C-29 Masonry exam questions, with answers

10 practice questions for the CSLB Masonry trade exam, each with the answer, a plain explanation and the source it rests on.

From our free C-29 test · Updated 14 October 2026

These are not real exam questions. CSLB does not release its test questions or answer keys, and nobody else has them. We write our own questions from the C-29 outline and the codes, standards and references CSLB lists for the exam. Each answer names its source so you can check it.

The C-29 exam has 7 sections. The questions below are grouped by section, with the share of the exam each one carries. Read the question, pick an answer, then open “Show the answer”. The other questions of the free test, scored section by section, are in the free 25-question C-29 test.

Planning and Estimating · 15% of the exam

Planning projects and scope of work; reading plans and specifications; identifying and calculating material needs; identifying and calculating labor and equipment needs.

1. Your crew has just rebuilt the brick chimney on a house, and the owner asks you to add one more task to the contract. Under the C-29 Masonry classification (16 CCR 832.29), which added task is part of your license as work incidental to the masonry?

  1. Applying a tinted elastomeric paint to the new brickwork
  2. Applying a clear water repellent to the new brickwork
  3. Installing new asphalt shingles around the chimney base
  4. Setting glazed ceramic wall tile on the new hearth face
Show the answer

Answer: B. 16 CCR 832.29 includes clear waterproofing, cleaning and caulking incidental to masonry construction, so a clear water repellent on your own brickwork fits. A pigmented paint is not clear waterproofing, the classification covers ceramic veneer but expressly not tile, and roofing shingles are not masonry work.

Source: 16 CCR 832.29, CSLB C-29 Masonry Contractor classification (16 CCR 832.29)

2. You are writing the purchase order for face brick to match a wall section drawn with modular brick. According to BIA Technical Note 10, which set of brick dimensions belongs in the purchase order and the project specifications?

  1. Specified dimensions: the intended manufactured size, without the joint
  2. Actual dimensions: the size measured on sample brick from the plant
  3. Nominal dimensions: the brick size plus its intended mortar joint
  4. Coursing dimensions: the height of three courses with their joints
Show the answer

Answer: A. BIA Technical Note 10 says specified dimensions are the anticipated manufactured dimensions without mortar, and they are the ones used in project specifications and purchase orders. Nominal dimensions add the intended joint and are a quick way to name a size; actual dimensions are what the brick measures as made, within the ASTM tolerance of the specified size.

Source: BIA Technical Note 10, Nominal, Specified and Actual Dimensions

Job Site Preparation · 16% of the exam

Pre-construction activities; water management; reinforcement and bracing; job site preparation.

3. A CMU wall for a dwelling will start on a footing whose top dips 1 in at one corner, and the mason wants to fill the dip with extra mortar in the first bed joint. The project drawings give no special joint thickness. What does 2025 CRC R606.3.1 allow?

  1. No; the starting bed joint must be at least 1/4 in and at most 3/4 in
  2. Yes; the starting bed joint may be up to 1 1/4 in over a footing
  3. No; the starting bed joint must match the 3/8-in joints above it
  4. Yes; the starting bed joint may be up to 1 in if it is Type S mortar
Show the answer

Answer: A. 2025 CRC R606.3.1 sets head and bed joints at 3/8 in, except that the bed joint of the starting course over a foundation may be not less than 1/4 in and not more than 3/4 in. A 1-in bed joint is too thick, so the dip must be dealt with another way. The code gives no extra allowance for mortar type, and the 3/8-in joint size does not apply to the starting course.

Source: 2025 CRC R606.3.1 Bed and head joints, 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)

4. Your crew stops for a long weekend with a freestanding brick wall laid to full height, but the cap stones will not arrive until next week. According to BIA Technical Note 7B, how far down each face of the wall should the cover over the top extend?

  1. 6 in
  2. 12 in
  3. 18 in
  4. 24 in
Show the answer

Answer: D. BIA Technical Note 7B says the tops of walls should be covered when the mason's work is finished and no permanent coping is attached yet, with coverings extending 24 in down the vertical face on each side. The cover stays until the wall is completed or protected, which keeps excess water out and lowers the risk of efflorescence.

Source: BIA Technical Note 7B, Protection of Unfinished Brickwork, BIA Technical Note 7B, Water Penetration Resistance - Construction and Workmanship

Masonry Wall and Building Installation and Repair · 14% of the exam

Building CMU walls and buildings; repairing and reconstructing historical masonry structures; building and repairing retaining walls; cleaning masonry walls and buildings.

5. A scaffold plank swings into a brick that your mason laid a few minutes ago in a dwelling's new wall, and the brick shifts so that the mortar bond under it is clearly broken. Under 2025 CRC R606.3.2, what must be done with that brick?

  1. Remove the brick and relay it in fresh mortar, not the mortar already there
  2. Wedge it with a shim and fill the joint behind it with grout from above
  3. Press it back to the line and rub fresh mortar into the open joint beside it
  4. Leave it in place, since the weight of the wall above will reseat it later
Show the answer

Answer: A. 2025 CRC R606.3.2 says any unit disturbed to the point that its initial bond is broken after placement must be removed and relaid in fresh mortar. Pressing it back and adding mortar beside it, counting on the wall's weight, or wedging and grouting all leave a joint without a sound bond.

Source: 2025 CRC R606.3.2 Masonry unit placement, 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)

Decorative Masonry Installation and Repair · 11% of the exam

Installing flatwork and staircases; installing precast masonry; installing glass block; repairing and cleaning decorative masonry.

