- California requires a CSLB license when a job totals $1,000 or more, needs a building permit or uses employees.
- At least four years of journey-level, foreman, supervisor or contractor experience in the class within the last ten years. Education or apprenticeship can replace up to three years, but one year must be hands-on.
- Plan for two exams: the trade exam and a business and law exam.
- Pay runs from about $39.47 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of general contractors to $101.91 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 11.2% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 4.5% projected nationally.
The path in California, step by step
California licenses general contractor work at the state level through the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Get four years of journey-level or supervisory building experience in the last ten years.
- Apply to CSLB for the B exam and pay the $450 application fee.
- Get fingerprinted by Live Scan.
- Pass the law and business exam and the B trade exam.
- File a $25,000 bond and workers' comp proof or exemption, and pay the initial license fee.
- Renew every two years.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: general contractor license in California.
Finding an apprenticeship in California
California appears on both of the Labor Department's lists: it has a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, and the federal Office of Apprenticeship works there too. Apprenticeship.gov lists the California Apprenticeship Office as a contact.
Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.
Across the country. New construction managers are usually hired as assistants and work under an experienced manager for up to a year, sometimes longer.
License levels and exams in California
The license to aim for: B General Building Contractor.
Trade exam. Yes. Trade exam for the classification.
Business exam. Yes. Law and business exam.
Keeping it. Every two years when active.
Coming from another state. Several states have reciprocity agreements with California. CSLB lists equivalency determinations for similar Arizona, Louisiana and Nevada classifications.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| B | General building. Prime contracts must involve at least two unrelated trades, not counting framing or carpentry. |
| B-2 | Residential remodeling of existing wood frame homes, at least three unrelated trades, no structural changes. |
What the California license costs
The fees the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee (one classification) | $450 |
| Initial license fee, sole owner | $200 |
| Initial license fee, non-sole owner | $350 |
| Active renewal, sole owner | $450 |
| Active renewal, non-sole owner | $700 |
What general contractors earn in California
The median general contractor in California earned $64.02 an hour in May 2025, 6th of 51 states, with 34,750 on payrolls. The national median was $55.28.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of general contractors in California earned under $49.41 an hour and a tenth under $39.47. At the top, a quarter earned over $80.80 and a tenth over $101.91.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39.47 | $82,100 |
| 25th percentile | $49.41 | $102,780 |
| Median | $64.02 | $133,160 |
| 75th percentile | $80.80 | $168,070 |
| 90th percentile | $101.91 | $211,970 |
BLS has no separate wage figure for general contractors. These are its numbers for construction managers, the group BLS files general contractors under. They count managers on a payroll, so owners who run their own contracting business are not in them. Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: general contractor salary in California.
Jobs ahead in California
California's labor market office projects jobs for general contractors growing from 60,600 in 2022 to 67,400 in 2032, a change of 11.2%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 5,190 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 11.2% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 4.5% projected nationally, ranking 24th of the 49 states in the file.
These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group construction managers.
Starting your own general contractor business in California
To contract on your own in California, the license is the B General Building Contractor.
Insurance. Workers comp is required unless you have no employees and file an exemption. LLCs may also need extra liability insurance and an employee or worker bond.
Bond. $25,000 contractor bond.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the California median of $64.02 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $183.02 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.
The full checklist is in how to start a general contracting business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.
Where this comes from
The license steps, fees and rules are from the official pages below, read on the date shown. Pay is the BLS May 2025 state estimate, the job outlook is California's own long-term projection, and the apprenticeship details are from the U.S. Department of Labor. A detail an official page did not confirm is left out.
- CSLB before applying for a license (checked 2026-10-08)
- CSLB experience for the exam (checked 2026-10-08)
- CSLB issuing my license (checked 2026-10-08)
- CSLB fees (checked 2026-10-08)
- CSLB B classification (checked 2026-10-08)
- CSLB B-2 classification (checked 2026-10-08)
- CSLB applicants page (checked 2026-10-08)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 11-9021
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2022 to 2032 (state labor market offices) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship System (Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agencies) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Offices (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Program (checked 2026-10-09)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Construction Managers (checked 2026-10-09)
Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become a general contractor.