How do I hire a contractor in San Diego without getting burned?
Look up the license number on the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) website before you sign, get at least three written bids, and never pay more than 10% of the price or $1,000 down, whichever is less. In the City of San Diego, anything beyond cosmetic work, including a water heater swap, a new circuit or a deck over 30 inches high, needs a permit, and you can check a house's past permits online back to 2003.
- License check
- cslb.ca.gov
- Max down payment
- 10% or $1,000
- Handyperson limit
- $1,000
- Cancel a contract
- 3 days
Or call (800) 321-2752
Whichever is less, unless the contractor has a blanket bond
No permit-required work, no helpers
Mail notice before midnight of the third day
The short version
- Since Jan. 1, 2025, unlicensed handypersons may take jobs up to $1,000 (up from $500), but only if no permit is needed and they work alone
- CSLB's down payment rule: no more than 10% of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less
- Every licensed California contractor must carry a $25,000 license bond; workers' comp is required if they have employees
- City of San Diego permits are needed to replace a water heater or build a deck more than 30 inches above grade
- The city's Permit Finder and OpenDSD show permit history back to 2003; it keeps no records from before 1955
The two checks that prevent most contractor disasters take five minutes: a license lookup and a permit question. California licenses contractors through the CSLB, and the City of San Diego decides which jobs need a building permit. We read CSLB's consumer pages and the City's Development Services pages on November 3, 2026. If you live in another city or the unincorporated county, permit rules come from that agency; see San Diego city vs. county.
How do I check a contractor's license in California?
Vet a contractor before you sign
- 01
Get the license number
Every contractor ad in California must show a state license number. If it doesn't, search CSLB by business or person's name.
- 02
Look it up on CSLB
Use Check a License at cslb.ca.gov or call (800) 321-CSLB (2752). Confirm the license is active, the address matches, and the classification fits your job.
- 03
Check insurance
The license record shows insurance details. Workers' compensation is required if the contractor has employees; general liability isn't required, so ask for a certificate.
- 04
Check the salesperson too
A salesperson who comes to your door must be registered as a Home Improvement Salesperson; CSLB's same lookup covers HIS registrations.
- 05
Get three written bids
CSLB advises at least three bids on the same plans and scope. A bid far below the others can mean missing work or cut corners.
Licensed contractor vs. unlicensed handyperson
| Licensed contractor | Unlicensed handyperson | |
|---|---|---|
| Job size | Any | Up to $1,000 total |
| Permit-required work | Yes | No |
| Can hire helpers | Yes, with workers' comp | No |
| Bond | $25,000 license bond required | None |
| Shows up in CSLB license lookup | Yes, with status, address and insurance | No license to look up |
Licensed contractor
- Job size
- Any
- Permit-required work
- Yes
- Can hire helpers
- Yes, with workers' comp
- Bond
- $25,000 license bond required
- Shows up in CSLB license lookup
- Yes, with status, address and insurance
Unlicensed handyperson
- Job size
- Up to $1,000 total
- Permit-required work
- No
- Can hire helpers
- No
- Bond
- None
- Shows up in CSLB license lookup
- No license to look up
California requires a written contract for home improvement jobs over $500, per CSLB.
How much can a contractor ask for up front?
No more than 10% of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less. On a $40,000 kitchen remodel, that's $1,000, not $4,000. The only exception is the roughly two dozen companies with a Blanket Performance and Payment Bond on file at CSLB, which the license lookup shows. After the deposit, pay as work is done, never ahead of it.
- The work, the price and the payment schedule
- Who pulls the building permits
- The finish date
- The contractor's name, address and license number
- Notices on your right to cancel, mechanics liens and allowable delays
- Specific materials: brand, size, color or quality
- You can cancel within 3 days of signing by mailing notice before midnight of the third day
When do I need a building permit in the City of San Diego?
