Licensed Contractors in California
California requires all contractors performing work valued over $500 to hold an active CSLB license. The CSLB registry is one of the most comprehensive in the country, with roughly 280,000 active licenses across all trades.
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The contractor market in California
California has 223,427 active licensed contractors serving 40,805,409 residents. County building departments pulled 103,856 permits in 2025, the work pipeline those contractors compete for.
California has 54.8 licensed contractors per 10,000 residents.
That works out to 14.9 contractors for every 1,000 households.
Cities with the most licensed contractors in California
| Rank | City | Licensed contractors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 6,346 |
| 2 | San Diego | 4,580 |
| 3 | San Jose | 4,094 |
| 4 | Sacramento | 3,394 |
| 5 | San Francisco | 3,376 |
| 6 | Riverside | 2,268 |
| 7 | Santa Rosa | 2,053 |
| 8 | Fresno | 1,950 |
| 9 | Bakersfield | 1,887 |
| 10 | Escondido | 1,596 |
Ranked by mapped active licenses. Cities only. The full roster covers every California ZIP.
General Contractors are the largest licensed trade in California, with 120,055 active licenses. Every other covered trade is shown with its own count in the map above.
Common questions about California contractors
How many licensed general contractors are in California?
120,055 active licensed general contractors are registered in California, verified against the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB). ContractorRoster delivers every one with phone, email, and website.
How do I verify a California contractor license?
Check any license number directly with the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) at https://www.cslb.ca.gov/onlineservices/checklicenseII/checklicense.aspx. Every record we deliver carries its active license number so you can confirm it at the source.
What does a California contractor list cost, and how current is the data?
Lists start at $19, delivered as a CSV within 3 minutes. The California data was last refreshed 2026-07-07, sourced direct from the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) and enriched with contact info for most records.
Which contractor trades does California cover?
California covers 17 trades: electricians, plumbers, hvac contractors, general contractors, roofing contractors, solar contractors, landscape contractors, pool contractors, fire-protection contractors, carpenters, concrete contractors, masons, drywall contractors, tile contractors, excavating contractors, painters, flooring contractors. Search any one by city or ZIP.
Which California cities have the most licensed contractors?
Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose lead California by licensed-contractor count. ContractorRoster covers every city and ZIP in the state, not just the major metros.
Are the California contractors in this list currently active?
Yes, every record is an active license; expired and lapsed licenses are filtered out. The California data was last refreshed 2026-07-07 from the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB).
Data source
Direct from the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB)
Every record we deliver in Californiacomes from the state's official license registry, refreshed regularly. We enrich each row with phone, email, website, and Google ratings sourced from public business listings. Contact info present for most records.
Visit California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) →What you get
- • Active license number + classification
- • Business name + license holder name
- • Phone, email, website (most records)
- • Google rating + review count where available
- • Full mailing address + ZIP
- • Issue date + expiration date
- • CSV delivered to your inbox in under 3 minutes