How To Get Your C-20 Contractors License

One of the great things about the C-20 license — which is Warm-Air Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning — is that you can make great money doing it.

Also, it is considered an essential service.

Which means a pandemic can’t close down your shop.

We need you.

That’s the great thing about trade work in general — it’s mostly essential.

The C-20 is very essential. Especially here in California.

We’re a Contractor School, based in Southern Cal — where it can get pretty hot, and sometimes even cold — but we serve the entire state of California with our program and study materials.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GET YOUR LICENSE?

There are only THREE MAIN REQUIREMENTS.

1. Four years of experience doing C-20 work.

2. You must be at least 18 years old.

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

Basic stuff, right?

The next step is the biggest part of the process.

PASSING THE STATE EXAMS.

In order to get your license you have to pass a trade test — which covers all the topics related to heating and air-conditioning — as well as a law test — which covers matters of the law that all contractors deal with.

The trade test won’t be as hard for you because you already have the minimum four years ‘journey-level’ experience and should be proficient in your trade.

What is journey-level experience? It means you know what you’re doing. That you’ve been performing the work (not just working in the office) or supervising the work of a C-20 contractor.

Basically, it means you know what you’re doing.

The law test is much harder.  Because it was written by lawyers (and lawyers are truly the worst, are they not? — this is an attempt at a joke 🙂 And because it covers topics you probably don’t deal with on the everyday job site — like contract law, bonding, taxes and bookkeeping.

Truth is, both tests are hard.

But that’s where we come in.

Contractor License Now

We’re a contractor school whose passion it is to see you become successful in your chosen license. We’ve passed thousands of students in the last decade of our existence.

We love seeing contractors pass their tests and establish their businesses.

We have all the materials you need — including classes, books, video, audio and practice tests — that you’ll need to pass the state licensing exams.

We’ll even help you fill out the application that you’ll submit to CSLB to take your tests.

Contractor State License Board

CSLB stands for ‘Contractor State License Board’ and they’ll be the people (the government agency) issuing you your license. They’re the same group that goes around catching contractors who are doing work without their license.

You’re not allowed, in California, to do construction without your contractors license unless you’re doing work for under $500 (but that includes labor and materials).

Truth be told, unless you’re working as a handyman, doing tiny jobs that make barely any money, you need to get your contractors license. It’s just the way it is.

866.570.3648

HOW DO YOU PROVE YOUR FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE?

Easy. You have to have one person sign your application (this person is known as a qualifier) verifying that you have the experience. Basically this person can be your employer. Can be your former employer. Can be a fellow employee. This person can even be a client — if you’re claiming status as self-employed.

Remember, you shouldn’t be doing work self-employed. However, if you have been, your experience does count towards getting your license. And you should get your license sooner rather than later. CSLB will accept your experience (even though you are breaking the law) when you submit your application to them, but if they catch you on the job site they will most likely fine you and you may face jail-time.

But isn’t there more?

There are a few additional steps but they’re mostly small — like getting a live scan and a bond, and we guide you through these steps as apart of the process of our schooling.

Remember, we offer in-person classes, livestream classes, and multiple combinations of study material.

The only other big thing you need to be aware of is you must decided on a business structure. You can be a sole prop, a partnership, or a corporation.  This decision is up to you (and maybe your spouse).

You don’t have to decide right now. We’ll walk you through the differences between the business structures in our classes.

Thanks for stopping by.

We hope you give us a call, and we surely hope you get your HVAC contractors license.

Description Of The C-20 Concrete License

Here’s an outstanding (legal) description of the C-20 classification, taken from CSLB’s website:

Remember, CSLB is the government.

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

A warm-air heating, ventilating and air-conditioning contractor fabricates, installs, maintains, services and repairs warm-air heating systems and water heating heat pumps, complete with warm-air appliances; ventilating systems complete with blowers and plenum chambers; air-conditioning systems complete with air-conditioning unit; and the ducts, registers, flues, humidity and thermostatic controls and air filters in connection with any of these systems. This classification shall include warm-air heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems which utilize solar energy.

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