Contractor Licensing FAQs

The Capitol Connection is our weekly Q & A column for contractors that focuses on topics pertaining to contractor's licensing.

Extending Your License to Other States

Did you know that, like a U.S. Passport, the contractor’s license allows you to cross some borders? There may be new business to be found if you can ‘extend’ your license to other states. Another contractor is playing a ‘name’ game with his question, but the lesson in the final answer proves that reading and following…

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Business Names on Vehicles

Knowing when your license renewal is due depends on how completely you’ve ‘addressed’ a change in your life. As a contractor, can you ‘live large’ when you put your name on a company vehicle? As contractors from across the country look into working in California, they often discover my website. This contractor’s second question is one…

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Borrowing a License

Some people don’t ‘test’ well. Exceptions exist for contractors but ultimately your ‘experience’ will be tested if you want a license. Can you ‘borrow’ a license? Those questions and news about California removing ‘roadblocks’ that proved to be ‘stop’ signs for some contractors… Q: I just recently received my CA Contractors License. Now, our qualifier just…

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CSLB Recognition

Over a hundred people got special ‘bracelets’ from the CSLB in recognition of their ‘work’. Can a contractor preserve a partnership license while removing a partner? ‘Generally’ that has some ‘limited’ consequences. Another contractor discovers why what worked for him one year, may not the next when it comes to providing Worker’s Comp coverage… Q: I…

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Unlicensed Contractors Give Bad Name

They are not actual rats, but they don’t deserve any more respect than real vermin. Who? Unlicensed contractors who give legitimate licensed contractors a bad name and cause real damage to consumers who fall victim to their ‘low-down’ pitches. Now, another layer of ‘rat’ protection is actively seeking to trap these criminals. While most of what…

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Is it right to do wrong?

Is it right to do wrong, if it’s only once in a while? ‘Are you only guilty if you get caught?’ I saw that ‘philosophy’ on a T-shirt recently and that may explain the first question. If you ‘bet’ on working in Nevada, it’s a little more difficult than dropping a chip on the table… Q:…

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Dangers of Late Renewal

You will not hear any trumpets blaring, bells ringing or alarms sounding warning but I have a serious call to action for contractors. Don’t read this at your own peril, or to paraphrase John Donne, ‘don’t ask for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee’! Like blood in the water it doesn’t take ‘sharks’ long…

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A, B, C Licenses

You can’t always believe what someone ‘knows’ to be true when it comes to contractor’s licensing. A large part of those rules and regulations are complex, depend on exact wording and how they’ve been interpreted and applied by the Board over time. I share a quick way to research what is fact and what is ‘rumor’.…

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C-10 Certification

I’ve always said perception is 90% reality. Or, simply your viewpoint is always what drives your opinions, decisions and, as humans, your emotions. When I am asked for answers by contractors, lawyers and others about licensing law and how it’s interpreted that viewpoint, or that perception, is always important. After this first question it’s ‘back to…

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