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Contractor LookoutCalifornia

How to check a contractor license in California

By Contractor Lookout · Updated November 3, 2026

To check a contractor’s license in California, look up the license number on CSLB’s Instant License Check or in our search. Then confirm that the license is active, that it covers your kind of work, that a contractor’s bond is on file and that workers’ comp is either in place or properly exempt.

CSLB’s current public file lists 243,988 licenses. Of those, 95.4% show a Clear primary status. The rest are suspended or expired, and a Clear license can still carry a warning in its secondary status. That is why the lookup is only the first step.

Three ways to check a license

1. Search this site

Use our search page to look up a contractor by business name or license number. You can also browse by place from the counties and cities index, or go straight to a trade in a city:

Each profile shows the primary and secondary status, classifications, bond, workers’ comp and expiration date from CSLB’s file.

Our data comes from CSLB’s Public Data Portal file, which we refresh weekly. The current file is dated November 1, 2026. A license can change between that date and today. A bond can lapse or a suspension can be lifted mid-week, and our page won’t show it until the next file. Use our profile to narrow your list, then confirm the license live on CSLB before you sign anything or pay. Our data sources page explains the file, and you can report a mistake on our corrections page.

If you can’t find a license here, that doesn’t prove it never existed. CSLB’s public file leaves out cancelled and revoked licenses and expired licenses that can no longer be renewed. Check the number on CSLB directly.

2. CSLB’s Instant License Check

CSLB’s Instant License Check is the live record. You can search by license number, business name, personnel name, Home Improvement Salesperson (HIS) registration number or HIS name. Every license also has its own page at cslb.ca.gov followed by the number, for example https://www.cslb.ca.gov/1000002.

Two practical notes:

3. Ask for the pocket license and a photo ID

When the contractor comes to bid, ask to see the pocket license card and a government photo ID. Then match them:

  1. The name on the ID should match a person on the license record, such as the owner, an officer or the qualifier.
  2. The license number on the card should match the number on the bid, the contract, the truck and any ads.
  3. The business name on the card should match the business name on the contract.

A card shows that a license existed when the card was printed. It doesn’t show the status today, so look the number up afterward. If a salesperson does the selling, ask for their HIS registration number too and check it the same way. Our HIS guide explains why.

What to look for on the record

Primary status

CSLB’s license page describes a Clear license this way: “This license is current and active.” Anything else in the primary status field is a suspension, and a suspended license is not valid for contracting. Many of these suspensions happen automatically “by operation of law” when a requirement lapses.

Primary status What it means
Clear Active, with no suspension
Contractor bond suspended No $25,000 contractor’s bond on file
Workers’ comp suspended Workers’ comp coverage or exemption lapsed
Liability insurance suspended Required liability insurance lapsed
Employee/worker bond suspended An LLC’s $100,000 worker bond is missing
Bond payment suspended The surety paid a claim and was not repaid
Judgment suspended An unpaid construction-related civil judgment
Judgment-related entity suspended Tied to another license with an unpaid judgment
Outstanding liability suspended Unpaid final debt to FTB, DIR, EDD or CSLB
Family support suspended Unpaid family or child support order
No qualifier suspended The qualifying person left and was not replaced in 90 days
Secretary of State suspended The corporation or LLC is not in good standing
Other suspension A less common suspension code

Our status guide and the status hub explain each one in more detail.

The classification matches the job

A license covers only the classifications printed on it. Match the class to the work:

Your job Class to look for
Electrical work C-10 Electrical
Plumbing C-36 Plumbing
Roofing C-39 Roofing
Heating and air conditioning C-20 HVAC
Solar panels C-46 Solar or C-10
Concrete C-8 Concrete
Landscaping C-27 Landscaping
Painting C-33 Painting and Decorating
Tile C-54 Ceramic and Mosaic Tile
Flooring C-15 Flooring
Swimming pool C-53 Swimming Pool
Asbestos, 100 sq ft or more C-22 Asbestos Abatement or the ASB certification
Accessory dwelling unit B General Building, or C-47 for a manufactured unit
Narrow specialty trades C-61 Limited Specialty with the right D subcategory

A B General Building contractor can take on a whole project, with a limit. Under BPC 7057, a B can’t take a prime contract for work outside framing or carpentry unless it involves at least two unrelated trades besides framing or carpentry, or the B holds the specialty license or subcontracts to a licensed specialty contractor. So a B hired only to rewire a house is a mismatch. For the other general classes, see A General Engineering and B-2 Residential Remodeling, and our A vs B vs C guide. The full list is on our license types index.

The contractor’s bond

Every active license needs a $25,000 contractor’s bond (BPC 7071.6). The record names the surety company. You can look up the surety in CSLB’s Surety Bond Company Search and call it to confirm the bond is in force. See contractor bonds explained.

Workers’ comp: insured, exempt or none

The workers’ comp field shows one of three things:

C-8, C-20, C-22, C-39 and C-61/D-49 contractors must carry workers’ comp whether or not they have employees. Starting January 1, 2028, the general no-employee exemption ends for all contractors. You can look up an insurer with CSLB’s insurance company search. Our workers’ comp guide walks through it.

Secondary statuses

CSLB lists these under “Additional Status,” and a license can have more than one. They sit next to a Clear status, so they’re easy to miss:

Expiration date

A license runs for two years from the last day of the month it was issued (BPC 7140). An expired license can be renewed within five years of expiring (BPC 7141), but it isn’t valid for work while expired. If the date falls in the middle of your project, ask about renewal. A “renewal received” note means CSLB has the application but hasn’t processed it.

Red flags worth asking about

None of these proves wrongdoing. Each is a reason to stop and ask before you hire:

If you’ve already hired someone and the status changes, read what to do if a license is suspended mid-job. For the full set of steps before signing, use our hiring checklist. If a problem comes up later, see how to file a complaint with CSLB.

This is general information, not legal advice. Contractor Lookout is an independent site and is not affiliated with CSLB.

Sources

Every CSLB status, explained

License types (classifications)

Largest licensed-trade lists