Which license each job needs in Los Angeles
| Work | License | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Any job of $1,000 or more (labor and materials) | CSLB contractor license in the right classification | CSLB Check a License |
| Remodels, additions, ADUs, new homes | Usually a B (General Building) license | CSLB |
| Roofing, pools, electrical, plumbing, HVAC | The matching C classification (C-39 roofing, C-53 pools, C-10 electrical, C-36 plumbing, C-20 HVAC) | CSLB |
| Pulling the permit | CSLB license, workers' comp (or exemption), City Business Tax Registration Certificate | LADBS at the counter |
| Under $1,000, no employees, no permit needed | Exempt handyperson | Nothing to check |
LADBS's homeowner page says "Construction Contractors are required to be licensed by the Contractor's State License Board (CSLB)", and if you pull a permit as a contractor's agent, to "ensure that they have an active license and are insured". The same page links LADBS's Notice to Contractors, which sets out the license and insurance proof the counter wants. The $1,000 threshold is CSLB's, raised from $500 on 1 January 2025 by AB 2622.
How to run the lookup in five minutes
- Get the license number and the name on the license, and check both against the bid.
- Search CSLB Check a License by number, or call 800-321-2752. Check the status is active, the classification fits the job (a C-39 roofer should not be building your ADU), and the bond and workers' compensation are current.
- Read the discipline section of the same record for complaints and legal actions.
- Ask who pulls the permit. If the answer is "you do", read the owner-builder section below first.
- Look up the house. Online Building Records shows past permits and documents on the address, as our Los Angeles building permit search guide explains.
Owner-builder permits
You can take out an LADBS permit as owner-builder, with the owner-builder declaration. The City's Notice to Property Owner is blunt: "Contractors are required by law to be licensed and bonded in California"; if you build, you "cannot legally build them with the intent to offer them for sale" unless "all work is performed by licensed subcontractors"; and if you hire workers you "must register with the state and federal government" as an employer. A contractor who asks you to sign as owner-builder is shifting that risk to you.
What our Los Angeles pages add
CSLB answers "is this firm licensed". Our Los Angeles page shows what LADBS signs off and how fast, October 2024 to September 2026:
| Kind of work | Permits (Oct 2024–Sep 2026) | Oct 2025–Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Roofing | 25,397 | 13,111 |
| Remodels and repairs | 21,914 | 10,685 |
| ADUs and casitas | 13,265 | 6,389 |
| Additions | 4,718 | 2,179 |
| Pools and spas | 3,510 | 1,846 |
| Demolition | 3,470 | 1,607 |
| New homes | 2,853 | 1,600 |
74% of the 99,412 permits were on homes; 67% of those issued October 2024 to September 2025 were finished, and the usual one took 90 days from issue to final. How long a permit takes has the days by kind of work, the permit statistics page the months, and permits by ZIP code the areas. Local rules: ADU, addition, remodel and roofing permits. Statewide rules and penalties are in How to check a contractor's license in California.
What this lookup does not tell you
The LADBS building-permit file names no contractor, so we cannot show which firm pulled which permit, or match firms to CSLB. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are kept in separate LADBS files, so those trades are missing from our counts. Other cities in Los Angeles County (Long Beach, Pasadena, Glendale and the rest) issue their own permits. An active license says the firm may do the work, not how its last job went.
How we know this
License rules are quoted from CSLB's Check a License, its consumer page and the AB 2622 release, and from LADBS's homeowner page, and owner-builder notice, read 26 October 2026. Counts are the LADBS building-permit file, read 18 October 2026: permits issued October 2024 to September 2026; finished share and days use permits issued October 2024 to September 2025.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Does the City of Los Angeles have its own contractor license?
No. LADBS says construction contractors "are required to be licensed by the Contractor's State License Board (CSLB)". At the permit counter a contractor also gives a license number and classification, workers' compensation details and a City of Los Angeles Business Tax Registration Certificate.
- How do I check a Los Angeles contractor's license?
On CSLB's Check a License (cslb.ca.gov), by license number, business name or person's name, or by phone on 800-321-2752. The record shows status, classification, bond, workers' compensation and any discipline.
- When does a California contractor need a license?
For any job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, raised from $500 on 1 January 2025 by AB 2622. Below that a handyperson is exempt only with no employees and no building permit needed (CSLB).
- What is an owner-builder permit in Los Angeles?
A permit in your own name. LADBS's notice warns that you take responsibility for the work, cannot build with the intent to sell unless licensed subcontractors do all the work, and must register with the state and federal governments as an employer if you hire workers.
- Where can I see the permits on a Los Angeles address?
In LADBS Online Building Records (prism.dbs.lacity.gov) and the permit report on LADBS's online services. Our Los Angeles pages count the same building permits by kind of work.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
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- Arlington, VA contractor license lookup: DPOR class and specialty, the County permit search, and what the permits show
- Check a License — CSLB (2026-10-26)
- Homeowner step by step — LADBS (2026-10-26)
- Notice to Property Owner for Owner-Builder Permits (Rev. 10/15/18) — LADBS (2026-10-26)
- Online Building Records — LADBS (2026-10-26)
- Finding the Right Contractor — CSLB (2026-10-26)
- CSLB Licensing Classifications (2026-10-26)
- Handyperson Exemption to Increase to $1,000 in 2025 — CSLB press release (AB 2622) (2026-10-26)