(877) 940-4313

CSLB Contractor Insurance and Bonds

Contractor liability insurance quotes for California

Explained simply

Think of it like ordering from a menu that already knows your name. Type your CSLB license number, tap a few answers, and A-rated quotes line up next to each other. Pick one, an agent finishes it, you sign. Nothing starts until you sign.

Your CSLB license number is the starting point. We read your business from the state's public licence record, so the questions you answer are short and fit your classes.

Your quote in five moves

  1. Type your license numberWe look up your business in the public CSLB record.
  2. Confirm you own itName, mobile, email and your consent.
  3. Tap through the questionsAbout a minute: your trade, sales, payroll, crew and claims.
  4. Compare A-rated quotesEach shows deductible, limits, inclusions and exclusions.
  5. Submit, then signA licensed agent finishes it. Coverage begins only once you sign.

The details · tap to open

Starting from the number CSLB already issued you

Your licence fills in what a long form would ask.

A typical insurance application wants your business name, address, entity type and classes before it asks anything useful. CSLB already has all of that on record. So we begin there.

  1. Type your CSLB license number. We pull your business from the public CSLB record and show which A-rated insurance companies write your classifications.
  2. Confirm the business is yours. You give your name, mobile number and email, agree to be contacted, and then see your licence details on screen.
  3. Answer roughly a minute of tap questions. Trade, residential or commercial work, new construction, annual sales, payroll, subcontractors, crew size, years in business, claims, current coverage and the date you want to start.
  4. Watch the quote board fill in. A-rated programs are shopped live and each price lands on its own card with its deductible, limits, and what it includes and excludes. You also get the link by text and email.
  5. Tap "Submit for approval." A licensed agent takes it from there. Approval usually takes 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on the insurance company, and the final quote is emailed to you for signature. No coverage is bound until you sign.

Which policies you can quote here

GL and workers' comp online; the rest by phone with an agent.
  • General liability, online. Limits of $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate, the figures GCs most often write into subcontracts.
  • Workers' comp, online. Same flow, started from the same license number.
  • By phone with a licensed agent: commercial auto, umbrella and excess liability, and CSLB bonds. A bond application needs the owner's Social Security number, so an agent quotes it on a call.

A few licence types always go to an agent instead of the online board: C-11 elevator, C-16 fire protection, C-22 asbestos, D-9 drilling and blasting, D-30 pile driving, and ASB certification. Call or text (877) 940-4313 for any of these. Not sure where your trade fits? See insurance by trade.

What a general liability policy is for

It pays for harm your work causes other people.

General liability (GL) responds when your operations hurt a third party or damage their property. A client who trips on your hose, a neighbor's fence your crew knocks down, or a problem from a finished job when the policy includes completed operations.

It does not pay for injuries to your own employees (workers' comp does), your own tools and equipment, your work vehicles (commercial auto does), or the cost of redoing work that was done wrong.

After you are covered, we send the certificate to your GC. To understand what that certificate proves and what it does not, read certificates of insurance for contractors.

Does California make you carry it?

Only LLC licences by law; contracts require it for most others.

For sole owners, partnerships and corporations, CSLB does not require GL by statute, though it strongly recommends it. In practice, GCs, commercial property owners and many homeowners will not sign without it.

LLC licences are different. B&P Code §7071.19 requires an LLC to carry liability insurance with an aggregate of at least $1,000,000 when 5 or fewer people are on the personnel of record, plus $100,000 per additional person, capped at $5,000,000. Our standard $2M aggregate meets that minimum for an LLC listing up to 15 people. Details are on the CSLB LLC insurance requirement page.

Home improvement and service-and-repair contracts also have to carry a Commercial General Liability Insurance notice, even if your notice says you have none.

Guides worth reading first

Cost, workers' comp, bonds and certificates, explained.

CalRisk Insurance Center, CA Lic. 0K97400, 713 W Duarte Rd, Suite G747, Arcadia, CA 91007. We work with California contractors only, in English and Spanish.

Common questions

How do I get a contractor insurance quote with my CSLB license number?

Type the number in the box, confirm you own the business, and answer about a minute of tap questions. Quotes from A-rated programs appear on your quote board side by side.

Is a California contractor required to have general liability insurance?

LLC licences must carry liability insurance under B&P §7071.19. Other licensees are not required by law, but CSLB strongly recommends it and most GCs and commercial owners require it by contract.

Does seeing a price mean I am insured?

No. You submit the quote you like for approval, a licensed agent handles it, and the final quote is emailed for your signature. Coverage is not bound until you sign.

What liability limits come with the online quote?

$1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate, which are the limits general contractors ask for most often.

Can I get workers' comp and a bond here too?

Workers' comp is quoted online from your license number. CSLB bonds need the owner's Social Security number, so a licensed agent quotes them by phone at (877) 940-4313.

Is there a Spanish version?

Yes. The whole quote runs in Spanish or English, and our licensed agents take calls and texts in both languages.