A complete contractor-license application starts with consistent information: the business you are licensing, the person qualifying it, the other personnel who must be listed, and the documents that support your answers. Work through the actual form in order, then check the whole packet before you send it.

This guide follows CSLB’s Application for Original Contractor License, form 13A-1 (rev. 01/2026). The linked packet has 22 PDF pages. The application itself has five pages, followed by the work-experience and owner-builder forms. Keep the instructions beside you while completing the application.

1. Start with the correct application

Use this original application when you are applying for a new license and an examination is required. Adding a classification or replacing a Qualifier on an existing license uses a different application. If you qualify for waiver of both required exams, check the Examination Waiver (7065) application instead. A trade-exam waiver through reciprocity is a different situation: this original form includes questions 17–19 for those requests. Use CSLB’s Forms and Applications page to choose the appropriate form.

Paper PDF: complete, sign, and mail it. Easy-Fill: type information online, generate the document, then print, sign, and mail it; generating the PDF does not submit the application. Online sole-owner application: CSLB also has a separate online submission route for eligible sole owners. Follow that system’s instructions rather than mailing a duplicate application.

• Use black or dark blue ink, or type the paper form legibly.
• Write N/A in inapplicable paper-form spaces, while following explicit leave-blank, skip, and optional-field directions.
• Use the same full business name at the top of every application page where requested.
• Have the relevant people review their information and sign their own certification statements.

2. Page 1: the application fee

The standard application fee for one classification is $450. For a mailed application, use an accepted check or money order payable to Registrar of Contractors; do not mail cash. The optional Construction Management Education Account contribution is a separate voluntary choice.

These are application and initial-license fees, not the full cost of becoming licensed. Exam fees, fingerprinting, bonds, and insurance are separate. Approved military benefits may reduce or waive specified fees. Confirm current amounts on CSLB’s fee schedule. The separate online sole-owner route also lists a credit-card processing charge.

3. Page 1, section 1: business name, classification, and contact details

Item 1: enter the full name under which the licensed business will operate. It must fit the entity and the classification. A sole owner should not use wording that presents the business as a corporation or partnership. Check our business-name guide before committing to a name.

Item 2: enter the requested classification, such as C-8 Concrete or B-General Building. Choose the classification that matches the qualifying work. The form limits an original application requiring an exam to one classification; C-61 applicants should also check the instructions for their D subclassification requests.

Item 3a: use the business mailing address, which becomes part of the public license record. A P.O. box or PMB is permitted here. Item 3b: use the actual business street address; P.O. boxes and PMBs are not accepted. The instructions say this street address is for CSLB’s internal use. Item 3c: enter the business phone, fax if applicable, and an email address where you currently receive email. The business phone is public; the email is not part of the public license record.

4. Page 1, section 2: choose the business entity

Item 4: select one entity. The entity determines which registration information, personnel, and Qualifier positions apply. Forming an LLC or corporation is a separate process from obtaining the contractor license; those entities need an active California Secretary of State registration and good standing.

Do not substitute a personal SSN or ITIN for a partnership’s FEIN. For an LLC, plan for the additional employee/worker bond and liability insurance required for licensing; selecting LLC does not complete those requirements. Use the entity instructions in the official packet for registration, personnel, and tribal-document details.

5. Page 1, section 3: identify the Qualifier

Item 5a: enter the Qualifier’s full legal name exactly as it appears on their driver’s license or government-issued ID. The paper fields are Last, First, Middle. Enter the date of birth and required identifying number in their own fields. Use your SSN, or an ITIN if you do not have an SSN. If there is no middle name, write “None” or “No Middle Name.” If the legal first or middle name consists only of an initial, add “(Initial Only)” after it.

Item 5b: enter the Qualifier’s residence street address; a P.O. box or PMB is not allowed. This is the person’s residence, which may differ from the business addresses. Item 6: list existing or previous CSLB license numbers, actual ownership percentage, residence phone, and the driver’s-license number if providing it. The application’s collection notice makes the driver’s-license number optional; the SSN or ITIN is required.

Item 7: use the position that matches the entity

Select the actual Qualifier position from the entity table above. An RMO’s corporate title for a corporation or LLC must match the Secretary of State records. An RME is a bona fide permanent employee who must meet the required employment and involvement standard. An RME cannot keep an active sole-owner contractor license in their own name; follow CSLB’s inactivation instructions if that applies.

Item 8: the Qualifier’s main-application signature

The Qualifier reviews the application and the certification statement, including its examination-security acknowledgement, then signs, prints their name, and dates item 8. Jordan’s signature on the experience certification does not satisfy this requirement.

6. Page 2, section 4: other personnel

Write the applicant’s business name at the top. Items 9a–9d are for personnel other than the Qualifier already listed in section 3. Report the other people and companies required for the entity. Include the relevant partners, officers, directors, LLC members, and responsible managers; do not treat this page as a list of every ordinary employee.

Each individual listed completes the requested identity, residence, contact, and position information and signs, prints their name, and dates their own certification. Use the legal-name rules above. If more than four additional personnel are required, include another copy or the Section 4 Additional Personnel form.

If an LLC member or manager is another company

Section 4 must also identify the company and an individual authorized to sign for it. Follow the packet’s company-personnel instructions: personal fields such as date of birth and SSN/ITIN do not apply to the company itself. The authorized individual is identified as “Authorized Signer for [company name]”; that signing role alone does not make the individual personnel of record.

