Understand what you're looking at
before you hire.

01

Start with the license

What it is

The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) is the California agency that licenses and regulates contractors. Think of the CSLB record as the contractor's official state profile. It can help you understand:

• Is the license active?
• What type of work are they licensed to perform?
• Who is connected to the license?
• Is their contractor bond active?
• What does their workers' comp status show?
• Is there disciplinary history available?

Why it matters

Having a license number is only the beginning. You want to make sure the license is active, belongs to the company you're hiring, and covers the type of work they're offering to perform. A contractor may only do work in the classifications the license carries; anything outside it is unlicensed work, whatever the website says.

ConFacts checks status, classification, issue and expiry dates and disciplinary history on the CSLB record itself, not on the website. We pull the contractor's CSLB information and organize the important details so you don't have to search through state records yourself.

02

Who is behind the license?

What it is

RMO stands for Responsible Managing Officer. An RMO is one type of qualifying individual who can qualify a corporation or LLC contractor license.

The qualifier is not just a name attached to the license. Under California licensing rules, that person is responsible for supervision and control of the company's construction operations. That can include overseeing construction, making technical or administrative decisions, checking workmanship, or supervising jobsites.

The RMO may be an owner or officer of the company, but they are not necessarily the person who sold you the project or the person you will see on the jobsite.

Why it matters

This is where looking beyond the company name becomes important. In some situations, a person with the required experience qualifies a company while other people handle most of the day-to-day sales, management, or construction work.

That can be completely legitimate.

The question is whether the person qualifying the license is actually connected to and involved in the contractor's operations as required — or whether their name is mostly being used to give another business access to a contractor license. California has taken disciplinary action in cases involving qualifiers who failed to exercise the required supervision and control, including cases involving allegations that a license was being used to enable unlicensed activity.

An RMO can qualify more than one active contractor license, but California places restrictions on when that is allowed — such as common ownership or closely related companies. Seeing the same qualifier attached to multiple companies does not automatically mean something is wrong. But it is useful context.

You may think you are hiring one established contractor, while much of the actual work is being performed by other companies or crews. Using subcontractors is normal in construction and is not a red flag by itself. The important thing is knowing who is actually doing the work. If subcontractors are involved, you may want to know whether they are properly licensed where required, insured, and qualified for the work they are performing.

Questions worth asking

• Who actually qualifies this company?
• How long have they been connected to it?
• Are they connected to other contractor licenses?
• Are they actively involved in the company?
• Who will actually manage my project?
• Will the work be performed by company employees or subcontractors?
• If subcontractors are being used, who are they?

ConFacts checks the CSLB personnel list, every other licence the qualifier holds, and whether they appear anywhere on this company's own website or staff. The goal is simple: know who stands behind the license, and know who will actually be standing on your property.

03

What is workers' compensation?

What it is

Workers' compensation is insurance designed to help protect employees if they are injured while working. California requires it for any contractor with employees; a contractor can file as “exempt” by declaring they have none.

For a homeowner, the important part is understanding whether the contractor's employee situation matches what the official records show.

Why it matters

Imagine a contractor tells you:

"We have 20 installers working for us."

But their official record indicates they have no employees or shows a workers' compensation exemption. That doesn't automatically mean something is wrong. A company may legitimately use subcontractors, and business structures can vary. But it gives you something important to ask about:

Who are the people actually working on my project?

ConFacts checks the carrier, policy dates and any exemption on the state filing, then compares it with the crew the company advertises.

04

Bond and liability insurance

What it is

Every licensed contractor must post a contractor bond with the CSLB. It exists so a wronged homeowner has somewhere to file, and a cancelled bond means the licence is about to be suspended.

General liability insurance can help protect against certain claims involving property damage or bodily injury connected to a contractor's work. It is not on the state record; it is the one document you have to ask for yourself. You'll often hear a contractor say:

"We're fully insured."

That sounds reassuring — but it's worth understanding what that actually means.

Why it matters

Insurance does not tell you whether someone is a good contractor. It tells you what protection may be in place if something goes wrong. The bond is small and does not rebuild a roof; the liability policy is the real protection.

