How to check a contractor's license, insurance and workers' comp

Quick answer

Look up any California contractor's license at cslb.ca.gov by license number, business name or personal name, or call 800-321-CSLB (2752). Licensed contractors must put their license number on contracts, bids and advertising. A multi-trade kitchen remodel usually calls for a B general building license; cabinet-only work can be done under a C-6 license.

Who to call: Coachella Valley Remodeling connects you with our licensed partner contractor, who visits and gives you a written price. Free to you. Get a free quote or call (760) 766-2218.

Updated November 6, 2026 · Typical published ranges, not a quote.

Among the handyman complaints we read, 10% involved someone who wasn't licensed or qualified for the work, including one person who claimed a license, insurance and employees, had none of them, and brought a stop-work order onto the homeowner's deck project. Another took most of a $38,000 remodel that included removing a load-bearing wall, without a license.

The fix costs nothing. California's Contractors State License Board (CSLB) publishes every licensee's record online. Here's how to read it, and what to check that the record doesn't show.

Step 1: Get the license number

California requires licensed contractors to put their license number on contracts, bids, calls for bid and all forms of advertising, including websites. If it isn't on the business card, the truck or the bid, ask. Someone who won't give you the number has answered your question.

Also get the exact business name and the name of the person you're dealing with. Licenses can be held by a sole owner, a partnership, a corporation or an LLC, and the name on your contract should match the name on the license.

Step 2: Look it up at cslb.ca.gov

Go to cslb.ca.gov and use the license check. You can search by license number, business name or personal name. No internet access? Call 800-321-CSLB (2752).

The license record shows several sections. Here's what each one means and what you want to see.

Step 3: Match the classification to the job

California licenses contractors by classification, and a contractor who advertises or contracts outside theirs can be disciplined. The ones you'll see most on home projects:

• B, general building. Multi-trade remodels: a kitchen with new cabinets, plumbing, electrical and drywall. A B contractor generally takes on projects involving at least two unrelated trades.
• C-6, cabinet, millwork and finish carpentry. Cabinets, refacing and finish carpentry.
• C-36, plumbing. Moving a sink, new supply lines, a water heater.
• C-10, electrical. New circuits, a panel upgrade for induction.
• C-54, tile. Showers, backsplashes, tile floors.
• C-33, painting and decorating. Including cabinet painting.
• C-20, HVAC. Duct work and condensers, a big deal in the desert.

A handyman without a license can legally take a job only if it's under $1,000 in combined labor and materials, needs no permit of any kind, and the handyman has no one working for them. That limit was raised from $500 to $1,000 on January 1, 2025, according to CSLB Industry Bulletin 24-07. Splitting a bigger job into small invoices doesn't get around it.

Step 4: Read the bond correctly

Every active contractor must carry a contractor's bond. Since January 1, 2023, it's been $25,000, up from $15,000. LLCs also carry a separate $100,000 bond for their workers.

Know what that bond is and isn't. $25,000 is the total available to everyone with a claim against that license, not $25,000 per customer. It's a backstop, not insurance for your project. If a contractor tells you their license bond means your $80,000 kitchen is protected, that isn't how it works.

Step 5: Read the complaint record carefully

Click through to the complaint disclosure and any legal actions. CSLB discloses complaints only in certain circumstances, so a clean page doesn't prove no one has ever complained. But anything that is listed matters:

• Citations for things like taking an illegal deposit or not finishing a job
• Accusations filed to suspend or revoke the license
• Unpaid civil judgments that were reported to the board
• Disciplinary bonds, which CSLB can require after a problem

Also check the license history. A brand-new license is fine on its own. A new license held by people whose previous company had its license revoked is not.

Step 6: Verify liability insurance yourself

California doesn't require most contractors to carry general liability insurance, but every home improvement contract has to disclose whether they do and name the insurer. LLC licensees are the exception: they must carry at least $1 million in liability coverage, plus $100,000 for each additional person on the license above five, up to $5 million, per the CSLB's LLC rules.

Liability insurance is what pays when an installer drops a slab on your floor, floods the unit below, or damages the electrical service. In the complaints we read, 12% of handyman problems involved damage to the home, and platform “guarantees” often capped what they'd pay.

