California General Contractor License Cost & Requirements (2026)
California's Class B is the license behind most ground-up building and multi-trade remodeling in the state. The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) issues it to a sole operator or a business entity, but the license always stands on one person: the qualifier, whose four years of journey-level experience CSLB verifies and who sits both state exams. The license cannot operate without a qualifier of record, which is why CSLB watches who qualifies and what happens when that person leaves.
For a sole owner the state fees on this page come to $752.86, but the fees are rarely what slows an application down. Most first-time applicants lose their time on the experience paperwork: four years of journey-level work inside the last ten years that has to be documented in the application and certified by someone who knows the work firsthand. Budget your effort for that file, not for the check.
California General Contractor Fee Estimator
Regulatory fee breakdown for Class B - General Building Contractor License
California requires a $25,000 surety bond. Its annual premium is set by the surety provider; the board publishes no rate, so it is not included in the total.
Itemized Fee Schedule
Need your $25,000 Surety Bond?
Boards do not sell bonds. Before you buy one, read how a surety bond works, what the premium is based on, and how a bond differs from liability insurance.
Read: Bonds vs Liability InsuranceContractors State License Board (CSLB)
All applications and exams must be registered directly with this board.
Fee figures on this page were checked against California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) on October 29, 2026. View the official source
Regulatory & Licensing Requirements Summary
| Official License Classification | Class B - General Building Contractor License |
| Minimum Experience | 4 Years (Journeyman / Field Supervisor) |
| Mandatory State Surety Bond | $25,000 Bond Required |
| General Liability Insurance | LLCs only: $1,000,000 minimum (Bus. & Prof. Code §7071.19). California sets no GL minimum for other license types. |
| Estimated Application Processing Time | Not published by the board |
| Renewal Cycle & CE Requirement | Every 2 year(s), with no continuing education requirement |
Warning: Unlicensed Contracting Penalties in California
Misdemeanor: a first conviction can bring up to 6 months in county jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000 (Bus. & Prof. Code §7028), plus a possible CSLB administrative fine of $200 to $15,000 (§7028.7). Consumers harmed by unlicensed work can also sue for treble damages under Code Civ. Proc. §1029.8, with the added award capped at $10,000.
Note: In many states, unlicensed contractors also lose the ability to file mechanic's liens or sue for non-payment in civil courts.
Special Statutory Notes for California
Administered by CSLB. You must pass two exams - Law & Business and the B trade exam - at $51.43 each, paid directly to PSI ($102.86 total). Initial license fee is $200 for a sole owner and $350 for a non-sole owner. Timely renewal (every 2 years) is $450 sole / $700 non-sole, delinquent $675 / $1,050.
Requires the $25,000 Contractor's Bond, plus a $25,000 Bond of Qualifying Individual if the qualifier is a responsible managing employee or an officer owning less than 10% of the company. Fingerprinting costs $32 (DOJ) + $17 (FBI) plus a variable Live Scan rolling fee. LLC licensees must also post a separate $100,000 employee/worker bond and carry at least $1 million in liability insurance.
Asbestos certification is a separate CSLB certification ($125 application), not part of this license.. Every new applicant must also complete CSLB's open-book asbestos examination before licensure (Business and Professions Code section 7058.5).
California licenses contractors through the CSLB. A license is required for any project where the combined cost of labor, materials and all other costs is $1,000 or more, and also whenever a building permit is required or employee labor is used, whatever the project costs.
What a Class B license actually lets you take on
Business and Professions Code section 7057 defines the B contractor by project rather than by trade: your principal contracting business is work on a structure that requires at least two unrelated building trades or crafts. A kitchen remodel that pulls in plumbing and tile qualifies. A room addition with drywall and HVAC qualifies. You can perform the work with your own crews, superintend properly licensed subcontractors, or mix the two.
Framing and carpentry are the exception. A B contractor may take a framing or carpentry project entirely on its own, as prime contractor or as subcontractor. But framing never counts toward the two-trade test: framing plus electrical is still a one-trade project in CSLB's eyes.
Taking that job as prime contractor without the C-10 classification, or without a licensed C-10 subcontractor performing the electrical work, is the classic section 7057 violation. For a single non-framing trade you need the matching specialty classification on your own license or a licensed specialty contractor on the job.
