We often hear from people looking for a ‘short cut’ in obtaining a contractor’s license. Sometimes our expertise finds a quicker route, but often just doing the right thing is the contractor’s best choice. In the current economy people are looking for alternatives to get back to work and contracting is sometimes a choice for that new vocation…
Q: We’re an out-of-state full service contractor. One of our clients has asked us to handle construction management for the site prep on a new project in Nevada. We will subcontract all work to local contractors who of course will be properly licensed in the area of the project. What licensing will the state require of us?
A: Even as a Construction Manager sub-contracting all the work to licensed contractors, you will be required to have a Contractor’s License in Nevada. Bidding on work and signing contracts for construction work requires a license. It sounds as if the A-7 (Excavating and Grading) classification is what you will need if you’re doing site work. There is no trade test for the “A-7” in Nevada, so only the Business/Management exam will be necessary.
Q: I hope you can help me. I was laid off from a telephone company last year and want to restart my cabinet shop. Prior to working for the phone company I spent approx. 10 years in construction as a finish carpenter handling residential and commercial cabinetry. Basically I have a ton of experience, but my verifiable experience is more than a decade old. Will that qualify me for a “C-6” license?
A: The CSLB will only consider work experience that occurred within the last ten years, so unfortunately it doesn’t appear that you will qualify at this time. Note if you have a 4-year college degree, the State may credit you 2 years in lieu of experience depending on your field of study.
Q: I’ve seen on the CSLB website where a homeowner can qualify for a Contractor’s License, but I’m not sure how that process works (the site is a bit confusing). Any words of wisdom will be truly appreciated.
A: The CSLB will give partial work experience credit to individuals who have done work on their own property as owner/builder. However, it is difficult to qualify for a Contractor’s License solely based on this basis. For example, it may have taken you a year and a half to build your home, but the CSLB may only grant you 6 months for that work. Even if you have worked on or built several properties, the Board is very tough in granting this type of experience credit. You’ll likely need to show other work or educational background.
Q: Q: We are going to need to replace the Responsible Managing Employee (RME) on our license once again. You helped us with the application process originally, but this will be our third time in the last year. Is the Contractors Board going to hold this against us?
A: This is not an issue. The Board will not hold it against a company if they replace their Qualifier several times in a year. There is however, a “rule of three” for individual Qualifiers. You can only personally qualify up to three licenses in any one year.