Information On Contractor License Classes In Los Angeles

By Louis Wright


Contractor licenses are of utmost importance since they allow entities and individuals to provide products and services to clients without going against the law. The permits can be obtained as LLCs, corporations, sole proprietors or partnerships. They are normally issued to the entity whose name is listed on financial statements or the owner of the business. This implies that every business bid has to be sealed in the exact name appearing on the permit. Facts on Contractors State License Center.

New applicants for licenses are usually required by law to take and pass a licensing exam. The exam is usually administered by a government agency. There are classifications in the licenses, which include Mechanical, Electrical, and Building licenses. Each license has several sub-categories under it. All applicants are required to pay a certain fee, which depends on the location the exam is being taken.

In the licensing process, the person who sits for and passes the licensing exam is referred to as the qualifying agent. Qualifying agent may be the owner of the license or an officer or full time owner of the business. It is important to note that the license does not belong to the qualifying agent, unless the qualifying agent is also the owner of the business in whose name the license was issued. That would mean that the name of the qualifying agent must also appear on the financial statements provided during the application of the permit.

Every permit issued in the US is normally assigned a classification. The classes include MU, CE, BC, HRA, HC, LMC, CMC, Specialties and Environmental among many others. Class HC stands for heavy construction, HRA deals with highway, railroad, and airport, BC for building, CE deals with electrical, MU for Municipal Utility while LMC deals with masonry.

It is a requirement by the law to only bid on projects lie within a certain license class by over 60 percent. However, one may only neglect this rule if the project is a commercial one. Even with that, portions of such commercial projects that fall outside the license one holds must be sub-contracted to another entity that is properly licensed.

There is also an exception to the law stated above. The exception is that one can only sub-contract if the amount they are paid to do work in which they are not licensed exceeds 25000 dollars. All licenses issued in the United States usually have monetary limits. That means that one cannot take contracts that exceed the limit specified in the contract. Doing that amount to breaking the law and attracts a penalty.

The financial limit stated on the permit is determined by the financial statement submitted by a candidate while applying for the license. The relevant financial statements should be prepared by a licensed public accountant. A part from this, the applicant has to prove that they are insured. The two required insurance policies are general liability and worker compensation.

Application of licenses entails providing a list of owners of the license. One must also disclose the history of the entity and experience in the field. Licenses take between four and six weeks to be approved or rejected. One is not allowed to bod, offer, or contract before the y receive the permit.




About the Author: