Look Up the License
- Ask the contractor for their license number. A licensed contractor must show it in their ads.
- Go to the Contractors State License Board site at cslb.ca.gov and use the license check.
- Make sure the business name and the license number match the person you are talking to.
- Check that the license is current and look at the classes it lists.
Know the Concrete Class
The state class for concrete is the C-8 is the state class for concrete work. It covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing flat and mass concrete.. The board says a C-8 contractor forms, pours, places and finishes mass, pavement and flat concrete work. See the C-8 class page for the full text.
Some other classes can do concrete as part of a bigger job. If the license does not list C-8, ask how their class covers your work.
The $1,000 Minor Work Limit
Since January 1, 2025, California lets an unlicensed person take a job only when the total is under $1,000 for labor and materials. That is the Since January 1, 2025 an unlicensed person may take a job only if the total is under $1,000, no permit is needed and no one else is hired. set by Assembly Bill 2622.
The limit only applies when the job needs no permit and the person hires no one to help. An unlicensed person who advertises for this small work must say in the ad that they hold no license. Anyone who claims to hold a license cannot use this rule. Read the board bulletin on AB 2622 for the details.
Most driveways, patios and walls cost far more than that, so they need a licensed contractor.
Get It in Writing
Ask for a written estimate first, then a written contract before work starts. It should list the scope of work, the price, the payment plan, the start and finish dates, who pulls permits and how the site will be cleaned up.
Read it before you sign. If something you talked about is not in writing, ask for it to be added.
Permits and Digging
Ask who will file any permit the job needs. In Carlsbad, patio covers and retaining walls over 4 feet need one, and the city should be asked about slabs and driveways. Ask the contractor to call 811 is the free call that sends utility crews to mark buried lines before you dig. at least two working days before digging and to share the ticket number.
Warning Signs
- No license number, or a number that does not match the name.
- Pressure to sign today or pay in cash only.
- A suggestion to skip a permit the job needs.
- No written estimate or contract.