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B General Building License (California)
California has 103,670 active B General Building holders in the state file as of 2026-10-281, the largest of 64 classes with at least 200 holders. 3,549 of them expire by 2026-12-27.
- Active holders
- 103,670
- 44.3% of active California licenses
- Expiring by 2026-12-27
- 3,549
- 3.4% of holders
- Median bond on file
- $25,000
- 103,612 bonds
- Workers' comp exempt
- 56.9%
- of 103,669 with WC status
What does the California General Building license require?
Most general contractors need the B (General Building Contractor) license, which covers projects that involve at least two unrelated trades, or framing and carpentry. CSLB also issues the A (General Engineering Contractor) license and the B-2 (Residential Remodeling) license.2
Exam
Two exams: Law and Business, and a trade exam for your classification (C-61 has no trade exam).3
Bond
You file a $25,000 contractor bond, or deposit a $25,000 cashier's check.1
How many B contractors are exempt from workers' comp?
58,955 of 103,669 active B holders with a recorded status (56.9%) filed an exemption1, against 48.7% across all California classes.
How do you check a B license?
Search by license number or business name on the California license lookup, which reads the same state file.
Other California license classes
Sources
- CA CSLB License Master (cslb.ca.gov data portal) (cslb.ca.gov, 2026-10-28)
- Contractors State License Board (CSLB): classes (cslb.ca.gov)
- Contractors State License Board (CSLB): exam (cslb.ca.gov)