant up to three years of credit, with at least one year of practical experience required. The allowance depends on the training and classification. Its education-credit guidance also lists substantial relevant college coursework as a possible credit category. Do not assume the maximum.

Can a licensed contractor sign even if they did not observe my work?

A license alone is not enough. The Certifier must have direct knowledge of the duties and period claimed. Choose someone who can verify the actual experience, consistent with the certification instructions.

Optional: help with mixed work histories