California CSLB classification
The license that lets you run the whole job. Classes, paperwork, bonding and business setup handled by one team, in English or Spanish.
✓ Licensed in as little as 90 days. Payment plans available. Se habla español.
What the license covers
The B classification covers structures built for the support, shelter and enclosure of people, animals, chattels or movable property. To take a B contract you must be handling at least two unrelated trades other than framing or carpentry — otherwise the work belongs to the specialty contractor who does it.
Homeowners, property managers, developers, real estate investors, and commercial landlords.
B is the classification most contractors want because it lets you prime the job, hold the contract with the owner, and subcontract the trades. It is also the most common license in California, which means the competition is real — the contractors who win are the ones who can price and paper a job properly.
CSLB requirements
Four years of journeyman-level experience in general building work, verified by someone who can attest to it. Apprenticeship, technical training and certain degrees can substitute for up to three of those years.
You'll also need a valid Social Security number or ITIN to file the application.
The CSLB Law & Business exam, plus the B trade exam. Both are taken at a CSLB testing center.
Live Scan is required for every applicant and qualifier. Prior convictions don't automatically disqualify you, but they must be disclosed.
Filed with the CSLB before your license is issued. You pay an annual premium to a surety, not the full bond amount.
As of 2026 nearly all licensees must carry workers' comp coverage, including many contractors who previously qualified for the no-employee exemption.
Course options
Every course covers the Law & Business exam and your B trade exam, updated for 2026 code.
8-week online
$895
For contractors who already know the trade and want to test fast.
Most students pick this
4-month online
$1,195
The balance of time and coaching that gets the most people licensed.
7-month online
$1,495
For anyone working full time who needs room to study around the job.
Payment plans available on every course. Not sure which fits? Call and we'll tell you straight.
Related classifications
Most contractors end up holding more than one. These are the classifications that most often sit alongside a B.
See all 44 CSLB classifications →
Straight answers
Only in limited cases. A B contractor may not take a contract for a single trade unless they also hold that specialty classification, or the single-trade work is incidental and supplemental to a larger project they are performing. This trips up more licensed contractors than any other rule in the B scope.
Trades that are genuinely different scopes — for example plumbing and electrical, or roofing and drywall. Framing and carpentry do not count toward the two-trade requirement.
An ADU is a structure for habitation, so it falls under B. Whether you need B specifically depends on how many trades you are contracting for.
B covers full structures. B-2 is for remodeling existing structures using three or more unrelated trades, with no structural or framing changes. If you build new, you want B.
Most students are licensed in about three months. The timeline depends on how quickly you finish the course, when you schedule your exams, and current CSLB processing times.
Yes. We complete and file everything — the application, experience verification, bond and insurance documentation. Incomplete applications are the number one cause of delay, so we check every line before it's submitted.
Sí. Todo nuestro equipo es bilingüe. Las clases, la ayuda con la aplicación y todas las actualizaciones están disponibles en español.
Ready when you are
A B lets you pull permits, take jobs over $1,000, and bid the general building work you're already good enough to do. Thirty thousand contractors have done it with us.
