Let’s be honest right out of the gate, becoming a licensed contractor and maintaining your license can’t really be described as an “easy” endeavor.
Meeting the qualifications to apply for a license in the first place takes time, patience, and a willingness to build up experience before submitting your application.
But sometimes when we’re in pursuit of a big weighty goal, it’s helpful to remain in touch with the bare minimum requirements. It’s good to think about where we can save our energy and avoid needless stress and overexertion.
If you want to know what the very bottom, basement floor-level expectations are for anyone on their way to becoming a licensed contractor, this article is for you. What follows is a comprehensive guide for how to become a licensed builder in California with minimal effort.
Review Your Qualifying Experience Requirements
About those pre-application qualifications, we mentioned earlier…
According to the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), here is the no-frills, substance-only version of what you need before you apply to become a licensed builder in California:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be eligible to work and get paid in the United States
- Have at least 4 years of journey-level experience (or equivalent) in your chosen trade
If you happen to already have a degree in a construction-related field, you can leverage that education to fulfill up to 3 years of the 4-year experience requirement.
You Need a Passing Score on the CSLB Exam
Your head is probably already full of details regarding the CSLB exam and exam prep courses because you want to pass with flying colors. Here’s the thing: all you have to do is pass.
It’s a multiple-choice exam covering various aspects of construction, regulations, and California contract law. There’s no perfect way to prepare, so let go of those sky-high expectations.
To pass the CSLB exam, you only need a score of 72% or higher. If you can get a 72% or higher, you’re cleared to continue right along your way to secure your contractor’s license.
If you do not achieve a passing score on the CSLB exam, however, you will have to retake it. But ideally, you’ll knock it out in one go so you don’t fall off our “minimum effort” program here.
Keep it Simple with Exam Scheduling and Retakes
Okay, we live in reality, right? Scheduling exam times and exam retakes comes with the territory for anyone who wants to become a licensed contractor.
Fortunately, you do have the flexibility to schedule your CSLB exam at your convenience, but unfortunately that freedom often invites procrastination and indecision.
The easiest and most efficient thing to do is get laser-focused about it and lock your exam times and/or exam retakes into your schedule as soon as you can.
As soon as your application is approved, you receive an Examination Eligibility Notice. This notice prompts you to schedule your exam and you have 18 months to do it. That’s a pretty big timeframe, right?
This window of time gives you enough time to prepare for the exam, take the exam, receive your results, and decide whether or not you’d like to retake your exam.
If you happen to fail the exam, you can retake it as many times as necessary within that 18-month timeframe.
But keep in mind that retaking the exam costs you extra time, energy, and money. Each retake requires you to pay the examination fee again. The easiest way through all this is to study, take the exam one time, and receive a passing score.
Choose the Easiest Contractor License to Obtain
Of course, the easiest career path is always the one that feels most intuitive and natural for you. The experience, skills, and personal preferences you bring to the table all tend to determine what the path of least resistance looks like for you.
All that said, there are some contractor license classifications that require less of an applicant than other classifications on the CSLB’s list might.
The C-61 Limited Speciality Contractor License, for example — this license covers specialized trades like landscaping, flooring, or insulation. It might be more manageable for people to secure this license if they already have the knowledge and skill level required for the application process.
Review Your Contractor’s Bond and Insurance Requirements
Before officially issuing a qualified applicant a license, the CSLB requires a Contractor’s Bond to be submitted to them and to be kept on file for accountability.
This requirement exists for the benefit of clients wronged by substandard construction work or other license law violations. This requirement is also in place for the benefit of construction employees who have not been paid wages that employers owe them.
As far as General Liability Insurance goes, it is not required by law for licensed builders to carry it in the state of California. But what we’re here to talk about is the easiest way to go about your whole journey as a licensed contractor.
Right now, you could say that neglecting to carry General Liability Insurance is an easier time. But since construction is a high-risk business, you’re statistically more likely to run into legal and financial problems later on if you’re not fully insured.
Without insurance, you risk losing out on job bids, you’re not eligible for certain special class licenses you might want to apply for and you risk falling into bankruptcy if an accident happens and you can’t pay for the damages out of pocket.
We can’t tell you what to do on this one, but we have strongly implied that a contractor’s life is easier with insurance coverage than it is without it.
Bottom Line
Becoming a licensed builder in California is a very achievable goal. We can’t promise you’ll get there without breaking a sweat, but there’s definitely no need to overwhelm yourself and white-knuckle the entire process.
The basics are simple:
- Demonstrate that you have the work eligibility requirements and the qualifying experience requirements before applying for your license.
- Pursue the contractor license that is the best fit and requires the lowest lift for you.
- Take your CSLB exam and receive a passing score of 72% or higher.
With proper planning and commitment, you can launch a rewarding career for yourself in the construction industry as a licensed builder in California and make it look easy while you do it.