What the State File Says About California Roofing Contractors
On Sep 24, 2026, 5,524 of the 5,782 California licenses with the C-39 Roofing class, 95.5%, had no suspension. Missing workers' comp caused most suspensions: 187 of 258. Among active licenses, 99.5% have coverage on file, and the median license is 10.0 years old.1,2
C-39 licenses with status CLEAROf 5,524 active C-39 licenses, one lists a no-employees exemption. For active C-10 electrical licenses, which may still claim it, the share is 49.9%.1 The rule shows in the data. So do its gaps: 28 active roofing licenses show no current coverage, and 119 carry a pending workers' comp suspension. One in three active licenses, 33.3%, was issued less than 5 years ago.
What the status column says
The License Master file lists licenses that are renewed, or expired but still renewable.2 No C-39 record in our snapshot has an expiration date before Sep 24, 2026. CLEAR means the record shows no suspension. CSLB treats work done during a suspension as unlicensed.3 How to read one record: Reading a CSLB License Record.
| Primary status | Licenses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| CLEAR (no suspension) | 5,524 | 95.5% |
| Workers' comp suspension | 187 | 3.2% |
| Contractor bond suspension | 44 | 0.8% |
| Liability insurance suspension | 7 | 0.1% |
| Other suspensions (10 types) | 20 | 0.3% |
| All licenses with this class | 5,782 | 100.0% |
For electricians, bond suspensions lead instead. See What the State File Says About California Electrical Contractors. Bond rules are in Contractor Bonds.
The rule for roofers
Business and Professions Code section 7125 requires a workers' comp certificate or a no-employees exemption for each license. The exemption is not open to C-39 holders.5,3 A roofing licensee must carry workers' comp even with no employees.3
The rule began as a temporary one. AB 2305 extended it to January 1, 2013.6 AB 2219 removed the end date, so it has applied without a sunset since then.7 Since January 1, 2023, the same rule also covers C-8, C-20, C-22 and D-49.4 For all other classes, SB 1455 (2024) set the date at January 1, 2028.4
Workers' comp in the snapshot
| Coverage on file | Licenses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance policy on file | 5,075 | 91.9% |
| Workers supplied by a leasing firm or temp agency | 387 | 7.0% |
| No current coverage on file | 28 | 0.5% |
| Out-of-state coverage | 23 | 0.4% |
| Self-insured | 10 | 0.2% |
| Exemption (no employees certified) | 1 | under 0.1% |
387 active roofing licenses, 7.0%, list a leasing firm or temp agency. The workers are supplied by that firm, and its policy covers them.3 The share for C-10 is 1.0%.1 More on each entry: Workers' Comp on a License.
Across all statuses, 3.2% of C-39 licenses are under a workers' comp suspension. For C-10 it is 0.8%.1 Among active licenses, a pending workers' comp suspension sits on 2.2% of C-39 records and 1.2% of C-10 records.
How long licenses have existed
The median active C-39 license is 10.0 years old, counted from the issue date. One in three, 33.3%, was issued less than 5 years ago.1
| Years since issue | Licenses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years | 1,838 | 33.3% |
| 5 to 9 years | 927 | 16.8% |
| 10 to 19 years | 948 | 17.2% |
| 20 to 29 years | 771 | 14.0% |
| 30 years or more | 1,040 | 18.8% |
Where license holders' mailing addresses are
The county is the mailing address on the license.1 Los Angeles County holds 21.0% of active C-39 licenses. Together with Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino, the five counties hold 48.4%.
Alpine, Sierra and Trinity counties have no active C-39 license at a local mailing address. Roofers based elsewhere can still work there. Another 153 active licenses, 2.8%, have a mailing address outside California.
