How to get an A General Engineering license in California
Who qualifies, what CSLB asks for, the two exams you sit, what it all costs, in the order it happens.
What an A license covers
A general engineering contractor's principal contracting business is in connection with fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge and skill, such as irrigation, drainage, flood control, tunnels, highways, streets and roads, bridges, sewers, pipelines, land leveling and earthmoving, excavating, grading, trenching, paving and surfacing work, and cement and concrete works in connection with those fixed works.
Source: Business and Professions Code §7056 (as printed in the CSLB Description of Classifications).
You apply for the classification your experience is in, and the A exam is the trade exam for that classification. Already licensed in another classification? Adding A takes only the A exam, not Law and Business again.
Who qualifies
Every license has a qualifier: the person who directly supervises and controls the construction work done under it. That can be you, or someone else who meets the bar on your behalf. For A, the qualifier must:
- be at least 18 years old;
- have a valid Social Security number or an ITIN;
- have four years of at least journey-level experience in the last 10 years in general engineering work: as a journeyperson, foreperson, supervising employee or contractor.
You can shorten the four years, but not all of it. CSLB may credit a completed apprenticeship, technical training or accredited education toward part of the experience, with certificates and transcripts sent in with the application. Every qualifier must still show at least one year of practical journey-level experience. A randomly selected share of applications is checked, so line up the people who can certify your general engineering experience before you apply.
The two exams: Law and Business and A
A first license takes two computer-based exams at a PSI test center: Law and Business, the same for every classification, and the A trade exam. Both are closed book, multiple choice with four options and one best answer, and each allows 3½ hours. CSLB does not publish how many questions either exam has.
CSLB’s study guide splits the A exam into 8 sections:
| Section / What it covers | Share |
|---|---|
| Planning and Estimating Reviewing plans and specifications; code compliance; evaluating job sites; coordinating projects with other trades; estimating costs for materials, equipment, and labor. | 15% |
| Structural Principles Constructing structures; seismic requirements; basic engineering. | 6% |
| Earthwork and Surveying Surveying job sites; preparing job sites; assessing soil conditions; assessing soil compaction and expansion. | 15% |
| Subsurface, Surface, and Elevated Piping Work Shoring and sloping excavations; preventing erosion; tunneling, drilling, and boring; installing pipelines; connecting and testing systems; connecting dry utilities. | 21% |
| Foundation and Concrete Construction Constructing forms and falsework; placing and finishing concrete; installing pilings and foundations. | 11% |
| Buildings, Structures, and Related Work Installing mechanical systems; installing plumbing pipes; installing electrical systems; demolition, disposal, and recycling. | 9% |
| Roadwork and Paving Base for highways, roads, and parking lots. | 5% |
| Safety Personnel and job site safety; personal protective equipment (PPE); hazardous material safety. | 18% |
CSLB License Examination Study Guide, General Engineering (A), form 13E-A (03-2026), for examinations scheduled on or after February 1, 2025. CSLB notes that the percentages are approximate.
Spanish: CSLB gives the A exam in English only; it is not one of the exams translated into Spanish. You can ask for an approved translator with CSLB’s Translator Form, requested in advance. How the translator rules work.
Step by step
- Check you qualify. Four years of journey-level general engineering experience in the last 10 years, age 18+, an SSN or ITIN.
- Apply with $450. Send CSLB’s application for the A classification with the non-refundable $450 processing fee. Do not send the bond or the license fee yet. Field 16 is where you ask for a Spanish exam or a translator.
- Fingerprints. Once CSLB accepts the application, every person listed on it submits fingerprints through a Live Scan site for the DOJ and FBI background check.
- Asbestos open book exam. Every applicant completes CSLB’s open book exam on asbestos abatement standards before a license can be issued. It is on the CSLB website.
- Book and pass both exams. After the Notice to Schedule an Examination, book Law and Business and the A exam with PSI, $51.43 per exam for every attempt. You have 18 months from the day CSLB accepts the application, and 21 days to wait after a fail.
