California CSLB license records — baseline report, Q3 2026

Among 244,438 active licenses carrying an original-issue date, the earliest is 1929 and the median time since first issue is 13.3 years.

Because the CSLB active file lists only currently-active licenses, earlier years appear smaller purely because licenses that have since lapsed are absent from the snapshot. This is a survivorship effect, not a measure of how many licenses were issued in those years.

Figures come from the CSLB Public Data Portal. Each edition is computed on its snapshot date and is finalized from the CSLB data at the close of its quarter; a metric introduced in a later edition has history only from then. Metric definitions are frozen (definition set v1); any later change is footnoted in the edition that changes it. Every figure counts records and is a statement about the CSLB record, not about California's construction industry.

Active licenses

Count of CSLB license records whose status is “active” in the snapshot.

Licenses listed not active

Count of license records whose status is “no longer active” — previously observed in the CSLB file and absent from the current snapshot.

Active licenses with a contractor bond on file

Active licenses carrying at least one bond record (contractor bond, LLC employee/worker bond, or disciplinary bond) in the snapshot.

Active licenses with a workers'-comp record

Active licenses whose record reports a workers'-compensation coverage type (covered, exempt, self-insured, etc.). Absence means CSLB reported none.

Active licenses by county

Active licenses grouped by the county field on the record (self-reported business address; may not correspond geographically).

Active licenses by classification

Active licenses grouped by CSLB classification code (A, B, C-10, D-38, …). A license holding several classifications is counted once per classification, so this total exceeds the active-license count.

Active licenses by workers'-comp coverage type

Active licenses grouped by the reported workers'-compensation coverage type; licenses with none are grouped under “Not reported.”

First licensed

Distribution of the original-issue year across active licenses that carry one. Older years appear smaller because the active file lists only currently-active licenses (survivorship), not a measure of issuance.