CSLB License Classes on Los Angeles Permits: How to Tell a Buyer From a Competitor
Every contractor on an LADBS permit page carries a CSLB license number and class. The class tells you whether that company buys your trade or competes with it.
California licenses contractors through the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), and the license class says what kind of work a company may contract for. On the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) permit page, the contractor appears as a firm name with its license number and class, written like "123456-B". Once you can read that suffix, a list of permits becomes a list of buyers and a list of competitors.
The classes you will see
| Class | Name | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| A | General Engineering | Fixed works: grading, excavation, roads, pipelines, utilities. A buyer for site, concrete and underground trades |
| B | General Building | Structures for people to use. Usually takes contracts involving two or more unrelated trades, and awards the rest. Your main buyer |
| B-2 | Residential Remodeling | Non-structural remodeling of existing homes involving at least three unrelated trades. No new structures. A buyer for kitchen, bath, flooring and finish trades |
| C-6 | Cabinet, Millwork and Finish Carpentry | Cabinet and millwork shops |
| C-9 | Drywall | Drywall contractors |
| C-10 | Electrical | Electrical contractors |
| C-15 | Flooring and Floor Covering | Flooring contractors |
| C-16 | Fire Protection | Fire sprinkler contractors |
| C-17 | Glazing | Glass, glazing and storefront |
| C-20 | Warm-Air Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning | HVAC contractors |
| C-33 | Painting and Decorating | Painting contractors |
| C-35 | Lathing and Plastering | Stucco and plaster |
| C-36 | Plumbing | Plumbing contractors |
| C-39 | Roofing | Roofing contractors |
| C-46 | Solar | Solar installers |
| C-53 | Swimming Pool | Pool builders |
| C-61 | Limited Specialty | Narrow trades, written as D subcategories such as D-03 or D-28 |
A Class B contractor generally cannot take a single-trade job in a specialty unless it holds that trade's C class; framing and carpentry are the exception. That is why a builder subcontracts your trade rather than doing it.
What Los Angeles building permits actually show
Of the 12,335 contractor entries on the LADBS permit pages Builtie has read so far:
| Class on the permit | Entries |
|---|---|
| B, general building | 11,292 |
| C-39, roofing | 730 |
| A, general engineering | 80 |
| C-21, building moving and demolition | 64 |
| C-53, swimming pool | 41 |
| C-17, glazing | 24 |
| C-10, electrical | 20 |
| C-46, solar | 10 |
| B-2, residential remodeling | 3 |
Three things follow.
Building permits are pulled by the builder. More than nine in ten contractor entries are Class B. On a building permit, the B contractor is the company that holds the job and awards the packages.
Electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors are nearly absent, and that is expected. LADBS issues electrical, plumbing and mechanical work as separate permit types outside the building-permit dataset. A C-10 on a building permit is unusual: it means the electrician took the prime contract. If you are a mechanical trade, the building permit is your early signal; your own trade's permit comes later.
Roofers pull their own building permits. Re-roofs need a building permit, and C-39 contractors appear on 730 entries. If you are a roofer, those are your competitors, and you can see exactly where each one works.
B-2 barely appears, partly because Builtie reads new buildings and additions first, which is structural work a B-2 contractor cannot take.
Using the class to sell
- Find general contractors. Filter recent permits to Class B, and Class A for site work. Rank by how many permits each company holds and how recent they are. 4,434 different Class B companies appear on the LA permit pages read so far.
- Separate repeat builders from one-off builders. A B contractor on twenty permits this year is a relationship; one on a single permit is a project.
- Map competitors. Contractors holding your own C class on permits show who is active, where, and on which kinds of jobs. Some are worth approaching for overflow work.
- Check the license before you rely on it. The CSLB license lookup shows status, classes, bonding and workers' compensation. An expired or suspended license on a permit is worth knowing about before you extend credit.
- Use the roster for reach, the permits for priority. Builtie holds 24,186 Los Angeles County contractor licenses in classes A, B and B-2 from the CSLB roster (46,892 across Los Angeles and the four neighboring counties). Only the companies on current City of Los Angeles permits are working there now; start with them.
How Builtie fits
Builtie reads the contractor and license class on every LADBS permit page it reaches, matches the license to the CSLB roster for the company's phone, finds the decision makers, and runs LinkedIn and email outreach from your own accounts. The Los Angeles construction report shows where the permits are. Los Angeles coverage is the City of Los Angeles only; Builtie covers North America, with the Greater Toronto Area as its founding and deepest market. Starter is $79 per seat per month for up to 20 projects with a 7-day free trial; Growth is $99 for 50 projects and includes LinkedIn and email outreach.
Know the projects. Reach the decision makers. See the general contractors on Los Angeles permits at builtie.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a CSLB Class A, B and B-2 license?
Class A is general engineering: fixed works such as grading, roads, pipelines and utilities. Class B is general building: structures for people, usually on contracts that involve two or more unrelated trades. B-2 is residential remodeling: non-structural work on existing homes involving at least three unrelated trades.
Why do so few electricians and plumbers appear on Los Angeles building permits?
Because LADBS issues electrical, plumbing and mechanical work under separate permit types. The building permit is usually pulled by the general contractor, so more than nine in ten contractors on the LA building permit pages Builtie has read are Class B.
How do I find general contractors on Los Angeles permits?
Filter the contractors on recent building permits to Class B (and Class A for site and civil work). Those are the companies awarding trade packages. Contractors holding your own C class are your competitors.
Builtie Team
Intelligence and outreach for North American construction trades.
