Methodology and data sources

Current file: November 1, 2026 · 243,988 licenses.

Source

All license data comes from the Contractors State License Board Public Data Portal. Specifically, we use the License Master file described on CSLB's contractor list page. CSLB provides the file free of charge and regenerates it about once a week. The State of California's Conditions of Use state that information on state websites is generally considered public domain. We use the facts in the file and write all explanations in our own words.

Attribution: Source: Contractors State License Board Public Data Portal.

What the file includes and leaves out

• It includes licenses that are currently renewed, or expired but still renewable. A license can be renewed within five years of expiring.
• It does not include cancelled or revoked licenses, or expired licenses that can no longer be renewed. When a license drops out of the file, we keep its page for 12 months and label it "No longer in CSLB's current public file". We don't say why, because the file doesn't tell us.
• It includes no email addresses, complaint details or disciplinary documents. For those, check the license on CSLB's Instant License Check.

Refresh schedule

Every Monday we download the newest file and check it before using it. The checks cover the expected columns, a row count within 5% of the previous week, valid license numbers, and a file date less than 21 days old. Then we record every change to status, bonds, workers' comp and classifications, and rebuild the site. If a check fails, the old data stays up and we are alerted.

How the badge works

• Active, no issues in CSLB file: primary status Clear, no secondary status, not expired, and a contractor's bond on file.
• Check before hiring: the license expires within 60 days; a workers' comp suspension is pending; a suspension or classification change is pending; a disciplinary bond is on file; another secondary status is listed; or no contractor's bond is listed.
• Not currently in good standing: any suspension, an expiration date that has passed, a pending case or citation, or the license is no longer in the file.

The badge is a summary of the file, not a judgment about a contractor's work. Status can change at any time, so always verify on CSLB's Instant License Check before hiring.

Field definitions

Primary status

CSLB's status text for the license, shown exactly as CSLB writes it (for example "CLEAR" or "Work Comp Susp"), with a plain-English explainer.

Secondary status

Extra flags CSLB attaches, such as a pending suspension or a disciplinary bond. A license can have several.

Classifications

The license types held (A, B, B-2, C-codes, C-61 with a D-subcategory, plus ASB/HAZ certifications). CSLB writes them inconsistently ("C10", "C-10"); we normalize them. See license types.

Workers' comp

CSLB's coverage type, grouped as Insured (a policy, self-insured, a leasing firm or out-of-state coverage), Exempt (the contractor says it has no employees) or None (no current coverage on file).

Contractor's bond

The bond every active license must carry, with surety, number, amount and dates. "None listed" means the file shows no bond number.

Qualifier bond / disciplinary bond

Additional bonds required in some cases; a disciplinary bond follows certain CSLB disciplinary actions.

Years licensed

Time from the original issue date to the file date.

Status history

Changes we detected between weekly files, starting with our first file. CSLB does not publish history in its file; we build it.

Known gaps

• Cancelled, revoked and long-expired licenses are not in CSLB's file, so we can't show them.
• Complaints, citations and case documents are not in the file. Check CSLB's own license page for complaint disclosure.
• Locations are mailing addresses, not where a contractor works.
• Our copy can lag CSLB's live record by up to a week.
• Change history only covers weeks since we started tracking.

Cities and trades

Cities come from each license's mailing address, so a business is listed where it receives mail, which isn't always where it works. Trade lists group licenses by CSLB classification. All C-61 "D" subcategories are grouped under Limited Specialty. A city gets its own page once it has 200 or more licenses, and a city-and-trade list once it has 20 or more.

Privacy

Many licenses belong to sole owners, so the license is effectively a person. For sole owners we show only the city and ZIP code, never the street address, and their pages are not indexed by search engines. Any licensee can ask us to correct a record or hide contact details. See corrections and removals.

Corrections

If our copy of a record looks wrong, first check CSLB's live record, because the file may simply be out of date. If the error is ours, email [email protected]. We reply within 7 days.