How many well drilling contractors are licensed in California?

California has 758 contractors with a C57 (Well Drilling) license from the Contractors State License Board. 726 (96%) hold active licenses. SiteVetter checks each against SAM.gov, OSHA, DOL, and EPA databases.

What does a C57 license cover in California?

A California C57 license covers well drilling contractors for water wells. Any contractor performing well drilling work valued at $500 or more must hold this license. The CSLB issues and regulates all contractor licenses in the state.

What percentage of well drilling contractors have federal violations?

12.1% of California well drilling contractors (92 out of 758) have at least one record in federal databases. These include SAM.gov debarments, DOL wage violations, OSHA safety citations, and EPA environmental violations.

Verify Well Drilling Contractors (C57) | CSLB + Federal Check

How to Verify a Well Drilling Contractor (C57) in California

California requires all contractors performing well drilling work valued at $500+ to hold a valid CSLB C57 license. Of the 758 licensed well drilling contractors in the state, 96% currently hold active licenses and 12.1% 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 Well Drilling Contractors

Verify the contractor license is active and in good standing
Request proof of insurance and bonding
Get at least 3 written quotes before selecting a contractor
Check federal databases: SAM.gov, OSHA, DOL, and EPA records
Confirm bond: California requires $25,000+ contractor bond (SB 607)

Why Verification Matters for Well Drilling Work

Under California's "Controlling Employer" doctrine, general contractors face liability for subcontractor safety violations. For well drilling work specifically, 12.1% 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.

Well Drilling Contractor Verification

About C57 License

Well Drilling Contractors

How to Verify a Well Drilling Contractor (C57) in California

Verification Checklist for Well Drilling Contractors

Why Verification Matters for Well Drilling Work