The Capitol Connection is our weekly Q & A column for contractors that focuses on topics pertaining to contractor's licensing.
Readers know that space limitations sometimes reduce how much specific information can be provided for any inquiry. I welcome any questions or need for additional input at any time on the ‘Q&A’ you read here. Hearing from readers is one of the best parts of writing this column. I answer a reader’s request and add to…
There are no words that can encompass the human tragedy of the Southern California fires. Thousands of homes destroyed, lives lost and people impacted for the rest of their lives by the awesome power of fire and nature. We must all think of how we can help give our neighbors and fellow citizens of California our…
If a company cleans up after a flood is it ‘construction’ requiring a license? An excellent question to get the answers started. Do you know what limits exist for general contractors who want to use their license for specialty work? Another contractor is ‘fed’ up with confusion over a public works bid… Q: What is the…
Sometimes when it seems there are no options, it is often limited knowledge that causes this dire view. Someone with more experience might have an answer. Experience over time creates ‘experts’. An expert has a greater grasp of the ‘big’ picture than most individuals can ever acquire from outside the process. Two examples of why longevity…
Experience is often the key to unlocking new opportunity. That’s always the case when contractors seek to add a new classification, secure an exam waiver or apply for a new license. A caution for contractors in our final plea, that comes from a workman who is learning the hard way about unlicensed contracting… Q: I’m a…
The Boy Scout’s motto is ‘Be Prepared’ and a contractor has taken that theme to heart in our question and answer session. If your license depends on a qualifier, what’s your ‘fall back’ plan if they leave? Should you be ‘alarmed’ if the person installing your security system is not a licensed contractor? Construction is a…
The law is ‘alive’. By that, I mean the rules and regulations contractors must follow change and evolve as time goes by. As our contractors learn today, some of those laws change often, some not so much. However, as any fisherman knows from experience, ‘living’ things can be slippery and hard to hold onto… Q: One…
I wouldn’t try to make a violin from scratch. That skill takes time, practice and hard work to learn, particularly those little ‘tricks of the trade’. It’s what we think of as ‘working’ knowledge. Working with contractors and the Board for more than 25 years has given me that same type of ‘skill’ when it comes…
The contractor that will build the first time machine hasn’t come along yet as far as I know. However did you know some contractors can ‘go back in time’ and retrieve their ‘original’ license number — even though that license expired years ago? What’s the ‘411’ on a BQI? How many corporate contractors know if they…