What a Class B License Is
The state calls Class B the General Building license. The board says its main business is building structures for shelter and enclosure, which takes at least two unrelated building trades or crafts. It is the most common license class in California. Read the Class B page and the board's fast facts sheet on what a B can and cannot do.
So a B is not shut out of concrete. The board sets three ways a B can take a concrete job.
Three Ways a B Can Take Concrete Work
- The job has at least two unrelated trades besides framing or carpentry. A patio slab with a block wall, lighting and drainage is one example.
- The B also holds the C-8 is the state class for concrete work. It covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing flat and mass concrete. specialty license.
- The B hires a properly licensed contractor who holds C-8 for the concrete and runs the job.
Framing and carpentry do not count toward the two trades. A B can take a framing or carpentry job by itself, but not a concrete job on that basis.
A Patio, a Cover and a Wall
Many Carlsbad yards mix several jobs. The city guide says patio covers, decks and enclosures need a permit, and retaining walls over 4 feet from the bottom of the footing do too. Say you want a new slab, a cover over it and a low block wall at the edge.
The cover is carpentry, which a B can take alone. The slab is concrete, so the B holds C-8 or hires a licensed contractor who holds C-8 for it, unless the whole job has two other unrelated trades. Either way, one contractor can run the project from start to finish. See our pages on patios and retaining walls for the local rules.
One Contract and One Point of Contact
When a B runs the job, you sign one contract and call one person. The B coordinates the C-8 contractor and the other trades, such as electrical (C-10), masonry (C-29), earthwork and paving (C-12) or landscape (C-27). The B answers to you for the whole job.
A Concrete Only Job
Say you only want a new driveway. A B can still take it, as long as the B holds C-8 or hires a licensed contractor who holds C-8 to pour it. The board's B-2 residential remodeling class is different. It covers existing wood frame homes with three or more unrelated trades in one contract, and concrete is not on its list. Read the B-2 page.
What to Ask Before You Sign
- Ask for the license number and look it up with the board license check. It shows every class the license holds.
- Ask whether the contractor holds C-8 or will hire a C-8 contractor for the concrete.
- Ask for the name and license number of any subcontractor, and look those up too.
- Ask for a written contract that names who does each part of the work.
The steps on our contractor check page work the same way for a B.
Work in the Street
A driveway apron, a curb or a public sidewalk sits in the public right of way. Some cities want a Class A general engineering license for work in the street. The board says a Class A covers fixed works like roads and utilities, with related earthwork and concrete. See the Class A page. The Carlsbad homeowner guide does not cover this, so ask the city, and read our permit guide.