How to Check a Paving Contractor's License in California

Before you let anyone pave, patch or seal your driveway, take one minute to check their license. In California, construction work generally requires a license from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) when the job is over $1,000 in labor and materials, needs a building permit, or the person doing it employs workers. Since almost any real paving job crosses one of those lines, you should expect a license. Here's how to check, and what else protects you.

Step 1: Look up the license

Go to CSLB's License Check and search by license number, business name or person's name. Every licensed contractor has a license number, and it should be on their estimate, contract, truck and ads. If someone can't or won't give you one, that tells you what you need to know.

Step 2: Read what the lookup shows

• Status: it should say active. Expired, suspended or revoked licenses are a stop sign.
• Classification: paving is commonly done under a C-12 Earthwork and Paving license. CSLB describes a C-12 contractor as one who "digs, moves, and places material forming the surface of the earth," including placing paving. Larger civil and site work is often done by A (General Engineering) contractors.
• Bond: licensed contractors carry a contractor's bond. Check that it's current.
• Workers' compensation: if the contractor has employees, they need workers' comp coverage. Without it, you could face claims if a worker is hurt on your property.
• Complaints and disciplinary actions: the lookup shows public disciplinary history.

Step 3: Make sure the contract follows the rules

CSLB's consumer guides lay out protections for home improvement contracts:

• Get it in writing. Projects over $500 in combined labor and materials require a written contract, and changes should be in writing too.
• Down payment limit. The down payment can't be more than $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less. A contractor asking for half up front is a red flag.
• Pay as work is done. Payments can't exceed the value of the work performed. The contract should include a payment schedule tied to the work.
• Right to cancel. For contracts covered by the rule, you generally have three business days to cancel in writing, or five if you're 65 or older.
• What it should list: the contractor's license number, address and phone, a description of the work, the total price, the payment schedule, start and completion dates, who pulls permits, and a Mechanics Lien Warning.

For paving, also ask for the excavation depth, base thickness and compacted asphalt thickness in writing. That's what makes two estimates comparable (see the asphalt paving cost guide).

Red flags

• A crew that shows up unannounced with "leftover asphalt from a job down the street" and a price good for today only.
• Pressure to pay in cash or to pay most of the price up front.
• No written contract, or a contract without a license number.
• A price far below every other estimate. It usually means less base under the asphalt.

How Paving Escondido uses this

We only refer work to contractors with an active CSLB license, and we check license status before referring. You should still check it yourself. It takes a minute, and it's your project. Read more on our About page.

Sources

• CSLB: License Check
• CSLB: What Should I Look for in a Contract and Binding Agreements?
• CSLB: Home Improvement Contracts Consumer Guide (PDF)
• CSLB: AB 2622 implementation bulletin ($1,000 minor work exemption, effective Jan. 1, 2025)
• CSLB: C-12 Earthwork and Paving Contractors