CSLB Fun Facts

CSLB Fun Facts can be very entertaining, it not a treasure trove of deceit.

cslb agency of deceitHere is a Q&A in the CSLB Licensing section of their website that I find very entertaining. I’ll give my thoughts on the other side of each Q&A.

Q. I have been a property manager for four (4) years at an apartment complex. Does this experience count as journeyman?

A. This could be very difficult to prove as verifiable experience because you do not complete any one (1) trade on a regular basis for four (4) years. If you want to apply for a C-36 Plumbing license you must show that you performed plumbing every day for four (4) full years, for approximately eight (8) hours per day.

It’s saying that in order to qualify for a license, you must have worked at that trade for 8 hrs a day for 4 yrs. If this is true, how does anyone qualify for the B-General license? Since you have to have experience in at least two unrelated trades, and framing (maybe/maybe not), how can you perform all of those trades for 8 hrs a day each for 4 yrs? You can’t. It’s impossible!

Next CSLB Fun Fact ~

Q. What is journey-level experience?

A. Journey-level exeprience (I didn’t correct their typo) applies to a person who has completed an apprenticeship program or is an experienced worker, not a trainee, and is fully qualified and able to perform a specific trade without supervision. However, that person does not have a license and is not able to contract for jobs that are more than $500 in labor and materials.

So a journeyman is someone who can perform a specific trade without supervision. Again, how does someone qualify for the B-General classification? Assuming their definition of “specific trade” is a single specialty classification, i.e. C10, C27, C33 etc.

Next CSLB Fun Fact ~

Q. I worked for myself since I was 16 years old. I am now 21. Does that qualify for four (4) years of journeyman experience?

A. If you submit verifiable evidence that you worked full-time for the last four (4) years, you may qualify, depending on the trade. Verifiable evidence includes, but is not limited to, invoices, income tax reports, 1099s, and copies of contracts. If you were paid in cash and kept no records and filed no taxes, it will be difficult for you to prove you actually did any work.

An important aspect of being a journeyman who is ready to be a contractor is knowing how a business is run and demonstrating that knowledge whether you are licensed or not. Depending on the trade, you also need to prove one (1) to four (4) years of apprentice experience in addition to the four (4) years of journeyman time.

Let’s break this down… The first sentence states “verifiable evidence that you worked full-time…” So even though they say they’ll accept “self-employed” experience, that fun fact must not apply to 21 year olds. And why is it depending on the trade? There is nothing in the law that makes one trade different than the other in regards to how the application is processed. They also don’t mention here that if you are 23 or under, they label you a “young journeyman” and make you prove your experience no matter what classification you are applying for.

The second paragraph again states “depending on the trade, you also need to prove 1-4 yrs of apprenticeship experience.” That’s a new one. I’ve been up and down the contractors license law and have never seen any requirement to show apprenticeship training. Unless they’re referring to the electricians certification requirement. Either way, that language is not in the law.

That’s all the CSLB Fun Facts for today. I’ll have more soon so stay tuned.

It’s all here in black and white: https://www.cslb.ca.gov/Journeymen/JourneymenFAQ.asp

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LicenseGuru

I am a Navy vet and former laborer for a B-Gen Bldg contractor, I built mobile homes for many years, I worked at the Contractors State License Board for 5 yrs, and have been operating a contractors license service company since 2005.

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