How To Get Your C-12 Contractors License

Earthwork and Paving is a quite lucrative license.  You can work directly with homeowners, businessowners, or the city or government on your projects–acting as the PRIME contractor.

As well, you can, with this license, work as a subcontractor for a General A or a General B licensed contractor.

You have many options — much more than you have currently, without your license.

If you want to own your own business and make much more money and pursue that dream that few achieve — of financial freedom — you really do need the license.  It’s the first step.

Incorporating your business is one of the subsequent steps.

Requirments To Get Your C-12

1. Four years of journey-level experience doing Earthwork and Paving.

2. You must be at least 18 years old.

3. You must have a valid social security or ITIN number.

4. Have a valid driver’s license or picture identification.

AND THEN, TWO MORE BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

California Dreamin’ For Those California Tests

You will be required to pass two main tests with the state of California, through CSLB’s licensing program: The Trade Test and The Law Test.

Good news for you is we’re a contractor school who has prepared thousands of students over the last decade to pass these two tests. We do this through a combination of classes and materials — including livestreamed classes, in-person classes, books, study manuals, and practice tests (written and online).

We guarantee that if you do the work we lay out for you you’ll pass the state tests and receive your license.

The trade test covers questions related to Earthwork and Paving.

The law test covers questions related to construction law applicable to any of the contractors licenses.

You will have to study (a good amount, if we’re being honest) for both tests.

The material and the task of studying can seem daunting (especially if you haven’t been in school for awhile), but don’t let that stop you. You should never let fear stop you. In fact, you should let it inspire you. We strive the make the process and the study materials and simply and easy as possible to follow and engage with.

Like I said, we’ve been around for a decade and have trained thousands of students.

Incorporating Your Business

Before you take the tests, you’ll have to decide your business structure. You may want to run your business as a sole proprietor — but you may (as we recommend) incorporate your business so that it’s structured as an S Corp or a C corp, or even an LLC if that structure suits your needs.

You don’t have to have this part of the process figured out.

We’ll talk more of it in our classes and lay out all your options so you can make the most informed decision.

Final Step: Qualifying Signature

You have to fill out an application and send it to CSLB (the state board) to be able to take your tests. The application is another one of those things that can seem daunting. Good news is, as apart of our services, we’ll help you fill out the application so that (fingers crossed) it doesn’t get kicked back.

Now, on that application, you have to have one person sign it — this person is called a qualifier — verifying that you have the necessary four years of journey-level experience required for you to receive your C-12 license.

As long as you have this person — be it a boss or former boss, a fellow employee, or even one of your clients (if you’re claiming your status as self-employed) then you’re all set.

If you don’t have this person ready quite yet, you can still begin to take our classes and find a qualifer as you go. In other words, you don’t need to fill out the state application to begin studying for the tests. You can do it all at once and together.

Which is the best way to do it.

How Long Does It Take?

This depends on you. Average, it seems to take our students around two – three months to get their licenses. But you can get it fast than this. It’s up to you. It depends how long you take to study. It also depends when you want to submit your application.

Once your application is submitted the state can take anywhere from two weeks to several weeks to respond with your test date. Some of our students spend three weeks to a month in our classes, studying our material, before they submit their application — which gives them more time to study as they wait for their test date.

After Passing The Tests

There are a few additional steps you’ll have to complete after passing your tests.

1. Getting a Surety Bond

This is easy and inexpensive, and by the time you’ve completed our classes you’ll understand exactly what this is. It’s only about $100 for the year.

2. Livescan

You’ll need to get livescanned. Which is simple and also inexpensive. You have to wait until after you’ve passed your tests to complete a livescan.

3. Pass an open-book asbestos test

After passing your main tests, the state will mail you an aspestoes book and corresponding test. You can complete it from home and mail it back to them. It’s easy. No big deal. They even allow you to take the test on their website nowadays.

4. Make money.

Of course the final and best step is, after CSLB sends you your license in the mail, you can begin taking your own jobs and making money. Lots of it. As long as the roads you’ll be paving. As deep as the Earth you’ll be working.

Description Of The C-12 License (from Contractors State Licensing Board).

Here’s the legal description of the earthwork and paving classification, taken from CSLB’s website:

California Code of Regulations
Title 16, Division 8, Article 3. Classifications

An earthwork and paving contractor digs, moves, and places material forming the surface of the earth, other than water, in such a manner that a cut, fill, excavation, grade, trench, backfill, or tunnel (if incidental thereto) can be executed, including the use of explosives for these purposes. This classification includes the mixing, fabricating and placing of paving and any other surfacing materials.

Authority cited: Sections 7008 and 7059, Reference: Sections 7058 and 7059 (Business and Professions Code)