The qualifier, the experience file, and the two exams
The qualifier needs four years of journey-level experience gained within the last ten years, and CSLB does not take the applicant's word for it. The application asks you to set out that experience period by period and have it certified by someone with firsthand knowledge of the work. Applications get delayed when this section is vague: a line like 'general construction, 2019 to 2023' tells CSLB nothing it can verify. Months, project types, and the specific tasks the qualifier personally performed are what move an application forward.
Once CSLB accepts the application, the qualifier sits two exams with PSI, the board's testing vendor: Law and Business, and the Class B trade exam. Each sitting costs $51.43, charged per attempt and paid to PSI rather than CSLB, and CSLB allows 3.5 hours per exam. Failing one exam means retaking only that one, at another $51.43.
Before the license can issue, the qualifier also completes CSLB's open-book asbestos examination (Business and Professions Code section 7058.5). That is an awareness test attached to every new license, not asbestos certification: the separate asbestos certification, for contractors who actually bid asbestos work, carries its own $125 application.
Mistakes that delay a California GC application
- Counting experience from more than ten years ago. CSLB credits only journey-level work performed inside the last ten years, so older work does not get you to four years.
- Writing the experience section in general terms instead of the journey-level tasks performed, the periods worked, and who can certify them.
- Budgeting only the $450 application fee. The PSI exam fees, Live Scan fingerprinting ($32 DOJ + $17 FBI, plus a rolling fee that varies by location), and the bond premium all land before the license issues.
- Licensing as an LLC without pricing the extras: an LLC also files a $100,000 employee/worker bond and carries at least $1 million in liability insurance.
- Forgetting the second bond. If the qualifier is a responsible managing employee, or an officer owning less than 10 percent of the company, CSLB requires a $25,000 Bond of Qualifying Individual on top of the $25,000 contractor bond.
California GC Licensing FAQ
Can a Class B contractor take a job that is only electrical or only plumbing?
Not on the strength of the B license alone. Under section 7057, a prime contract for work outside framing and carpentry needs at least two unrelated trades in the project, the matching specialty classification on your license, or a properly licensed specialty contractor performing that trade. Framing and carpentry are the only trades a B contractor can take on entirely solo.
Who can act as the qualifier for a Class B license?
The qualifier is the individual whose experience CSLB examines and who passes both exams. A sole owner usually qualifies their own license. A company qualifies through a responsible managing officer (RMO) or a responsible managing employee (RME). Where the qualifier is an RME, or an RMO owning less than 10 percent of the company, CSLB also requires a $25,000 Bond of Qualifying Individual.
How much more does it cost to license an LLC instead of a sole proprietorship?
The CSLB fees rise a little: the initial license fee is $350 instead of $200, and timely renewal is $700 instead of $450. The real jump is the extra security an LLC carries: a separate $100,000 employee/worker bond, plus liability insurance of at least $1 million. That insurance limit rises by $100,000 for each additional person listed on the license, capped at $5 million. Sole owners, partnerships and corporations do not file the $100,000 bond.
What does a late Class B renewal cost?
A timely renewal is $450 for a sole owner and $700 for a non-sole owner. Miss the deadline and the delinquent rates are $675 and $1,050 for the same two-year term. If you would rather park the license than let it expire, CSLB also publishes inactive rates: $300 or $500 timely, $450 or $750 delinquent.
How much does a General Contractor license cost in California?
The filing and licensing fees on the California General Contractor schedule total approximately $752.86. This consists of a $450 application fee, a $102.86 examination fee, and a $200 initial license fee. A $25,000 surety bond is also required; its annual premium is set by the surety provider and no official rate is published.
How long does it take to get a General Contractor license in California?
Contractors State License Board (CSLB) does not publish a fixed end-to-end processing time for this license. CSLB publishes the application receipt dates it is currently processing rather than a fixed timeframe, so check CSLB's processing page for the live position.
What are the penalties for working as an unlicensed GC in California?
Misdemeanor: a first conviction can bring up to 6 months in county jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000 (Bus. & Prof. Code §7028), plus a possible CSLB administrative fine of $200 to $15,000 (§7028.7). Consumers harmed by unlicensed work can also sue for treble damages under Code Civ. Proc. §1029.8, with the added award capped at $10,000.
How often do you need to renew a GC license in California?
Licenses must be renewed every 2 year(s) with a renewal fee of $450. No continuing education is required for renewal.