General Building Contractor Verification - Page 159

California requires all contractors performing general building work valued at $500+ to hold a valid CSLB B license. Of the 108,844 licensed general building contractors in the state, 96% currently hold active licenses and 3.1% have at least one federal compliance record.

Manual vetting takes 45+ minutes per contractor and routinely misses violations in databases most people don't know to check. SiteVetter runs CSLB status, SAM.gov debarment, DOL wage violations, OSHA safety citations, and EPA environmental records in seconds—creating a timestamped compliance artifact.

Verification Checklist for General Building Contractors

• Verify the contractor has experience with your specific project type (residential, commercial, or industrial)
• Request references from similar-sized projects completed in the last 2 years
• Confirm they carry adequate general liability insurance (typically $1M+ for commercial work)
• Check federal databases: SAM.gov, OSHA, DOL, and EPA records
• Confirm bond: California requires $25,000+ contractor bond (SB 607)

Why Verification Matters for General Building Work

Under California's "Controlling Employer" doctrine, general contractors face liability for subcontractor safety violations. For general building work specifically, 3.1% of licensed contractors have federal records that a standard CSLB license check wouldn't reveal. SiteVetter's 5-database check catches what a single-source verification misses.