CSLB Contractor License Scraper, Lookup & Verification API

Search public California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) records by license number, business name, or personnel name. Review source-reported license, bond, workers' compensation, personnel, and disciplinary evidence for contractor lookup, vendor verification, compliance review, and lead research.

What data do you get?

For each contractor, the scraper returns:

• License number and status (Active, Inactive, Expired, Suspended, Revoked)
• Business name and DBA
• Business address (city, state, zip)
• Phone number
• License classifications (e.g. B - General Building, C-10 - Electrical, C-36 - Plumbing)
• Issue, expiration, and reissue dates
• Contractor bond (company, number, amount)
• Workers' compensation insurance (carrier, policy, dates, or exempt status)
• Personnel listed on the license
• Complaint/legal action disclosures
• Direct link to the CSLB detail page

How to search

By license number (fastest): Enter one or more license numbers to look up directly. No search form needed.

By business name: Enter a contractor business name (e.g. "Pacific Construction"). Returns matching results from CSLB search.

By personnel name: Leave Business Name blank, then enter a last name (and optional first name) to find licenses associated with an individual. Search fields intentionally have no saved example defaults, so they cannot hijack a different search mode.

With no search criteria, the Actor uses exact license 1098765 and returns at most one record. This deterministic fallback keeps the first run fast and bounded without inserting a visible default into buyer inputs.

Use cases

• Contractor verification: Review CSLB-reported license status before hiring or onboarding
• Construction leads: Build targeted lists of contractors returned by CSLB searches
• Compliance checks: Review source-reported bond and workers' comp evidence for vendor qualification
• Due diligence: Review complaint and legal-action disclosures alongside the linked CSLB record
• Market research: Analyze contractor density and specializations in California

Input example

{
    "licenseNumbers": ["1098765"],
    "maxResults": 1
}

Or run a broader business-name search:

{
    "businessName": "Pacific Construction",
    "maxResults": 25
}

Output example

{
    "setupStatus": "found",
    "source": "California Contractors State License Board (CSLB)",
    "retrievedAt": "2026-07-23T22:07:46Z",
    "evidenceNotice": "Point-in-time public CSLB evidence. Status, bond, insurance, personnel, and disciplinary information can change; verify the linked CSLB record and identity before relying on it.",
    "licenseNumber": "1098765",
    "businessName": "EVANS CONSOLES INCORPORATED",
    "entityType": "Corporation",
    "city": "GRAPEVINE",
    "state": "TX",
    "licenseStatus": "This license is current and active.",
    "classifications": [
        {"code": "B", "description": "GENERAL BUILDING"}
    ],
    "expirationDate": "11/30/2026",
    "hasComplaints": false,
    "detailUrl": "https://www.cslb.ca.gov/onlineservices/checklicenseII/LicenseDetail.aspx?LicNum=1098765"
}

A valid zero-result search returns an explicit setupStatus: "no_match" item with the query, source URL, retrieval time, and bounded interpretation instead of a blank dataset.

Evidence limits

Results reflect the public CSLB record available when the Actor runs. Status, bond, insurance, personnel, and disciplinary information can change. Similar names require identity checks, and a returned record is not legal advice, a complete due-diligence decision, or proof of current good standing. Review the linked CSLB detail page before relying on a result.

Pricing

Pay per event: $0.0001 per Actor start (per GB, minimum one event) plus $0.002 per contractor license record returned. No monthly fee.

Tips

• Use license number lookup when you know specific numbers -- it's fastest and bypasses search.
• Set maxResults to control costs. Default is 1; at current pricing the default run costs at most $0.0021 ($0.0001 start + one $0.002 record). If Apify supplies a run charge cap, the Actor reduces the result limit before contacting CSLB.
• CSLB has ~300,000 active licenses. Business name searches can return many results.
• The CSLB source has occasional maintenance windows. If it is unavailable, the Actor returns an explicit source_unavailable setup item rather than treating the outage as a definitive no-match.