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Free guide · California · 5-minute check
How to check if a contractor is licensed and insured in California
Every California contractor license is public. In about five minutes you can confirm the license is active, covers the work, has a bond, and shows workers' comp or an exemption. Insurance takes one more step: a certificate from the contractor's insurance agent.
Updated Oct 30, 2026 · General information with sources, not legal, insurance or engineering advice.
Look up the license on the CSLB site
- Open the Contractors State License Board Instant License Check. You can search by license number, business name or a person's name.
- Match the business name and address to the bid or contract. A license number on a truck or a card proves nothing until the name matches.
- Check the status. It should read active. Expired, suspended or revoked means the contractor can't legally take the job.
- Check the classification fits the work, for example B (general building), C-10 (electrical), C-36 (plumbing), C-39 (roofing) or C-20 (heating and air conditioning).
- Check the contractor's bond is listed and current. California licensees must carry a $25,000 contractor's bond.
- Check workers' compensation: either a policy with its insurer and expiration date, or an exemption stating the contractor has no employees.
- Read any disciplinary actions or complaints CSLB discloses on the record.
When a license is required
Since Jan 1, 2025, a license is required for any job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials combined. Below $1,000, a license is still required if the work needs a building permit or if the person hires anyone to help (B&P Code 7048; CSLB bulletin on AB 2622). Splitting a job into smaller contracts to stay under the limit doesn't count.
After a declared disaster, contracting without a license on repairs in the emergency area carries tougher penalties (B&P Code 7028.16).
Workers' comp: policy or exemption
A contractor with employees must carry workers' compensation insurance. A contractor with no employees can file an exemption, except concrete (C-8), HVAC (C-20), asbestos abatement (C-22), roofing (C-39) and tree service (D-49) contractors, who must carry it even without employees. The rule requiring every licensee to carry workers' comp was delayed from 2026 to Jan 1, 2028 (SB 1455).
If a contractor shows an exemption but arrives with a crew, ask about it before work starts.
Is the contractor insured? Liability insurance
Most California contractors aren't required to carry general liability insurance, but they must tell you in writing. Every home improvement bid and contract must include a disclosure saying whether the contractor carries commercial general liability insurance, and if so the insurer's name and phone number (California Code of Regulations, title 16, section 872). Contractors licensed as an LLC must carry liability insurance as a condition of the license.
To confirm coverage, ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you by the contractor's insurance agent, then check the dates and names. Our guide on how to verify a certificate of insurance walks through it.
Before you sign
- Get at least three written bids for the same written scope.
- Re-check the license the day you sign. Status can change.
- Keep a copy of the license record and the certificate of insurance with the contract.
- For a remodel, compare each bid with a budget estimate so you know which lines to ask about.
Quick answers
How do I check if a contractor is licensed in California?
Use the free Instant License Check on the CSLB website (cslb.ca.gov). Search by license number, business name or a person's name, then confirm the status is active, the classification fits the job, and the bond and workers' comp or exemption are listed.
Can an unlicensed person do work under $1,000?
Only casual, minor work under $1,000 in labor and materials that needs no building permit and where the person hires no one to help (B&P Code 7048, as amended by AB 2622 from Jan 1, 2025). Otherwise a license is required.
Does a contractor need insurance in California?
Workers' comp is required for contractors with employees, and for C-8, C-20, C-22, C-39 and D-49 licensees even without employees. General liability isn't required for most licensees, but the contractor must disclose in writing whether they carry it. LLC licensees must carry liability insurance.
What does "exempt" mean for workers' comp?
The contractor has certified to CSLB that they have no employees. If people are working for them on your job, ask about it before work starts.
For HOAs and property managers
Do this every month without the spreadsheet
VendorGuard CA re-checks every vendor's CSLB status, bond and workers' comp each night against CSLB's public data and flags changes.