How Long Does a California Contractor License Last?

Keeping your California contractor license up to date is critical for any contractor working in California. 

If you do any contracting work with an expired license, you could face serious consequences – so it’s important to make sure your license is active at all times.

How long does a California’s contractor’s license last?
California contractor licenses expire every 2 years. 

If you let your license expire, you then have 5 years to renew your license before you have to start the entire licensing process over again from the beginning.

How do I know if my contractor’s license is expired?
The easiest way is to check your CSLB pocket license. You’ll see the issue date and the expiration date on there along with your classification and license number.

If you no longer have your pocket license, but need to see if your license is expired, the CSLB has an easy way to check the status of your license. Simply put in your license number on their website and you can see if your license is active or not.

If you do not have your pocket license and you cannot remember your license number, contact the CSLB directly for assistance.

What should I do if my license expires?
The first thing you should do is stop working to ensure that you do not put yourself at risk legally and financially.

If your CSLB contractor’s license is expired, you can easily apply to renew your card. 

You will have to pay a fee in order to renew your expired license. This will cost from $200 to $1,070, depending on the status of your contractor’s license.

Penalties for Expired CSLB Licenses
If your license is expired, you can face criminal penalties. 

Anyone who is caught contracting without a license by the CSLB has to appear before a judge to answer to misdemeanor charges. These criminal charges can put you in jail for up to six months and/or a $5,000 fine. And that’s not including court and legal fees.

If you continue to do construction work without a contractor’s license or with an expired contractor’s license, you can face more severe penalties.

A second offense means an automatic 90 days in jail, and a fine of 20% of the contract or $5,000.

In addition to these penalties, you could also face felony charges if you use someone else’s contract illegally or you mislead people into thinking you are a licensed contractor. This means you could end up in state prison.

If you think your license is expired, stop work immediately to protect yourself and your employees – you are putting your entire life in danger by working without a valid CSLB license.