Obtaining A C-54 Ceramic Tile License For California

tile4u

Any help would be great appreciated

OK. I have been installing tile for about 10 yrs if not more. I started with my uncle and when he moved to the east coast about 8 yrs ago I continued as a side business. Ive been working mainly off of referalls and mainly on the weekends because I have a full time job. Ive had 5 jobs this year and its mainly because I cant advertise because I dont have a license. Here is my delema. I want nothing more to start the process of getting my license but as I read the rules for california it looks like Im stuck. I dont have a contractor that I know that can complete the work certificate and Ive never worked for anyone but myself so how can I show proof of work? Can I send the state contractors board referrals and pictures of the work Ive completed? Any suggestions?

Thanks

jensenconstruction

Here you go direct from the CSLB website. you can find it here http://www.cslb.ca.gov/applicants/blueprint.asp



Experience Requirements
7. What kind of experience is required for a contractor's license?

You must have at least four years of experience is required to qualify to take the examination. Credit for experience is given only for experience at a journey level or as a foreman, supervising employee, contractor, or owner-builder. These are defined as follows:

A journeyman is a person who has completed an apprenticeship program or is an experienced worker, not a trainee, and is fully qualified and able to perform the trade without supervision.

A foreman or supervisor is a person who has the knowledge and skill of a journeyman and directly supervises physical construction.

A contractor is a person who manages the daily activities of a construction business, including field supervision.

An owner-builder is a person who has the knowledge and skills of a journeyman and who performs work on his or her own property.

All experience claims must be verified by a qualified and responsible person, such as a homeowner, an employer, fellow employee, other journeyman, contractor, union representative, building inspector, architect, or engineer. The person verifying your claim must have firsthand knowledge of your experience--that is, he or she must have observed the work that you have done--and must complete the experience certification portion of the application. Even if you provide a certification of your experience, be prepared to furnish documentation of any experience you claim on the application whenever such documentation is requested. The failure to provide this documentation will result in rejection of your application or denial of the license.

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Jensen Construction & Painting
San Francisco Bay area Remodeling
Bay area Painting

747

i'm pretty sure a ceramic tile guy doesn't have to be licensed here in Illinois. I also find it hard to believe the majority of tile jobs in california is done with a C-54 Ceramic Tile License for California. Ive seen some of those flip to sell shows in California those tiles guys don't even look like they speak english.

jensenconstruction

I can't speak for everyone else, but I only use licensed tile contractors on my jobs.

__________________
Jensen Construction & Painting
San Francisco Bay area Remodeling
Bay area Painting

tile4u

I guess what my main question is what are the experience issues that I may face with the board. Will they take my past customers referrals with photos of my work? Thats really all I have.

send_it_all

what they will want is a form that they give you, signed by 3 different people in the trade, stating that they will vouch for you that you have the experience and ability to perform the work covered by the license. If you know a few contractors, or a foreman you've worked for in the past, who will sign for you, that will be good. I also highly recommend going through a contractor's license exam course. I would go as far as to say that it is almost impossible to pass the test without it. There is alot more to the test than knowing how to do your trade. The test is made up of MOSTLY contractor law questions, most of which are deadlines for filing liens and preliminary notices and things like that which are not common knowledge. As a side note...not that I condone it, but it is not illegal to advertise without a contractors license as long as you state in the ad that you are unlicensed. It is also legal to work unlicensed, as long as the job/invoice is under $500 in labor and materials. That is how handymen get around licensing...they do as big a job as they want and then divide them into a bunch of small invoices.

tile4u

Thanks for the information...This is what i was affraid off. I dont know any contractors or foremans because I steared away from them Because Im not licensed and they probably wouldnt use me because Im not licensed even though I have years of expierance. I cant go work for a tile guy who is going to pay me much less than what I make at my full time job. I wonder if I could contact a contractor to see if he would be willing to come by one of my jobs and verify my work for a small fee. Who knows. Thanks again for your insight on this.

send_it_all

Not a problem...good luck.

Floordude

That's kind of crazy. If someone came to me to get a paper signed saying they were now going to be a newbie, and my competition, I don't think my gut feeling would let me sign it.

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L. B. Condulet

Not true. It is legal for unlicensed contractors to advertise in California and as of 2005 you no longer need to include a disclaimer that you are unlicensed. Just don't accept any jobs over $500 and you are just fine.

L. B. Condulet

Here in Los Angeles, none of the tile setters are licensed. I'm talking Remodel/Addition type work, showers, counter tops, etc. Probably fewer than 50% of the subs on small jobs are licensed. From what I've observed, if you do good work at a low price (a nearly impossible task by the way) you will be in great demand.