The exact CSLB classification a garage door contractor needs, how to verify it in two minutes, and the contract rules California law gives you.
Codes are amended locally. Where a city adopts an amendment that changes the answer, the section below says so — and the permit counter, not this page, is the final word.
Garage door work sits under C-61 Limited Specialty, subclassification D-28, officially 'Doors, Gates and Activating Devices.' A B General Building contractor may also perform the work, but only inside a larger prime contract involving at least two unrelated trades other than framing and carpentry — under §7057, a B license cannot use garage door installation alone as its qualifying scope. For a standalone garage door job, C-61/D-28 is the license that matters.
CSLB publishes a free public license lookup. Search the license number or the business name and read four things: that the license is active, that the classification is D-28, that the bond is on file, and that the workers' compensation status matches whether the company has employees. A license that is expired, suspended, or held in a different classification is not a license for your job.
§7030.5 requires a licensed contractor to include their license number in their advertising. That is why every legitimate California contractor's van, website and business card carries a number — and why an advert with no number is worth a second look. Separately, §7027.1 makes it a misdemeanor to advertise for work in a classification you are not licensed to perform.
Every California licensee must carry a $25,000 contractor's bond, raised from $15,000 by SB 607 on 1 January 2023. Note what the bond is: a small, limited fund for consumer claims, not liability insurance. Ask separately about general liability cover, and ask about workers' compensation — a licensee with any employees must carry it, and a company working on your ladder without it can leave you exposed.
A home improvement contract over $500 must be in writing and must contain what §7159 requires. The down payment is capped by §7159.5 at the lesser of $1,000 or 10% of the contract price — a contractor demanding half up front for a spring job is asking for something California law does not allow. Progress payments may not run ahead of the work.
§7048 exempts minor work where the total for labor and materials is under $1,000, no building permit is required, and the person does not employ workers. AB 2622 raised that threshold from $500 to $1,000 effective 1 January 2025. Almost no real garage door job clears that bar — a spring replacement, a new opener and a door installation are all well above it — so in practice, if someone is quoting you a garage door job unlicensed, they are quoting you an illegal one.
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