Determine whether a California residential solar-plus-battery job requires a C-46 (Solar) or C-10 (Electrical) contractor license, or both

Steps

1. Confirm the baseline scope from CSLB's own classification page (cslb.ca.gov): C-46 Solar Contractor covers installing, modifying, maintaining, and repairing thermal and photovoltaic solar energy systems, and may not perform other construction trades except as required for that solar system
2. For battery energy storage work specifically, check CSLB's current guidance and any settlement/rulemaking status before assuming C-46 scope, since this has been actively contested and revised
3. As of the 2026 CSLB–CALSSA settlement (pending CSLB's formal rulemaking vote), C-46 contractors may install a battery up to a defined kWh threshold as part of a new solar system, add a battery up to that threshold to a solar system the same contractor originally installed, and perform maintenance on batteries they installed — verify the current threshold and any remaining restrictions directly on cslb.ca.gov before quoting a job
4. For any battery work outside that scope (e.g., larger systems, or adding storage to a system installed by a different contractor), plan to hold or subcontract to a C-10 Electrical Contractor
5. Re-check CSLB's site immediately before bidding storage-inclusive jobs, since the formal rule is still pending board action and could change the scope again