STATE LICENSE
RequiredContractors State License Board (CSLB)
C-8 Concrete covers forming, pouring, placing, finishing and installing specified mass, pavement, flat and other concrete work, and placing and setting screeds for pavements or flatwork. The classification deliberately excludes two adjacent trades: contractors whose sole business is applying plaster coatings (C-35), and contractors whose sole business is placing and erecting reinforcing steel (C-50).
SB 216 put C-8 on the short list of classifications that cannot file the workers' compensation exemption, effective for licences active after July 1, 2023. Like C-39 roofing, the sanction is surgical: the registrar removes the C-8 classification from the licence rather than suspending the whole thing. And because concrete work so often means trenching, the Cal/OSHA permit for excavations five feet or deeper into which a person must descend is a live requirement on many jobs.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Concrete licensing is state-only, but concrete work touches local government more than most trades. Building departments issue slab, foundation and driveway permits and must collect the B&P § 7031.5 statement of licence number or exemption basis; public works departments issue encroachment permits for work in the right of way, including sidewalk, curb and gutter. Cities levy business tax certificates on the contracting business.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every California county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of September 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
SB 216 added C-8, C-20, C-22 and D-49 to the classifications barred from the no-employee exemption. For licences active after July 1, 2023 the registrar removes the affected classification when no certificate is on file.
The C-8 scope expressly excludes contractors whose sole contracting business is applying plaster coatings, or placing and erecting the steel or bars that reinforce concrete work — those are C-35 and C-50.
Sidewalk, curb, gutter and other agency work is public work. Registration runs $400 per fiscal year, and a first-time registrant who already bid or worked a public job in the past 12 months pays a $2,000 penalty.
A practical sequence for a new concrete contractor in California. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
A misdemeanor. First conviction up to $5,000 and/or six months; second adds a fine of 20 percent of the contract price, minimum $5,000, plus at least 90 days in jail.
An unlicensed concrete contractor cannot sue to collect, and the customer may recover every dollar already paid regardless of the quality of the pour.
Bidding or performing public work while unregistered with DIR draws a penalty and can disqualify a contractor from public work for up to twelve months on a repeat violation within a year.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on September 2026.
Pending verification: Whether Cal/OSHA charges a fee for the Labor Code § 6500 excavation permit — the statute sets none and no fee was confirmed on a state page · Local encroachment permit fees for sidewalk, curb and gutter work — set independently by each jurisdiction · The dollar cost of the C-8 trade examination; B&P § 7137(a)(2) sets exam fees at the administering organization's actual cost
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.