California Contractors License Bond— $25,000 Required Under BPC 7071.6

A California contractor license bond ($25,000 requirement under BPC 7071.6) costs between $250 and $1,500 per year depending on credit score and financial history. Contractors with excellent credit (750+) typically pay $250-$375 annually (1-1.5% of the bond amount). Good credit (680-749) runs $375-$750 (1.5-3%). Fair credit (620-679) ranges $750-$1,250 (3-5%). Contractors with credit challenges may pay up to $1,500 (6%). LLC contractors face an additional $100,000 bond under BPC 7071.6.5, which adds to annual costs. For a broader look at how surety bond pricing works, see our surety bond cost guide at /surety-bond-cost/. You can also estimate your specific premium with our contractor bond calculator at /tools/calculator/contractor-license-bond/.

Getting a California contractor license bond involves five steps: (1) Determine your CSLB classification (Class A engineering, Class B building, or one of the Class C specialty classifications). (2) Apply for your CSLB license ($450 application fee, which covers the exam for one classification) and pass the required law and trade exams. (3) Purchase a $25,000 contractor license bond from a Treasury-listed surety -- fast quotes on qualifying applications; best-credit premiums are typically about $250/year. (4) If operating as an LLC, also obtain the $100,000 employee/worker bond required under BPC 7071.6.5. (5) File your bond with CSLB and pay the initial license fee ($200 for a sole owner, $350 for other entities). Processing times vary -- check CSLB's current application processing times at cslb.ca.gov. The bond must remain active continuously -- letting it lapse triggers automatic license suspension. For a step-by-step walkthrough of the bonding process, see our guide on how to get a surety bond at /how-to-get-a-surety-bond/.

No. The $25,000 contractor license bond under BPC 7071.6 is a consumer-protection bond that backstops homeowners and the Board -- it does nothing to assure a project owner that a job will be completed or that subcontractors and suppliers will be paid. The moment a Class B GC or a C-10, C-36, or C-20 sub bids a school, a UC or community college campus, a Caltrans contract, or a private commercial build, the owner requires contract surety instead: a performance bond (typically 100% of the contract) and a payment bond written for the full contract value. On California public works contracts over $25,000, a payment bond is mandatory under Civil Code Section 9550. We place the CSLB license bond and the project-by-project performance and payment bonds for the same contractor -- see our California performance bonds page at /performance-bonds/california/ and the performance and payment bond overview at /performance-and-payment-bonds/.

Senate Bill 607 increased the contractor license bond from $15,000 to $25,000 effective January 1, 2023. The new amount applied to all licensees on that date -- contractors with a bond on file had to raise it to $25,000 (CSLB notes that some sureties adjusted bonds automatically through a blanket endorsement). The bond of qualifying individual and the disciplinary bond minimum also increased to $25,000 under BPC Sections 7071.9 and 7071.8.

Under Business and Professions Code Section 7071.6.5, contractors operating as a limited liability company (LLC) must file a $100,000 employee/worker bond in addition to the standard $25,000 contractor license bond -- totaling $125,000 in required bonding. This bond protects employees from unpaid wages, interest on wages, and fringe benefits, and covers welfare, pension, and apprentice program contributions owed for workers under a collective bargaining agreement. The requirement applies before an LLC license can be issued, renewed, reinstated, or reactivated.

As of January 1, 2025 (AB 2622), the minor-work exemption in BPC 7048 covers jobs under $1,000 in combined labor and materials (previously under $500). The exemption applies only if the work does not require a building permit and the person doing it does not employ anyone; otherwise a CSLB license is required regardless of job size.

If a contractor license has been suspended or revoked as a result of disciplinary action, the CSLB may require a disciplinary bond under Business and Professions Code Section 7071.8 as a condition of reinstatement. The Registrar fixes the amount based on the seriousness of the violation(s), at not less than $25,000 and not more than $250,000 (ten times the standard bond). This disciplinary bond is filed in addition to the regular contractor license bond and must remain on file for at least two years, plus any additional time the Registrar sets.

