Why should I get a license?
You can legally take on jobs over $500, make legally enforceable contracts and protect yourself
against lawsuits. You can advertise as a licensed contractor in the newspapers and on social media.
You can bid on state and local government projects and on projects financed by banks, S&Ls, and
insurance companies. You can get building permits, insurance, bank loans and discounts from supply
houses. You can join builders exchanges and contractors associations, which offer job lists and
group insurance rates. You won’t risk penalties, prosecution, jail or nonpayment for contracting
without a license. You will have mechanics lien, stop notice, and bond rights to make sure you get
paid.

How much experience do I need?
The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) requires potential licensees to have at least 4
years of experience within the last 10 years, at the journeyman level or higher, in your chosen
trade. You may have many more years of experience, but you only need to satisfy the legal
requirement of 4 years of work experience within the past 10 years. Work experience older than 10
years from the time you apply will not be accepted by the CSLB. If you don’t have enough work
experience, college education may be used towards satisfying the 4 year requirement (even if you
attended more than 10 years ago) depending on the type of degree and its relation to the
construction industry. Similarly, technical training or apprenticeships may be applied toward the
4-year requirement, even if the program was more than 10 years ago. You can also receive credit for
proven apprenticeships. For instance, if you served a 2-year apprenticeship, the CSLB may credit you
with 1 year of full-time work.

How do I get work experience?
You could join an apprenticeship program, a vocational school, or work under the guidance of a
current licensed contractor. You may be self-employed or an owner/builder. You might contact the
local trade union for referrals. You can contact your local junior college to see if classes are
offered in your trade.

What if I don’t have 4 years of work experience at the journeyman level or higher?
The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) requires potential licensees to have at least 4
years of experience within the last 10 years, at the journeyman level or higher, in your chosen
trade. You may have many more years of experience, but you only need to satisfy the legal
requirement of 4 years of work experience within the past 10 years. Work experience older than 10
years from the time you apply will not be accepted by the CSLB. If you don’t have enough work
experience, college or vocational education may be used towards satisfying the 4 year requirement
(even if you attended more than 10 years ago), depending on the type of degree and its relation to
the construction industry. Similarly, technical training or apprenticeships may be applied toward
the 4-year requirement, even if the program was more than 10 years ago. You can also receive credit
for proven apprenticeships. For instance, if you served a 2-year apprenticeship, the CSLB may credit
you with 1 year of full-time work.

Will the CSLB prosecute me for claiming work experience without being licensed?
No, the CSLB will not prosecute you if you show unlicensed work experience on your “Certificate
of Work Experience.” The CSLB wants you to be licensed, so it will acknowledge all certified
work experience within the last ten years.

Which license(s) do I qualify for?
Choose from the list on the Licenses page. The CSLB
will only issue you one license classification at a time. If you want to add more classifications to
your license, obtain the first classification and then move on to supplemental classifications. You
must satisfy the 4-year experience requirement for each classification.

WHICH CLC COURSE IS BEST FOR ME? WHAT DO I GET WHEN I SIGN UP?
See your choices on the CLC Courses page.
Choose the course that best fits your learning style and budget. The Classroom course is the most popular, because it gives you study materials, access to live lectures, and staff support.
You will receive a manual on construction law and business management, and a manual on your trade.
You will also receive our detailed “Procedure For Obtaining Your Contractor’s License” guide, an Application Worksheet, and our “How To Take This Course” study guide.

WHAT’S AN APPLICATION WORKSHEET?
The worksheet is a form we designed to help you list and calculate your work experience, which
is needed to properly prepare your application for the Contractors State License Board. For each
block of experience that you claim, you will need someone else to certify your time. That person
must be someone you worked for or worked with (i.e., employer, co-worker, building inspector, and
sometimes even a supplier). The worksheet does not need to be signed. It is a rough draft for our
own in-house use. Just follow the instructions and return the worksheet to our office. Let CLC do
the rest!

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MY APPLICATION IS READY?
Once you and your certifier(s) sign your CLC-prepared application, submit it with your
application fee to the CSLB. The CSLB will mail you directly, acknowledging receipt of your
application. It assigns an application fee number and a PIN number so you can check the status of
your application by phone or Internet.
Once your Application has been accepted by the CSLB, a Notice of Eligibility will be mailed to you with instructions on how to schedule your exams with PSI Exams Inc. Visit
www.psiexams.com for complete exam scheduling procedures, exam site locations, reporting to the examination site, and what to expect on your test day. All questions about examination scheduling should be directed to PSI Exams Inc.
The CSLB also requires all applicants to have their fingerprints taken at a livescan facility before the exam.
You will receive fingerprinting instructions from the CSLB along with a “Request for Live Scan Service” form.
We recommend TruScan Fingerprint Services in Santa Rosa, or Ameriprints, which has locations in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, and San Rafael.

WHAT IS THE FINAL STEP TO THE PROCESS?
Your exam date has finally arrived. The exams are taken on a computer, and scored immediately, so you will know your score within minutes of finishing the tests. After you pass your two exams, you will need to get a license bond from an insurance company, and worker’s compensation insurance. You’ll also need to take a CSLB open-book test on asbestos abatement, and send all of the required documentation and your license fee payment to the CSLB. Assuming that you have passed your background check, the CSLB will assign you a license number, and you’re good to go!

In the unlikely event that you don’t pass either the Law and Business examination and/or your trade examination, you must pay a $100 fee each time you reschedule to retake the test. Please see the CSLB’s Examinations Frequently Asked Questions page for information regarding rescheduling your exams.

WHAT IF I CAN’T MAKE MY EXAM DATE?
You may cancel and reschedule an examination appointment without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received two days prior to the scheduled examination date. For example, for a 9:00 a.m. Monday appointment, the cancellation notice would need to be received before 9:00 a.m. on the previous Saturday. To cancel or reschedule, call PSI at (877) 392-6422, option 2.
Note: A voicemail or email message to CSLB or PSI is not an acceptable form of cancellation. You must use the PSI website or call PSI and speak directly to a Customer Service Representative to cancel or reschedule your examination and not forfeit the fee.

WHAT IS CLC’S PASS RATE?
Over 98% of our students pass their exams on the first try.

ARE THERE ANY HIDDEN FEES?
No. All fees are listed on our Courses page.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN OTHER SCHOOLS OFFER A “MONEY BACK GUARANTEE”?
Ask to see the fine print. What other schools often mean is that if you fail the exam, and if
you reschedule to take the exam again ($100.00 fee to the CSLB each time you reschedule), and if
after a certain amount of time you still have not passed, then maybe they will refund your money.
What CLC offers is legitimate. We guarantee that we will stick by you until you pass. No ifs. No
time limits. No extra charges.

ARE CLC COURSE OFFERED IN ANY LANGUAGE BESIDES ENGLISH?
Our live Monday night lectures are only offered in English, but students are welcome to bring a friend or family member with them to translate. CLC’s Law and Business manual is available in Spanish.
The C-15 Flooring, C-27 Landscaping, C-33 Painting, and C-61 Supplement manuals are also available in Spanish.