California · CSLB filing service
California contractor license with an exam waiver
If you already qualified a license, recently passed the exam, or worked in a family contracting business, you may not have to sit the exam. We screen your route and prepare the waiver application with the proof CSLB wants.
CSLB decides every waiver. If it says no, the application continues on the exam path.
Nothing is filed or charged until you approve the total.
What we do
- Screen you against CSLB's waiver routes before you pay CSLB's fee
- Prepare the 7065 waiver application and work experience forms
- Gather the proof for your route, such as license verification from another state
- Send everything for your review and original signatures, then submit it
What you need
- Your prior license numbers, or your out-of-state license details
- Dates you qualified a license or passed the exam
- For a family business: your relationship and your role in the business
- The same business, personnel, and work history details as a new application
Rules worth knowing
Prior qualifier or recent exam
The exam may be waived if the qualifier served on a license in good standing in the same classification during the last five years, or personally passed the exams within the last five years (BPC 7065.1).
Family business or long experience
CSLB may also waive the exam for someone active in construction for five of the last seven years who meets the specific legal requirements, or for an immediate family member active in the family business.
Reciprocity
A valid license in Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, or North Carolina may waive the trade exam. The Law and Business exam is still required unless passed in the last five years.
Common questions
What does a waiver cost?
Our service fee is $499. CSLB charges the same $450 application fee as the exam path, plus $150 for each additional classification on the same application, and the initial license fee once approved.
Is a waiver guaranteed?
No. CSLB decides. We tell you honestly how your case looks before you pay.