City of San Diego: permit or no permit?
| Project | Permit needed | No permit |
|---|---|---|
| Painting, wallpaper, flooring, cabinets | - | Exempt |
| Swap light fixtures, switches, outlets, appliances | - | Exempt |
| Add a circuit, replace a water heater, install HVAC | Yes | - |
| Storage shed or playhouse | Over 120 sq ft | 120 sq ft or less |
| Deck | Over 200 sq ft, over 30 in. high, or serves an exit door | Under 200 sq ft and 30 in. or lower |
| Fence | - | Up to 7 ft (max 6 ft in front setback, 3 ft in visibility areas) |
| Retaining wall | Over 3 ft above footing or holding a load | 3 ft or less |
| Re-roof | If roof structure changes | Simple re-roof |
| Windows and exterior doors (house) | If the opening changes | Same wall and opening |
| Solar panels, in-ground pools | Always | - |
| Like-for-like repair | $1,000 or more | Under $1,000 |
Painting, wallpaper, flooring, cabinets
- Permit needed
- -
- No permit
- Exempt
Swap light fixtures, switches, outlets, appliances
- Permit needed
- -
- No permit
- Exempt
Add a circuit, replace a water heater, install HVAC
- Permit needed
- Yes
- No permit
- -
Storage shed or playhouse
- Permit needed
- Over 120 sq ft
- No permit
- 120 sq ft or less
Deck
- Permit needed
- Over 200 sq ft, over 30 in. high, or serves an exit door
- No permit
- Under 200 sq ft and 30 in. or lower
Fence
- Permit needed
- -
- No permit
- Up to 7 ft (max 6 ft in front setback, 3 ft in visibility areas)
Retaining wall
- Permit needed
- Over 3 ft above footing or holding a load
- No permit
- 3 ft or less
Re-roof
- Permit needed
- If roof structure changes
- No permit
- Simple re-roof
Windows and exterior doors (house)
- Permit needed
- If the opening changes
- No permit
- Same wall and opening
Solar panels, in-ground pools
- Permit needed
- Always
- No permit
- -
Like-for-like repair
- Permit needed
- $1,000 or more
- No permit
- Under $1,000
Source: City of San Diego Development Services, 'When Is a Permit Required?', checked Nov 3, 2026. Historic properties need extra review even for small changes. Simple jobs on a house or duplex can often use a No-Plan permit on the city's Accela portal; owner-builders add form DS-3042.
Replacing a water heater needs a permit in the City of San Diego.
How do I look up past permits on a San Diego house?
Search the address in the City's Permit Finder map or OpenDSD, which cover permits from 2003 on. For older ministerial permits, go in person to Development Services and use the self-service stations (no appointment), or file a Public Records Act request with the address or parcel number. Copies cost $0.25 a page. The city has no records from before 1955, and architectural plans need the designer's written consent to copy. To report unpermitted work, call the city's Building & Land Use Enforcement division at 619-236-5500.
Is this still right?
We last checked this tip against its sources on November 3, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.
Prices, fees, hours and rules change, often at the start of a year or season. Confirm with the official source linked below before you rely on a number.
This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
Contractors State License Board · Checked November 3, 2026
Three bids, (800) 321-2752, HIS registration, $25,000 bond, workers' comp
Contractors State License Board · Checked November 3, 2026
10%/$1,000 down payment rule, blanket bond exception, contract contents, 3-day cancel, written contract over $500
Contractors State License Board · 2024
Minor work exemption $500 to $1,000 effective Jan. 1, 2025; no permit, no workers
- PrimaryWhen Is a Permit Required?
City of San Diego Development Services · Checked November 3, 2026
Permit vs exempt list
- PrimaryPermits FAQs
City of San Diego Development Services · Checked November 3, 2026
Accela portal, DS-3042, two business days, expiration rules, BLUE 619-236-5500
- PrimaryPublic Records Act Requests
City of San Diego Development Services · Checked November 3, 2026
OpenDSD/Accela since 2003, pre-2003 self-service, $0.25/page, no records before 1955
City of San Diego · November 17, 2023
1 million+ permits searchable by address, APN or permit number