How many general building contractors are licensed in California?

California has 110,896 contractors with a B (General Building) license from the Contractors State License Board. 105,470 (95%) hold active licenses. SiteVetter checks each against SAM.gov, OSHA, DOL, and EPA databases.

What does a B license cover in California?

A California B license covers general building contractors who construct, alter, or repair buildings and structures. Any contractor performing general building work valued at $500 or more must hold this license. The CSLB issues and regulates all contractor licenses in the state.

What percentage of general building contractors have federal violations?

3.0% of California general building contractors (3369 out of 110,896) have at least one record in federal databases. These include SAM.gov debarments, DOL wage violations, OSHA safety citations, and EPA environmental violations.

Verify General Building Contractors (B) - Page 190 | CSLB + Federal Check

How to Verify a General Building Contractor (B) in California

California requires all contractors performing general building work valued at $500+ to hold a valid CSLB B license. Of the 110,896 licensed general building contractors in the state, 95% currently hold active licenses and 3.0% 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, 3.0% 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.

General Building Contractor Verification - Page 190

About B License

General Building Contractors

Related Trades

How to Verify a General Building Contractor (B) in California

Verification Checklist for General Building Contractors

Why Verification Matters for General Building Work