| County | Active C-39 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1,162 | 21.0% |
| Orange | 456 | 8.3% |
| San Diego | 403 | 7.3% |
| Riverside | 347 | 6.3% |
| San Bernardino | 307 | 5.6% |
| Sacramento | 281 | 5.1% |
| Santa Clara | 223 | 4.0% |
| Alameda | 203 | 3.7% |
| Ventura | 167 | 3.0% |
| Contra Costa | 164 | 3.0% |
| Fresno | 127 | 2.3% |
| Placer | 104 | 1.9% |
| San Mateo | 95 | 1.7% |
| San Joaquin | 91 | 1.6% |
| Sonoma | 89 | 1.6% |
| Kern | 85 | 1.5% |
| Santa Barbara | 82 | 1.5% |
| Stanislaus | 80 | 1.4% |
| San Francisco | 75 | 1.4% |
| El Dorado | 73 | 1.3% |
| Monterey | 62 | 1.1% |
| Tulare | 59 | 1.1% |
| Solano | 58 | 1.0% |
| Santa Cruz | 55 | 1.0% |
| San Luis Obispo | 51 | 0.9% |
| Shasta | 49 | 0.9% |
| Butte | 45 | 0.8% |
| Mendocino | 33 | 0.6% |
| Nevada | 31 | 0.6% |
| Madera | 29 | 0.5% |
| Yolo | 27 | 0.5% |
| Merced | 24 | 0.4% |
| Napa | 23 | 0.4% |
| Marin | 21 | 0.4% |
| Humboldt | 20 | 0.4% |
| Sutter | 18 | 0.3% |
| Yuba | 16 | 0.3% |
| Calaveras | 15 | 0.3% |
| Tuolumne | 15 | 0.3% |
| San Benito | 14 | 0.3% |
| Amador | 12 | 0.2% |
| Lake | 12 | 0.2% |
| Tehama | 10 | 0.2% |
| Imperial | 9 | 0.2% |
| Siskiyou | 9 | 0.2% |
| Glenn | 7 | 0.1% |
| Lassen | 7 | 0.1% |
| Kings | 6 | 0.1% |
| Inyo | 5 | 0.1% |
| Mono | 4 | 0.1% |
| Plumas | 4 | 0.1% |
| Del Norte | 3 | 0.1% |
| Mariposa | 2 | under 0.1% |
| Colusa | 1 | under 0.1% |
| Modoc | 1 | under 0.1% |
| Alpine | 0 | 0.0% |
| Sierra | 0 | 0.0% |
| Trinity | 0 | 0.0% |
| Mailing address outside California | 153 | 2.8% |
All active C-39 licenses | 5,524 | 100.0% |
One license, several classes
33.2% of active C-39 licenses hold another class too. B General Building appears on 26.8%, and C-10 on 247.1 Corporations hold 62.1% of active roofing licenses; sole owners hold 30.3%. Class scopes: California License Classifications. Permit rules for a new roof: Reroofing Rules.
This is one snapshot, taken Sep 24, 2026. Status and coverage can change any day; check a single license on the CSLB site before you hire. The county is the mailing address, not where the work is done. A business can hold many classes, so C-39 counts overlap with other trades. A policy on file does not show that it covers every worker on your roof. We publish totals only, never names or license numbers. Roofing work by someone without a license: Unlicensed Contracting.
Sources
- Legit Pages analysis of the CSLB License Master file, snapshot Sep 24, 2026 (244,908 license records). Counts by classification, status, county, workers' compensation type and issue date.
- Contractors State License Board, Master List of California Licensed Contractors (License Master file), https://www.cslb.ca.gov/onlineservices/dataportal/ContractorList.aspx, file downloaded Sep 24, 2026, page checked Oct 7, 2026.
- Contractors State License Board, Workers' Compensation, https://www.cslb.ca.gov/Contractors/Maintain_License/Workers_Compensation.aspx, accessed Oct 7, 2026.
- Contractors State License Board, Workers' Compensation Insurance Stakeholder Meeting packet, Nov 19, 2024 (SB 216, Chapter 978, Statutes of 2022; SB 1455, Chapter 485, Statutes of 2024), https://www.cslb.ca.gov/Resources/StakeholderAgendas/2024/WC_Stakeholder_Meeting_Agenda,_Packet_Nov_2024.pdf, accessed Oct 7, 2026.
- California Business and Professions Code section 7125, California Legislative Information, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=7125.&lawCode=BPC.
- Assembly Bill 2305 (Knight, 2010), enrolled text and Legislative Counsel's Digest, https://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_2301-2350/ab_2305_bill_20100830_enrolled.html, accessed Oct 7, 2026.
- Assembly Bill 2219 (Knight, 2012), enrolled text and Legislative Counsel's Digest, https://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_2201-2250/ab_2219_bill_20120831_enrolled.html, accessed Oct 7, 2026.