To check it:

1. Ask for a certificate of insurance (often called an ACORD certificate).
2. Look at the policy dates and the limits.
3. Call the insurer or agent listed and confirm the policy is active. A certificate is a snapshot; a cancelled policy can still have a printed certificate floating around.
4. For a bigger job, ask to be listed as the certificate holder so you'd hear about a cancellation.

If you're in an HOA or a country club, the association may require this anyway before adding a contractor to the gate list.

Step 7: Confirm workers' compensation

This one protects you more than most people realize. If someone is hurt working on your home and their employer has no workers' comp, California courts have in some cases held the homeowner responsible, especially when the contractor was unlicensed.

On the CSLB record, you'll see either a workers' comp policy and insurer, or an exemption. An exemption means the contractor has certified they have no employees. That's legitimate for a true one-person business. It's a red flag when that same contractor shows up with a crew.

To double-check a policy, the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau runs a free coverage lookup that shows which insurer wrote a policy for an employer on a given date.

One change is coming. Under current law, every CSLB licensee will be required to carry workers' compensation starting January 1, 2028, whether or not they have employees, according to a CSLB stakeholder packet. The requirement was originally set for 2026 and was pushed back.

Step 8: Check the local business license

Cities in the valley license businesses too. Palm Desert requires a business license for every business working in the city and won't issue one to a contractor without a current state license. Palm Springs taxes businesses based outside the city that work inside it, and construction work over $500 requires proof of a state contractor license. Ask your contractor whether they hold a business license in your city; a contractor who works here regularly will.

Salespeople are licensed too

If the person in your living room is a salesperson rather than the contractor, California requires them to be registered as a home improvement salesperson with the CSLB, working for a licensed contractor. Ask for their registration and check it on the same site. In-home sales with same-day discounts were behind many of the high-pressure complaints we read.

A ten-minute checklist

• License number from the bid or contract
• Status active at cslb.ca.gov
• Classification matches the work
• Bond current
• Workers' comp policy listed, or an exemption that fits a one-person business
• Complaint disclosure and legal actions reviewed
• Certificate of liability insurance received and confirmed with the insurer
• City business license confirmed
• Name on the contract matches the name on the license

How we use these checks

We run every one of these checks before introducing our partner contractor, and we repeat them before each new introduction and at least monthly. A lapsed license or insurance policy means the contractor is dropped as a partner immediately. You can still, and should, look up the license yourself; it takes a minute, and it's your home.

We connect you, free, with our licensed, insured partner contractor, and we check its license and insurance before every introduction. You sign with, and pay, the contractor directly. See how it works and our standard.

Common questions

How do I look up a contractor's license in California?

Use the license check at cslb.ca.gov. You can search by license number, business name or personal name, or call 800-321-CSLB (2752). Licensed contractors must put their license number on contracts, bids and advertising, so ask for it if you don't see it.

What license does a kitchen remodel need?

A multi-trade kitchen remodel usually calls for a B general building license. Cabinet-only work can be done under a C-6 cabinet, millwork and finish carpentry license. Plumbing, electrical and tile have their own C classifications.

Does California require contractors to carry liability insurance?

Not for most sole owners and corporations, but the contract must disclose whether they carry commercial general liability insurance. LLC licensees must carry liability insurance of at least $1 million, more for larger companies. Many valley HOAs require proof of insurance before a contractor can work inside the gates.

What does a workers' comp exemption mean?

It means the contractor has told the CSLB they have no employees. If people working on your job are actually their employees, the exemption is a red flag. Under current law, all licensees will be required to carry workers' compensation starting January 1, 2028.

What if I can't find the contractor on the CSLB site?

Check the spelling and try the license number. If you still can't find them, treat them as unlicensed. Any job of $1,000 or more, any job that needs a permit, or any job where the worker has helpers requires a license.

How often do you check licenses?

Before every introduction and at least monthly for our partner contractor: license status, classification, bond, workers' compensation and the liability insurance certificate.

Last reviewed November 6, 2026. Prices and rules change; confirm details with your contractor and your city or county building department.