Yes -- and many California contractors are caught off guard by the cost jump. A sole proprietor or corporation carries only the $25,000 license bond under BPC 7071.6. The moment you convert to or license as an LLC, CSLB also requires the separate $100,000 employee/worker bond under BPC 7071.6.5 before it will issue, reissue, reinstate, reactivate, or renew the LLC license -- $125,000 in total bonding. The $100,000 bond is underwritten separately and is not required while the LLC license is inactive. If you are weighing the LLC structure, price both bonds together before you file the entity change. Our contractor bond calculator at /tools/calculator/contractor-license-bond/ and the dedicated CSLB bond calculator at /tools/calculator/cslb-bond/ both let you stack the two amounts.

Contractors who apply for or hold a CSLB license. Under Business and Professions Code Section 7071.6 the Board requires a $25,000 contractor bond as a condition of issuing, reinstating, reactivating, renewing, or maintaining a license. Contractors licensed as an LLC also need the $100,000 employee/worker bond under BPC 7071.6.5, and a license that was suspended or revoked after disciplinary action may require a disciplinary bond under BPC 7071.8.

We submit complete applications to the carrier promptly. Timing after that depends on the carrier and on your credit. The carrier decides approval and the final premium, and you pay only when the bond is issued. Once it is issued, file the bond with CSLB; the bond must stay active continuously or the license is suspended.

In California, you need a CSLB contractor's license if the project requires a building permit, uses any employee labor, or the total cost of one or more contracts is $1,000 or more. A license is not required only if you meet all of these at once: you don't advertise as licensed, no building permit is needed, no employee labor is used, and the combined cost stays under $1,000. You cannot split a larger project into smaller amounts to fit under $1,000. CSLB also lists wage-paid employees and owner-builders working on their own property as exempt, under the conditions it states. A first offense for contracting without a license is usually a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail and/or a $500 fine, plus a potential administrative fine of $200 to $15,000. If anything's unclear, call. Eric answers the phone and will walk you through it.

Source: CSLB: Before applying for a license

Yes, once the job needs a building permit, uses workers, or reaches $1,000 in labor and materials. Roofing is the C-39 classification. C-39 roofing contractors may not submit a workers' compensation exemption, even with no employees, so you will need proof of workers' compensation coverage. You also need a $25,000 contractor bond in place before the license is issued; CSLB does not issue bonds, so you buy it from an insurance agent or a bond company licensed by the California Department of Insurance.

Sources: CSLB: Before applying for a license · CSLB: Class C-39 Roofing · CSLB: Issuing my license

It depends on your role. An HVAC business or individual contracting warm-air heating, ventilating and air-conditioning work (the C-20 classification) must be licensed by the CSLB if the project requires a building permit, uses workers, or the total cost of one or more contracts is $1,000 or more. A wage-paid employee who does not usually work in an independently established business and does not direct or control the work or determine the final results is exempt and does not need a license of their own. If you run the business and the job meets the permit, worker or $1,000 test, you need the C-20 license. C-20 contractors with no employees may not submit a workers' compensation exemption.

Sources: CSLB: Before applying for a license · CSLB: Class C-20 Warm-Air Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning · CSLB: Issuing my license

Only within narrow limits. In California you can work without a CSLB license if your contracts total under $1,000 in labor, materials and all other costs, no building permit is required, no employee labor is used, and you don't advertise as a licensed contractor. "Handyman" is not its own exemption; the $1,000 test is what matters. You cannot break a larger project into smaller amounts under $1,000 to fit the exemption. Contracting without a license is usually a misdemeanor for a first offense, carrying up to six months in jail and/or a $500 fine, plus a potential administrative fine of $200 to $15,000. If you're ready to get licensed, you'll need a $25,000 bond in place first, and Eric can shop that for you. Call and he'll walk you through it.

Source: CSLB: Before applying for a license

CSLB requires you to be 18 or older with at least four full years of journey-level experience in the trade within the last ten years. There are no financial or education requirements. You file the Application for Original Contractor's License with a $450 processing fee and Form 13A-11 to confirm experience, then complete Live Scan fingerprinting. You take the Law and Business exam plus a trade exam (except C-61), 3.5 hours each, with a 21 calendar day wait to retake and 18 months to pass. Before you are licensed you need a $25,000 bond in place; carriers issue the bond, not CSLB, and we shop multiple U.S. Treasury-listed surety carriers for the best price we can find.

Sources: CSLB: Before applying for a license · CSLB: Exam and application steps