What you should look for

• Is the policy active?
• What company is listed on the policy?
• Does that company match the contractor you're hiring?
• What are the coverage limits?
• What type of coverage is included?

ConFacts checks the bond on file, its amount and any cancellation, on the CSLB record. The liability certificate is the ninth item on the checklist below: the report cannot read it, so you ask for it.

05

Why do certifications matter?

What it is

Contractors often display badges such as:

• Certified Contractor
• Preferred Contractor
• Master Installer
• Factory Certified

These certifications can be meaningful, but they are not all the same. Some require training, testing, experience, manufacturer approval, or continuing requirements. Others may represent a membership or marketing relationship. Manufacturers certify contractors in tiers, and the tier decides which manufacturer warranty can be registered on your roof.

Why it matters

Anyone can place a badge on a website.

What you should ask

• Who issued the certification?
• Is it still active?
• Can it be independently verified?
• What does the certification actually mean?
• Does it provide access to special warranties or installation programs?

ConFacts checks GAF, Owens Corning and CertainTeed's own directories, under every name the company trades under, and whether the tier claimed is the tier held.

06

Liens, judgments and bankruptcies

What it is

A mechanics lien lets a supplier or subcontractor who was not paid claim against the property the materials or labour went into. Civil judgments and bankruptcy filings are the court's record of a company in trouble.

Why it matters

You can pay the contractor in full and still be liened by the supplier they did not pay. An open lien from the last job tells you what the next one can look like. A judgment or a bankruptcy is not a verdict on the work; it is context on whether the company will still exist when the warranty is needed.

ConFacts checks county recorder filings, civil judgments and bankruptcy records against the company and its principals.

07

What does their safety record tell you?

What it is

Cal/OSHA is California's workplace safety and health enforcement agency. Construction can involve heights, ladders, power tools, heavy equipment, trenches, electrical hazards, and many other risks. When Cal/OSHA inspects an employer, public records may show inspections and citations connected to workplace safety violations. California directs consumers to OSHA's establishment search to review an employer's inspection or citation history.

Why it matters

Safety records can give you another window into how a contractor operates when nobody is looking at their website or reviews. A citation may involve issues such as employee training, fall protection, equipment, jobsite conditions, or other workplace safety requirements.

One citation does not automatically make a contractor unsafe.

Context matters.

A large company operating thousands of projects may naturally have more inspections than a very small company. Citations can also be appealed, reduced, reclassified, or removed as cases develop. And having no OSHA record does not prove that a contractor has a perfect safety history — not every contractor or jobsite is inspected.

What we want to understand

• Has the company been inspected?
• Were safety violations found?
• What type of violations were involved?
• Were any violations classified as serious, repeat, or willful?
• Are there repeated issues over time?
• How recent were the incidents?
• What was the final outcome?

ConFacts checks OSHA inspection and citation records matched to this employer, weighted by severity and how recent. We're not trying to turn one safety citation into a verdict; we're looking for patterns and context. How a company protects its workers can tell you something about how it operates.

08

Permits

What it is

Most roof replacements need a building permit and a final inspection. Cities and counties publish who pulled which permits, for what address, and whether the inspection closed.

Why it matters

A contractor who skips permits saves a fee and leaves you with work the next buyer's inspector will flag. An open permit, one that was pulled and never finalled, stalls a sale in the same way.

ConFacts checks city and county permit portals for permits pulled under this licence, and whether they were finalled.

09

Why does business history matter?

What it is

A contractor may advertise:

"30 years of experience."

But that doesn't always mean the company itself has been operating for 30 years. There is a difference between:

Why it matters

A newer company is not automatically a bad company. And an older company is not automatically a good one.

But history gives you context.

If a company says it has been serving homeowners for 30 years but the current business and contractor license were created three years ago, there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation. You should simply understand what those "30 years" actually represent. That is the difference between reading a marketing claim and understanding the record behind it. Nearly half of construction firms are gone within five years, and a company that dissolves takes its warranties and its complaint history with it.

ConFacts checks licence age against the company's own claims, prior names on the CSLB record, and Google, Yelp and BBB listings matched by licence, address and phone so that reviews only count when they belong to this contractor.