The construction industry is expected to increase 19 percent between 2008 and 2018.
Businesses and individuals hire general contractors to build, demolish or renovate buildings. The contractors supply the materials, employees and equipment required to complete the task. Although some general contractors complete degree programs or apprenticeships, their employer or state of licensure determine specific requirements. The California State Contractors License Board sets California general contractor license requirements. According to Education-Portal.com, general contractors earned nearly $50,000 annually in 2010.
Age and Experience
Applicants for a general contractor license in the state of California must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must have four years of witnessed, documented and verifiable construction experience in one of more of the following specialties: journeyman, foreman, contractor or owner-builder. According to the California Contractor's State License Board, a journeyman is an experienced worker, or someone who has completed an apprenticeship and is qualified to work without supervision. A foreman has the skill and knowledge of a journeyman, and oversees physical construction. Contractors manage and supervise the daily activities of construction businesses. An owner-builder has the skill and knowledge of a journeyman, but works on his own property.
Education
Although there are no educational requirements for California contractors, the California Contractor's State License Board accepts various types of education in lieu of completing the entire experience requirement. Applicants may substitute a maximum of one and-a-half years of experience, provided they submit official transcripts verifying an associate's degree in construction or building management from an accredited college or university.
Applicants may substitute two years of experience in exchange for proof of earning a bachelor's degree in business, accounting, economics, physics, mathematics or a related area. They may also receive credit if they earned a law degree or completed several courses in architecture, accounting, construction technology, economics, drafting, mathematics, physics or engineering.
Applicants may substitute a maximum of three years of experience by submitting a Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship from a state-approved apprenticeship program, or if they provide official transcripts verifying a bachelor's degree in construction technology, architecture or engineering. If seeking a landscaping classification, applicants can provide proof of a bachelor's degree in horticulture or landscape horticulture
Examination
Applicants must pass a two-part examination in order to receive their California contractor's license. The first portion of the exam is called the Law and Business section; the second portion of the exam asks questions specific to the applicants' contractor's license category.
Fees
Applicants must pay a $250 application fee and a $150 initial license fee. Applicants must obtain fingerprints and submit to a background check through the FBI and the California Department of Justice. Fingerprinting fees vary, depending on the facilities applicants use; the FBI and the California Department of Justice charges a $19 and $32 fee, respectively, as of 2008.
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