Fingerprinting for CA Licensing update, New Rule on SS Number Alternative and Qualifier Change

We ‘point’ out some recent changes in fingerprinting for CA applications.

Also, a roadblock has been removed for some foreign business, while a ‘suspenseful’ development leaves another contractor down and out of business at present. Don’t let this happen to you because a little ‘knowledge’ is also a dangerous thing!..

Q:  I don’t have a US Social Security number.  Can I qualify for a California Contractor’s license without that?

A:  Beginning in January when Senate Bill 1159 became effective, the CSLB started allowing Individual Tax Identification Numbers as an acceptable form of identification.

Q:  Our Responsible Managing Employee (RME) left our company several months ago and we have an application in process to replace him, however it was just sent in recently.  Our former Qualifier has now associated with a new license, and therefore notified the CSLB that he left our company several months ago, which caused our license to go suspended.  We knew there was a possibility that this might happen, but our new RME told us that if we got down to the wire with regards to timing we were allowed to request a 90-day extension.  We did that and it was denied.  Do you know why they would have denied it and if there’s anything we can do?

A:  The CSLB will sometimes grant a 90-day extension to replace your Qualifier, but the key is you have to have an application in process and you must request the extension prior to your license being suspended.  Your new RME had the right idea you just didn’t get the request in soon enough.  Unfortunately there’s nothing you can do at this juncture but wait for your new application to be processed.

Q:  Our new corporation has applied for a new General Building license in California.  We already have a license and all of our Officers have been fingerprinted for the CSLB.  What’s curious is they are requesting fingerprints from our Vice President even though he’s provided them before.  He’s not listed on our current license but he was fingerprinted for a license he was associated with about 8 years ago.  I thought once you were fingerprinted for the CSLB you didn’t have to do it again.  Is that not the case?  He is traveling for the next few weeks and we don’t want this to hold up our application.

A:  The phrase “you learn something new every day” proved itself to be true for your question.  In the past, yes, it was the case that once you were fingerprinted for the CSLB you didn’t have to do it again.  When I contacted the Contractors Board, I learned that they are now purging fingerprint information for Officers/Applicants that have not been associated with a license for a number of years.  The CSLB confirmed with me that your VP in fact will need to be fingerprinted again because his fingerprint information has been purged.

Q:  I work for a construction company and want to obtain my own license.  I filed bankruptcy a few years ago.  Can I still get a license?

A: While the CLSB has the authority to grant or deny an application, a bankruptcy, in and of itself is not usually grounds to deny a license.