Canyon Country Kitchen Remodel Call (661) 593-5907
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Canyon Country / Santa Clarita / California

How to check a contractor's license

The state runs a free lookup. It takes about a minute, and you should use it.

The contractor we introduce is licensed by the state, and you should never take that on our word, or anybody's. California runs a free public lookup that takes about a minute. Here is how to use it, which license class can actually sign for your kitchen, and how to tell a clean record from a bad one.

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  • CSLB licensed contractor
  • Free home visit
  • Quoted in writing

The tool is the CSLB license lookup. It takes a license number, a business name, or a person's name, and you only need one of them. A couple of quirks trip people up, so they are worth knowing before you start.

Search by license number
The cleanest way, if you have it. A California contractor license number is digits only, never letters, and never more than eight digits. Type it starting from the left.
Search by business name
If a business name search comes back empty and the name contains a person, put the surname first. "John Smith Construction" is searched as "Smith John Con".
Search by person's name
You can also look up the individual who holds or qualifies the license, which is useful when the business trades under a different name than the one on the paperwork.
A note on timing
The database goes down for maintenance every Sunday from 8pm to Monday at 6am. If it will not load on a Sunday night, that is why, not the contractor.

Source CSLB license lookup

Does the class match the job

A license is a permission, not a title, and the class decides what a contractor is allowed to sign for. This is where a lookup earns its minute. A current license in the wrong class is still the wrong contractor for your kitchen.

Which license class can sign for which kitchen job A job with one trade, such as new cabinets only, is signed by a specialty contractor whose class covers that trade, for example C-6 for cabinets or C-54 for stone counters. A B general building contractor can sign a job with two or more unrelated trades, and a single trade job only if it holds that class or subcontracts it. A B-2 residential remodeling contractor can sign only a job with three or more unrelated trades, such as a full kitchen in an existing wood frame home. Unrelated trades in the job 1 2 3 or more For example, new cabinets only For example, new counters and new plumbing for the sink For example, a full kitchen with cabinets, counters, plumbing, wiring Specialty class B B-2 C-6, C-54, C-36, C-10 and others General Building Residential Remodeling Signs for its own trade Its own part only Its own part only Only if it holds that class or subcontracts the trade Signs for the whole job Not allowed Not allowed Signs for the whole job B-2 is for remodeling an existing wood frame home. On any bigger job, plumbing, electrical and tile can go to subcontractors who hold those classes.
Which license class can sign for which kitchen job A job with one trade, such as new cabinets only, is signed by a specialty contractor whose class covers that trade, for example C-6 for cabinets or C-54 for stone counters. A B general building contractor can sign a job with two or more unrelated trades, and a single trade job only if it holds that class or subcontracts it. A B-2 residential remodeling contractor can sign only a job with three or more unrelated trades, such as a full kitchen in an existing wood frame home. 1 unrelated trade For example, new cabinets only Specialty Signs for its own trade B Needs that class, or subcontracts it B-2 Not allowed 2 unrelated trades For example, new counters and sink plumbing Specialty Its own part only B Signs for the whole job B-2 Not allowed 3 or more unrelated trades For example, a full kitchen Specialty Its own part only B Signs for the whole job B-2 Signs for the whole job B is General Building. B-2 is Residential Remodeling, for an existing wood frame home. Specialty classes include C-6 cabinets, C-54 stone and tile, C-36 plumbing, C-10 electrical.
Who can sign for a kitchen job, by how many unrelated trades it takes. From the CSLB class definitions.
A full kitchen
New boxes, counters, floor, lights and appliances is three or more unrelated trades, so a B general building or a B-2 residential remodeling contractor can sign for the whole thing. The B-2 class was built for exactly this.
A counters only job
Often a single trade. A B-2 may not take a contract that narrow, because the class carries a floor of three or more unrelated trades. The right holder is usually a specialty class, or a general contractor who subcontracts it.
A cabinet led job
The C-6 class covers cabinets, millwork and finish carpentry, so it is the natural fit when the work is mostly boxes, doors and trim.
The trades inside the room
C-36 plumbing, C-10 electrical, C-20 heating and air, C-54 tile, C-15 flooring, C-9 drywall, C-33 painting. On a full kitchen several of these appear at different weeks, whether as the contractor's own classes or as their subcontractors.

Source CSLB license classifications

What a good result shows, and what a bad one does

A clean result is boring, and that is the point. The license is current and active, the classification fits the job you are hiring for, and a contractor bond and workers compensation are on file. Read those four things and most of the risk is answered.

A result worth pausing on looks different. The status is expired or suspended. The classification does not cover your work, so the person quoting your full kitchen holds only a single specialty. There is no workers compensation on file for a contractor who plainly runs a crew. Or there is a wall of complaints and disciplinary actions. None of that is a verdict on its own, but each one is a question you want answered before you sign, not after. When you have the record open, hold it next to what your contract should contain. The contractor we introduce for a kitchen remodel in Canyon Country comes with a license number you can run this way.

Questions people ask first

  • How do I check a contractor's license in California?

    Use the CSLB online lookup. Search by license number, by business name, or by the person's name, whichever you have. It is free, public, and takes about a minute.

  • Does a contractor license number have letters in it?

    No. A California contractor license number is digits only and never more than eight of them. If someone gives you a number with letters, that is not a license number.

  • What license does a kitchen remodel need?

    A full kitchen is three or more unrelated trades, so a B or a B-2 contractor can hold the whole contract. A counters only job is often a single trade, which a B-2 is not allowed to take, so check the class against the scope.

  • The lookup will not load, is something wrong?

    Probably not. The state database is offline for maintenance every Sunday from 8pm until Monday at 6am. Outside that window, double check the number and try the surname first trick for business names.

More for your Canyon Country kitchen

Tell us what the kitchen needs

Tell us about the kitchen and we connect you with a licensed contractor who comes to your home and quotes it.

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