Which license each job needs in San Diego County
| Work | CSLB classification | County permits (firms) | Firms with an active license |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar | C-46 Solar (C-10 may also do solar electrical) | 8,832 (495) | 83.6% |
| Battery storage | Ask which classification covers it; C-10 Electrical covers the wiring | 1,860 (149) | 83.2% |
| Furnace, heat pump, AC | C-20 Warm-Air Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning | 4,924 (218) | 87.2% |
| Electrical, panels, EV chargers | C-10 Electrical | 2,855 (760) | 89.2% |
| Plumbing, water heaters | C-36 Plumbing | 1,421 (288) | 88.2% |
| Re-roof | C-39 Roofing | 1,584 (294) | 85.4% |
| ADU, addition, new home | B General Building; B-2 Residential Remodeling for remodels | ADUs 334 (213) | 91.5% |
| Pools | C-53 Swimming Pool | 727 (180) | 91.7% |
| Manufactured home installation | C-47 General Manufactured Housing | 119 (49) | 89.8% |
Classification names are CSLB's (Licensing Classifications, read 22 October 2026). Since 1 January 2025 the license threshold is $1,000, and the small-job exemption applies only if the worker does "not hire workers and no building permits are needed" (CSLB, AB 2622). Every permitted job needs a licensed contractor.
Values on County permits are filed only for building work. The usual ADU permit carries $128,106, a pool $41,580 and a re-roof $14,825. At those sums, check the bond and workers' compensation entries on the CSLB record as well as the status.
How to run the lookup in five minutes
- Ask for the CSLB number. It is on County permits, so it should be on the bid.
- Search Check a License by number. Read the status: CSLB says Active is "licensed and able to perform work" and Inactive "still licensed but is not permitted to perform work" (Terms and Definitions).
- Check the classification fits the job, and the workers' compensation entry fits the crew.
- Search your address in the County's Accela Citizen Access (step-by-step below) to see what this firm has filed nearby.
- Track record: open the firm on our County solar list, HVAC list or ADU builder list.
How to search San Diego County permit records
PDS's Building Division issues permits for the "unincorporated areas" of the county and links Accela Citizen Access. The County's help guide says: click Search Applications under PDS; "You do not need to register for an account to use ACA"; search by record number (the most accurate) or address; and if the permit was issued more than two years ago, change the Start Date. Open the record and scroll to Inspections. Older documents are in the PDS Document Library, and records not online go through the County's request portal (PDS Public Records). General County information: (858) 694-3900.
The County search is organised by record. Ours is organised by firm: each firm's County permits in three years, its CSLB status, the share completed and the days to completion, on the San Diego County permit statistics page and the compare lists.
What 27,509 County permits show
| Trade | Permits | Firms | Completed | Usual days to completion | Firms with a suspended license |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar | 8,832 | 495 | 82.5% | 81 | 16 |
| HVAC | 4,924 | 218 | 59.3% | 163 | 4 |
| Electrical | 2,855 | 760 | 80.2% | 63 | 13 |
| Plumbing | 1,421 | 288 | 62.8% | 62 | 12 |
| Re-roof | 1,584 | 294 | 80.4% | 41 | 13 |
| ADUs | 334 | 213 | 85.1% | 351 | 5 |
"Completed" is the share of permits a year or more old that reached Completed in the County's status history. HVAC is the weak spot: only 59.3% completed, and the usual one took 163 days. Among the 40 HVAC firms with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile firm completed 22.6% and the 90th 81.6%, so which firm you pick matters more than the trade.
See every San Diego County HVAC contractor by license and permits completed →
Red flags in San Diego County
- A CSLB status other than Active. 16 solar firms and 13 electrical firms on County permits carried a license now suspended.
- A classification that does not fit: a C-39 roofer quoting solar, or a C-46 quoting a panel upgrade without C-10.
- A permit with no inspections after months. Ask who books the final.
- A firm that has gone quiet: 30 solar firms with 5+ permits filed none in the last 12 months; check the license and who will honour the warranty.
What this lookup does not tell you
Our license status is the CSLB number on the permit looked up in CSLB's license file when we built the data; a status can change after that, so check CSLB the week you sign. 13.1% of solar firms carried a number we could not find in that file, which is our gap. The County files no job value on solar, HVAC, electrical or plumbing permits, so we show values only for building work. The City of San Diego is separate; see San Diego contractor license lookup. Related: ADU cost in San Diego County and heat pump vs furnace in San Diego County.
How we know this
Permits are County of San Diego PDS building permits on single-family, duplex, condo and mobile-home parcels in the unincorporated county, 2023-10 to 2026-09, grouped into the trades above. Firms are keyed on the CSLB license number on each permit. "Completed" uses permits a year or more old; days to completion come from the County's permit status history. CSLB and County text is quoted from their own pages, read 22 October 2026.
Numbers come from San Diego County Planning & Development Services building permits on homes in the unincorporated county (the County's open-data permit, contractor and status-history files), data through October 20, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Who licenses contractors in unincorporated San Diego County?
The State, through the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). The County's Planning & Development Services (PDS) issues building permits for the unincorporated area, such as Fallbrook, Ramona, Spring Valley or Lakeside, but does not license contractors.
- Do I need an account to look up a County permit?
No. The County's help guide for Accela Citizen Access says 'You do not need to register for an account to use ACA.' Search by record number or address, and widen the start date if the permit is more than two years old.
- Which CSLB license does a solar installer need?
CSLB's C-46 Solar Contractor classification; a C-10 Electrical Contractor can also do the electrical side. Check which classifications the firm holds on CSLB's Check a License page.
- Does a City of San Diego permit show up in the County search?
No. PDS permits only the unincorporated county; the City of San Diego and the other incorporated cities issue their own. Our City of San Diego guide covers the City's portal.
- How many County solar firms in your data hold an active license?
83.6% of the 495 solar firms on County permits from October 2023 to September 2026 held a license CSLB lists as active; 16 held a suspended license.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- How to check a contractor's license in California
- Miami contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Orlando contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Sacramento County contractor license lookup: CSLB, the County permit portal, and what the permits show
- Heat pump vs furnace: what San Diego County homeowners filed
For one city
- Check a License — CSLB (2026-10-22)
- CSLB Terms and Definitions (2026-10-22)
- CSLB Licensing Classifications (2026-10-22)
- Handyperson Exemption to Increase to $1,000 in 2025 — CSLB press release (AB 2622) (2026-10-22)
- Building Division — County of San Diego Planning & Development Services (2026-10-22)
- Researching permits and inspections in Accela Citizen Access — County of San Diego PDS (help guide) (2026-10-22)
- Accela Citizen Access — County of San Diego (2026-10-22)
- PDS Public Records — County of San Diego (2026-10-22)