- Bond and workers’ compensation. File a $25,000 contractor’s bond (you pay a premium to a surety, not $25,000). Workers’ compensation insurance is required as soon as you have employees.
- License fee. Pay the initial license fee: $200 for a sole owner, $350 for any other business. The license is issued when CSLB has everything.
What an A license costs
The fees are the same for every classification. Here is what you pay to get from application to an A license:
| Fee | Paid to | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Application processing fee (non-refundable) | CSLB | $450 |
| Exam fee, Law and Business + A, first attempt | PSI | $102.86 |
| Fingerprints: Department of Justice + FBI | Live Scan site | $32 + $17 |
| Live Scan rolling fee | Live Scan site | varies |
| Initial license fee, sole owner (other businesses $350) | CSLB | $200 |
| $25,000 bond premium | Surety company | varies |
| Fixed fees, sole owner | $801.86 + … |
So plan on $801.86 in fixed fees ($951.86 for a business that is not a sole owner), plus the rolling fee and the bond premium. Each retake is another $51.43. The full table, with renewals: what a contractor license costs.
Sources: CSLB fee list, PSI candidate bulletins 2026, CSLB bond requirements.
How to study for the A exam
CSLB publishes a free study guide for every exam, with the outline above and the list of references the A questions are written from. Get it from CSLB’s study guides page. The references it lists for A:
- 2025 California Building Code (California Code of Regulations, Title 24)
- 2025 California Electrical Code (California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 3)
- 2025 California Plumbing Code (California Code of Regulations, Title 24)
- ACI CODE-318-19(22): Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (American Concrete Institute)
- California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Part 6: Temporary Traffic Control (Caltrans)
- Excavation and Grading Handbook (Craftsman Book Company)
- Fundamentals of Building Construction: Methods and Materials (Edward Allen, Joseph Iano; Wiley)
- Moving the Earth: Excavation Equipment, Methods, Safety, and Cost (McGraw-Hill Professional)
- Standard Plans and Standard Specifications (Caltrans)
- Cal/OSHA General Industry, Construction and Electrical Safety Orders, 2025 (California Code of Regulations, Title 8)
Our A course has 1,147 practice questions across the 8 sections, in English and Spanish, each answer with a plain explanation and its source, plus full-length practice exams of about 115 questions against the 3½-hour clock (CSLB does not publish the exact number). Start with the free 25-question A test: it scores you section by section. Or read 10 A exam questions with answers first.
Common questions
How many years of experience do I need for an A license?
Four years of at least journey-level experience in the last 10 years, in general engineering work, as a journeyperson, foreperson, supervising employee or contractor. Apprenticeship, technical training or accredited education can count for part of it, but at least one year must be practical journey-level work.
Do I need the Law and Business exam for A?
For a first license, yes: CSLB requires Law and Business from almost every applicant in addition to the A exam. If you already hold a license and are adding A, you take only the A exam.
Can I take the A exam in Spanish?
No. CSLB gives the A exam in English only. You can ask CSLB in advance for an approved translator with its Translator Form.
How much does an A license cost?
$801.86 in fixed fees for a sole owner: the $450 application, $51.43 per exam at PSI for Law and Business and A, $32 + $17 for fingerprints and the $200 initial license fee. Add the Live Scan rolling fee and the premium on the $25,000 bond. A business that is not a sole owner pays $350 for the license instead of $200.
Do I need workers' compensation insurance for A?
Only if you have employees: California requires every employer to carry it, even with one employee. Without employees you file an exemption with CSLB.
Last reviewed 14 October 2026 against CSLB’s Get Licensed to Build, the A study guide, its Examinations FAQ, its fee list. Requirements change; confirm at cslb.ca.gov before acting. This is study guidance, not legal advice, and we are not affiliated with CSLB or PSI.