How to verify a California contractor license

Before you hire anyone for work on your home, check their license yourself. It takes a few minutes and it is the single most useful thing you can do.

Seven steps

1. Ask the contractor for their California contractor license number. A real contractor will give it to you.
2. Go to the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) website at cslb.ca.gov, or CheckTheLicenseFirst.com, and look the number up.
3. Confirm the license is active and not suspended or expired.
4. Confirm the license classification covers the kind of work you want done.
5. Check the name on the license matches the person or company you are dealing with.
6. For lead work, also ask which California Department of Public Health (CDPH) lead certification they hold for the job, and ask to see it.
7. Get everything in a written contract before work starts, and pay the contractor directly.

California generally requires a contractor license for jobs of $500 or more, and CSLB says licensed contractors must put their license number in their advertising. If someone will not give you a license number, that tells you something.

We are a referral service. We refer you to contractors who hold an active California license. We still ask you to check it yourself, because it takes minutes and the answer is public. We never quote prices, negotiate, or sign anything on your behalf.

Go to cslb.ca.gov