Verify a general contractor licence in California

Check a general contractor's licence in California by number or by business name and get one normalized JSON record back, sourced from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). The Contractors State License Board extract holds 125,307 records under these classifications as of 2026-08-05.

Try a free lookup — no signup, right here on this page. For programmatic access, take a free API key — 250 requests a month, no card. Also on RapidAPI and, if you would rather not write code at all, the Apify Store.

Which CA classifications count as general contractors

• B — General Building Contractor 108,298 records
• A — General Engineering Contractor 15,352 records
• B-2 — Residential Remodeling Contractor 1,657 records

A record's classifications array carries these codes, so you can tell a licence that covers the work from one that merely exists.

Run it

curl "https://contractor-license-verification2.p.rapidapi.com/v1/licenses/CA/1000004" \
  -H "X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "X-RapidAPI-Host: contractor-license-verification2.p.rapidapi.com"

1000004 is a real CA licence (SOUTH COAST CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT) in this trade, so that call works as written.

Before you rely on it

B is the licence a homeowner means by “general contractor”: it covers a project involving at least two unrelated trades. A is for engineering work — roads, pipelines, structures — and a contractor holding only A is not licensed for a kitchen remodel.

What Contractors State License Board does not publish

• Disciplinary actions
• General liability insurance

Full coverage detail, including the caveats that apply to every California lookup, is on the California page.

Other trades in California

General contractors in other states