Se habla español. Bilingual classes and paperwork help.

Only school in California that teaches this

The Contracts Course

California home improvement contract training

Passing the exam gets you licensed. Knowing how to write the contract is what keeps you paid and out of court. Six modules, ten video lessons and every template as a download — with a full year of access, in English and Spanish.

Pricing

What it costs

Best value

Contracts course

$1,095 $995

Everything you need to write, read and fill out a California home improvement contract correctly.

  • 1 full year of access — there is too much here to get through in a weekend
  • Home Improvement Contract — laws, step-by-step walkthrough, notes, exam, template
  • Service and Repair Contract — laws, step-by-step walkthrough, notes, exam, template
  • Waiver of Right to Cancel — laws, step-by-step walkthrough, notes, exam, template
  • Subcontractor Agreement — what it is, notes, downloadable agreement
  • Preliminary Notice — video lesson and notes
  • Hiring subcontractors and vendors — qualification package, W-9 walkthrough and forms
  • Every contract template included as a download
  • Taught in English and Spanish
Get started

Se habla español · Call (909) 757-8470 for a free consultation.

California construction contract training, in plain language

Most contractors get licensed and then discover nobody ever taught them the paperwork. They download a contract off the internet, fill in a price, and hand it to a customer — and that document is what a CSLB investigator or a judge will read if the job goes sideways.

This course walks you through a real California Home Improvement Contract field by field, with the form in front of you. You learn what every clause is for, which ones the law requires, where each one goes, and what happens when one is missing. Then we do the same for the documents that come after it: change orders, estimates, invoices, preliminary notices and lien releases.

It is taught by Luis Gonzalez, the same instructor who teaches the license course, and it is available in English and Spanish.

Module by module

The full curriculum

Six modules, ten video lessons and sixteen downloads. Every module follows the same pattern — the law first, then a step-by-step walkthrough of the actual form, then the notes, the exam and the template to use on your own jobs. You get a full year of access, because nobody gets through this in a weekend.

1

Home Improvement Contract

The document you use on almost every residential job.

  • Video Home Improvement Contract laws
  • Video How to fill out the Home Improvement Contract, step by step
  • PDF Notes — Home Improvement Contract
  • PDF Home Improvement Contract exam
  • PDF Home Improvement Contract template
2

Service and Repair Contract

For service calls and repair work that does not need a full home improvement contract.

  • Video Service and Repair Contract laws
  • Video How to fill out the Service and Repair Contract, step by step
  • PDF Notes — Service and Repair Contract
  • PDF Service and Repair Contract exam
  • PDF Service and Repair Contract template
3

Waiver of Right to Cancel

When a customer needs work started before the cancellation period runs out.

  • Video Waiver of Right to Cancel laws
  • Video How to fill out the Waiver of Right to Cancel, step by step
  • PDF Notes — Waiver of Right to Cancel
  • PDF Waiver of Right to Cancel exam
  • PDF Waiver of Right to Cancel template
4

Subcontractor Agreement

For when you are the one doing the hiring.

  • Video What the Subcontractor Agreement is
  • PDF Notes — Subcontractor Agreement
  • PDF Subcontractor Agreement template
5

Preliminary Notice

The notice that protects your right to get paid.

  • Video Preliminary Notice
  • PDF Notes — Preliminary Notice
6

Hiring subcontractors and vendors

Qualifying a sub properly and getting the paperwork right before they set foot on your job.

  • Video How to hire a subcontractor or vendor
  • PDF Notes — hiring a subcontractor or vendor
  • PDF Subcontractor qualification package
  • Video How to fill out the W-9 form
  • PDF W-9 form download
  • PDF Notes — filling out the W-9

Every module is available in English and Spanish. Todo el curso está disponible en español.

Still growingThis course keeps growing. We add new modules as contractors run into new paperwork and as California changes the rules — and your access covers everything added while your year is running, at no extra cost.

Who this is for

Straight answers

Questions

Do I need to be licensed to take the contracts course?

No. Plenty of students take it while they are still studying for the exam, so they are ready to run jobs the day the license is issued. It also works as a standalone course for contractors who have been licensed for years.

How long do I have access?

One full year from the day you enroll. There are six modules, ten video lessons and sixteen downloads in this course — most contractors work through it a module at a time as each document comes up on a real job, and come back to the walkthroughs when they are filling one out. A year gives you room to do that instead of rushing it.

Is this included with the license course?

Two weeks of the contracts course are included free with the 4-month and 7-month license courses, unlocked once your license is issued. The full course is available separately.

Is it taught in Spanish?

Sí. El curso completo se imparte en español y en inglés, con los mismos documentos y los mismos formularios.

Do you also build the contracts for me?

Yes, that is a separate service. The course teaches you to write and read them yourself. If you would rather have a full branded document set built for your company, see our contract documents service.

Does this replace a lawyer?

No. This is education on what California law requires in a construction contract. For a dispute, a lawsuit, or a contract with unusual terms, talk to an attorney.

Also worth a look

Please read this before you enroll

Luis Gonzalez is not an attorney and this course is not legal advice. What you get here is instruction built on more than a decade of preparing California contractors and filing their paperwork, drawn from CSLB public information and from California statutes that are published and freely accessible online — principally the Business and Professions Code and the Civil Code.

The course teaches what California law requires in a construction contract and how to fill the forms out correctly. It does not cover the terms of your particular deal, your particular customer, or a dispute you are already in.

For a contract with unusual terms, a job that has gone wrong, a claim against you, or anything with money or your license genuinely at risk, talk to a California construction attorney. Nothing in this course creates an attorney-client relationship, and nothing in it guarantees a legal outcome.

Laws change. We update the modules when they do, but you are responsible for the contracts you sign.

Learn the paperwork

The exam gets you licensed. The contract is how you get paid. Call and we will tell you which course fits.

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