Determine which California contractor license (C-46 vs C-10) qualifies a business to sell and install residential solar PV
domain: solar.licensing · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Steps
Confirm that CSLB permits any of three license types to sell/install solar PV or solar thermal systems of any size: C-46 (Solar), C-10 (Electrical, PV-endorsed), or Class B General Building
For a new C-46 applicant, verify the core requirements: 18+ years old, four years of verifiable journey-level experience within the past 10 years, and passing both the Law & Business exam and the C-46 trade exam through CSLB's testing vendor (PSI)
Secure the required $25,000 contractor bond before the license can be issued
Budget for CSLB's current application fee (listed at $450 for an original single-classification application) plus any additional bonding/insurance costs
For C-10 electrical contractors performing PV work, confirm all personnel doing electrical work on the job are certified electricians or registered electrician trainees per CSLB electrical certification rules
Known gotchas
C-46, C-10, and Class B are all independently sufficient to install solar in California — a business doesn't need all three, but must hold at least one appropriate classification
License fees, bond amounts, and exam requirements are set by CSLB and can be revised — verify current figures at cslb.ca.gov before advising a new applicant
This research did not turn up specific verified details on any 'SB 379' solar-licensing change — do not assume such a law altered these requirements without checking CSLB's current published rules directly
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