By Shauna Krause, President, Capitol Services, Inc.
Yes, you can’t? While doing no actual work you still do need a contractor’s license for business across the CA border. Another contractor learns what you can’t do without, and I help put the ‘ducks in a row’ for a General applicant, but can’t offer any guarantee they will ‘swim’…
Q: We are an out-of-state contractor and we have been contacted to perform a large energy project in the State of California. We will not be self-performing any of the work nor will we be sending any of our employees to CA to perform work on site. We plan to sub-contract all work to licensed CA contractors. Does our company still need to hold a CA contractor’s license?
A: If you are contracting for any of the performance of the contracting work, even if your company is subbing it out to licensed contractors, you are required to have a CA contractor’s license. You will need to designate a Responsible Managing person for the license who is required to be an employee or Officer/Manager/Member of your company. Please contact my office to further discuss and we would be happy to guide you through the process.
Q. I have a license that is qualified by a Responsible Managing Employee (RME). Another contractor told me that once my license is over 5 years old, I do not need any Qualifier and can drop the RME. How does this work?
A. In the State of CA, you cannot go without a Qualifying Individual. I believe the contractor you spoke with was referring to the regulation that allows some license holders the opportunity to “replace” the RME after 5 years with a Waiver of the Law and Trade exams. For a contractor’s license to remain in good standing, there must be a Qualifying Individual listed on the license. In many instances where the RME has left the license, the company has 90 days to replace him/her with a new Qualifier. If you do not replace the Qualifier within the CSLB’s time frame, it would result in the license being suspended.
Q: I am interested in getting a General contractor’s license. I do not want my application to be rejected when I apply, so I would like some advice on completing the application to ensure that it will not be rejected. My experience all comes from fixing my own home for the past six years. This should give me at least 2 years of journeyman experience. I have an Engineering degree that should equate to 2-3 years of experience.
A: While I would be happy to provide you with my expertise, there is no way to ensure that your application will not be rejected. I believe your assumption that the CSLB will give you 2 years “journeyman experience” for fixing your own home is probably overly optimistic. In all likelihood they will give you a fraction of this (maybe a year). There is no way to determine this for sure without filing the application with the CSLB so they can conduct a complete review and, if needed, an investigation of your background. Your degree in Engineering should get you 2 years credit but I don’t think the Board will give you more than this (for a “B” license).
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While knowledge is power, knowing where to go for the answers is half the battle. Get expert assistance immediately when you call 866-443-0657, email info@cutredtape.com, or write us at Capitol Services, Inc., 3609 Bradshaw Rd, Ste H, #343, Sacramento, CA 95827. Search past columns at www.cutredtape.com