1. Check eligibility — the classification you need and four years of qualifying experience.
2. Apply — sole owners can now apply online (card payments carry a 2.3% fee); other business types use the paper application. Application fee: $450 for one classification.
3. Document experience — certified by someone with firsthand knowledge.
4. Fix any corrections CSLB sends back.
5. Acceptance — you receive fingerprint instructions and a notice to schedule exams.
6. Live Scan fingerprints — return within 90 days.
7. Exams — Law and Business plus your trade (except C-61); pass within 18 months.
8. Bond and fee letter — file the initial license fee, the $25,000 bond, any Bond of Qualifying Individual, workers' comp or exemption, the asbestos open-book exam, and LLC items.
9. License issued.
Deadlines that void an application
If you don't file the initial license fee and required bonds within 90 days of CSLB's notice, or don't pass the exams within 18 months, the application becomes void and you start over (Business and Professions Code 7074).
What we can have ready for you
The insurance pieces are the last step before your license issues, and they are the ones that most often cause delays: the contractor bond has to be filed with CSLB, and the workers' comp certificate has to show the correct legal name and license entity. We help you line them up before the fee letter arrives, and set up general liability and commercial auto so you can sign contracts on day one.
Common reasons applications are delayed
Experience descriptions that don't match the classification applied for
A certifier without firsthand knowledge of the work
Business name or entity on the bond or workers' comp certificate not matching the application
Missing Secretary of State registration for a corporation or LLC
Fingerprints not returned within 90 days
Business type changes the requirements
Sole owner: $200 initial license fee; can file a workers' comp exemption only if eligible.
Corporation: $350 initial fee; must be in good standing with the Secretary of State.
LLC: $350 initial fee, a $100,000 employee/worker bond and $1M–$5M liability insurance.
RME-qualified license: Bond of Qualifying Individual and no workers' comp exemption.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change — confirm current requirements with CSLB (cslb.ca.gov) before you act.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for a California contractor license online?
Yes for sole owners (since August 2026). Corporations, LLCs and partnerships still use the paper application.
How long do I have to pass the exams?
18 months from the date CSLB accepts your application.
When do I need the bond and workers' comp?
After you pass the exams, when CSLB sends the bond and fee letter — you have 90 days to file them.