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CSLB approves pathway for B2 remodelers to earn experience toward B general license with permit safeguards
Summary
The board approved a legislative proposal to let B2 residential remodelers with two years’ active licensure take a structural framing certification exam; if certified, certain limited structural work would count toward experience for a B general building license, with members adding language to ensure permits are required where applicable.
The Contractors State License Board voted to advance a legislative proposal to create a certification pathway allowing B2 residential remodeling licensees to earn qualifying structural experience toward a B general building contractor license.
The proposal, explained by legislative chief Rebecca May, would authorize a CSLB-developed structural framing examination that a B2 contractor with at least two years of active licensure could take. Licensees who pass the structural framing certification would be allowed to contract for specific structural work — including sheds, garages, carports, pergolas, gazebos, patio covers and certain greenhouses affixed to wood-framed residential structures — but the proposal explicitly excludes accessory dwelling units. The certification would permit the registrar to count the structural work performed by certified B2s toward the experience requirements for the B general building license.
Board members raised concerns about oversight and verification of experience, including whether work credited toward a B application would have required permits and how building departments would recognize the new certification. Members urged robust outreach to local building officials and discussed ways applicants could document experience, such as permit records or photos. The motion approved by the board included language to clarify that permits are required when local code requires them and that staff would verify experience during the application review process.
The motion carried on roll call with recorded 'Aye' votes from multiple members. Staff said the proposal preserves existing consumer-protection requirements for the B license — including a minimum of four years qualifying experience for a general building license — and deferred implementation of the certification until Jan. 1, 2029 to allow time to develop exams and processes.