6. A crew building a concrete paver driveway to the CMHA PAV-TEC-009 guide specification has just laid a new section of pavers on the bedding sand. The foreman wants to run a skid steer carrying a pallet of pavers over it before the first pass of the plate compactor and before the joint sand goes in. What does the guide specification say?

  1. Allow it, if plywood sheets are laid over the new pavers to spread the wheel loads
  2. Allow it, if the machine has rubber tires and carries a light pallet of pavers
  3. Keep skid steer and forklift equipment off until the pavers have initial compaction and joint sand
  4. Allow it once the bedding sand has dried out, so compaction can wait until later
Show the answer

Answer: C. CMHA PAV-TEC-009 says to keep skid steer and forklift equipment off newly laid pavers that have not received initial compaction and joint sand. Plywood, rubber tires, a light pallet or dry bedding sand do not change that: the pavers must be compacted and sand-filled first.

Source: CMHA PAV-TEC-009, 3.04 H Installation, CMHA Tech Note PAV-TEC-009, Guide Specification for the Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavement

Masonry Veneer and Stone Installation and Repair · 14% of the exam

Installing adhered veneers; installing anchored veneers; installing dimensional stone veneers; repairing and cleaning veneer installations.

7. Adhered manufactured stone will cover the wood-stud walls of a CRC dwelling. One wall ends at a soil planting bed; another ends at a concrete driveway that is not on the house foundation. Under 2025 CRC R703.12.1, what minimum clearances apply?

  1. 2 in above the soil and 4 in above the driveway
  2. 4 in above the soil and 2 in above the driveway
  3. 4 in above the soil and 1/2 in above the driveway
  4. 6 in above the soil and 2 in above the driveway
Show the answer

Answer: B. 2025 CRC R703.12.1 requires adhered masonry veneer on exterior stud walls to stop at least 4 in above the earth and at least 2 in above paved areas. The 1/2-in clearance is only for walking surfaces supported by the same foundation as the wall, which this driveway is not.

Source: 2025 CRC R703.12.1 Clearances, 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)

Fireplace, Chimney, and Outdoor Cooking Area Installation and Repair · 10% of the exam

Fireplace construction requirements; barbecue and fire pit construction requirements.

8. You are building a new masonry chimney for a house under the 2025 CRC. Under R1003.9, which pair of height rules must the top of the chimney meet?

  1. 3 ft above where it passes through the roof, and 2 ft above any part of the building within 10 ft
  2. 3 ft above where it passes through the roof, and 2 ft above any part of the building within 20 ft
  3. 2 ft above where it passes through the roof, and 3 ft above any part of the building within 10 ft
  4. 4 ft above where it passes through the roof, and 3 ft above any part of the building within 10 ft
Show the answer

Answer: A. 2025 CRC R1003.9 requires a chimney to extend at least 2 ft higher than any portion of a building within 10 ft, and at least 3 ft above the highest point where it passes through the roof. Both rules apply, and the one that gives the taller chimney governs.

Source: 2025 CRC R1003.9 Termination, 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)

Personnel and Job Site Safety · 20% of the exam

Cal/OSHA safety requirements; elevated work; handling and fabrication of stone slabs; disposal of contaminated materials.

9. Your masons will build a 9-ft-high block wall with scaffolding on one face and open, level ground on the other face. Under 8 CCR 1722, how wide must the limited access zone be, measured from the base of the wall on the unscaffolded side?

  1. 18 ft
  2. 12 ft
  3. 9 ft
  4. 13 ft
Show the answer

Answer: D. 8 CCR 1722(a)(3) sets the width at the height of the wall plus 4 ft, so 9 ft + 4 ft = 13 ft, on the side that is not scaffolded. Using only the wall height (9 ft) leaves the zone too narrow.

Source: 8 CCR 1722(a)(3), Cal/OSHA Construction Safety Orders, 8 CCR 1722 Masonry Construction

10. Your shop fabricates countertops from engineered (artificial) quartz stone with well over 0.1 percent crystalline silica. The wet saw is busy, so a fabricator wants to dry-cut a short sink cutout with a grinder. Under 8 CCR 5204, as the CDPH/Cal/OSHA guide for stone fabricators explains, what applies?

  1. Dry cutting is allowed for short cuts if he wears a PAPR
  2. Dry cutting is allowed if the dust is HEPA-vacuumed afterward
  3. Dry cutting is allowed outdoors, where the dust can blow away
  4. Dry cutting is prohibited; effective wet methods must be used
Show the answer

Answer: D. For high-exposure trigger tasks on artificial stone over 0.1 percent crystalline silica, 8 CCR 5204 requires effective wet methods, and the CDPH/Cal/OSHA guide states that dry cutting and dry sweeping are prohibited. Respirators and HEPA cleanup are required in addition to wet methods, not instead of them.

Source: 8 CCR 5204(f)(2); CDPH/Cal/OSHA Guide for Stone Fabricators, CDPH/Cal/OSHA Guide for Stone Fabricators: Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (8 CCR 5204)

Where to go from here

How the license works, from experience to fees: how to get a C-29 license. Everything about the course: the C-29 exam page.

Questions from our free C-29 test, written from CSLB License Examination Study Guide, Masonry (C-29), form 13E-29 (06-2026), for examinations scheduled on or after August 1, 2026. CSLB notes that the percentages are approximate. Reviewed 14 October 2026. Study guidance only; we are not affiliated with CSLB or PSI.

The C-29 exam pageOutline, sample question, course and prices. Free C-29 test25 questions, scored by section. How to get a C-29 licenseExperience, exams, fees and pass rate. What a license costsEvery fee from application to renewal.