7. Page 3, section 5: questions 10–12

Put the business name at the top again. Read every question for all the people and companies it covers before selecting an answer. A Yes answer needs the statement and documents requested by that question.

Question 11 specifically says to answer No for a suspension due to lack of a bond, workers’ compensation or other required insurance, a Qualifier, or family support. Do not expand that exception to unrelated disciplinary actions.

8. Page 3: questions 13–15 for the Qualifier

Question 13: asks whether the Qualifier will actually supervise or control construction operations. Read the activities listed in the question; the answer is a representation about what the Qualifier will do.

Question 14: applies only to an RME. The employment requirement is at least 32 hours per week or 80% of the business’s operating hours, whichever is less. A Qualifier who is not an RME treats this question as not applicable, following the form’s RME-only direction.

Question 15: asks whether a CSLB-approved translator is required. If Yes, specify the language and follow CSLB’s approval process. Some exams are available in Spanish; check the current language options for your exam rather than assuming every classification has the same options.

9. Page 4, section 6: education and apprenticeship, question 16

Answer the completed education/apprenticeship question accurately. For a claimed formal-education credit, provide certified official transcripts from the institution in a sealed envelope. Technical-training transcripts need the course hours and descriptions. Foreign degrees need the translation and U.S. evaluation specified in the instructions.

For a completed apprenticeship, provide the certificate and the beginning and ending dates. The apprenticeship period cannot overlap the journey-level period being certified. Credit is not automatic: CSLB may allow up to three years, and at least one year must be practical experience. See CSLB’s education-credit guidance for the categories and documentation.

10. Page 4: other-state licenses and trade-exam waivers, questions 17–19

Do not check Yes simply because you passed any national exam or once held a license elsewhere. Answer question 17’s license-status question as written, then determine whether a waiver request is supported. A trade-exam waiver does not automatically waive California Law and Business. Follow CSLB’s current reciprocity requirements and the specific questions in the application.

11. Page 5: military and immigration-status expedites, questions 20–22

These are separate questions. Answer each from your circumstances and include the evidence requested for a Yes answer.

Eligible military applicants may receive expedited processing and a 50% reduction of the initial license fee; that is not a blanket waiver of the $450 application fee. The benefit depends on meeting the instructions’ service and discharge requirements, not simply selecting Yes. Eligible question-21 applicants can receive waiver of the application and initial license fees when the conditions and documentation are satisfied; other fees remain. Question 22 concerns an expedite for the statuses it lists, not every immigration category.

12. Attach the documents your answers require

Include the completed Certification of Work Experience with the original application when required. The Qualifier fills Part 1; the qualified Certifier verifies and completes Part 2. Use our field-by-field experience-certification guide for the dates, duties, and Certifier’s signature.

C-22 applicants also need to check the DOSH registration and training requirements in the packet. Tribal businesses must include the required verification of their entity. Requests for an eligible prior license-number reissuance use the designated additional form. These special cases should be checked before the packet is mailed.

13. Check and submit the finished packet

• The form and submission route are correct for the new license being requested.
• The business name, entity, requested classification, and registration information agree.
• The mailing address, business street address, and Qualifier residence address are in the correct fields.
• Names match government-issued ID, and the required identifying and contact information is complete.
• The Qualifier’s ownership percentage and position are accurate; required additional personnel are included.
• The Qualifier and every other required individual have signed and dated their own certification statements.
• Questions 10–22 have been answered for the people and circumstances they cover, with the requested Yes-answer evidence attached.
• All required experience certifications, extra personnel sheets, and situation-specific supporting documents are included.
• The fee is correct for the route and any documented approved benefit being requested.
• A complete copy of the signed application and attachments is kept for your records.

For the paper or Easy-Fill mailing route: remove the General Information and Instructions portion, but keep all required application pages and supporting forms. Mail the completed packet using the current official completion instructions to:

Contractors State License Board
P.O. Box 26000
Sacramento, CA 95826-0026

Completing an Easy-Fill document is not the same as submitting through the separate online sole-owner system. If using online submission, follow that system’s document, signature, and payment requirements.

What happens after you apply?

CSLB checks whether the application is complete. After it is accepted for processing (“posted”), follow the fingerprint instructions for anyone who needs to fingerprint and the examination-scheduling instructions. CSLB’s fingerprint FAQ explains that process.

If CSLB returns an incomplete application, the standard correction period is 90 days from the return notice. Respond to the actual notice promptly; do not treat a returned packet as a new application or ignore the deadline.

Passing the exams is followed by the remaining issuance requirements, including the requested initial license fee, bond and insurance filings, and asbestos open-book examination. For Alex’s C-8 application, workers’ compensation insurance is required even without employees. Other classifications and entities have different insurance requirements. Our Un-Official CSLB License Checklist covers the remaining licensing steps.

Source basis: CSLB’s linked 13A-1 application packet (rev. 01/2026), its Forms and Applications directory, current fee schedule, online sole-owner instructions, experience-credit guidance, reciprocity requirements, and fingerprint/background-review FAQ. Field numbers above follow the paper PDF; follow the instructions shown if using an online form with a different layout.