The CSLB SWIFT Lead Referral Form is a one-page PDF you use to report an active, unlicensed construction job to California’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team. Download it in English or Spanish from the Contractors State License Board website, fill it out on your computer or by hand, and send it by email, fax, or mail to the SWIFT regional office that covers the county where the work is happening. Timing matters: SWIFT prioritizes leads on job sites where the crew is still working, so the sooner the form goes in, the better the chance investigators can respond while there’s still something to see.
Make Sure SWIFT Is the Right Team
SWIFT handles a narrow slice of contractor complaints. The team targets unlicensed people actively working on a job that requires a building permit, uses employee labor, or involves a combined labor-and-materials cost of $1,000 or more. SWIFT also looks at licensed contractors who skip a required building permit.1Contractors State License Board. How Can I Report Unlicensed Contractors Shoddy workmanship, overcharging, and contract disputes with a licensed contractor go through CSLB’s regular complaint process, not this form.
What to Gather From the Job Site First
The form is only as useful as the detail you put in it. Investigators act on specifics. Before you open the PDF, try to capture:
- The project’s street address, or the nearest cross streets and landmarks if the house number isn’t visible.
- The type of work in progress: roofing, plumbing, framing, electrical, concrete, and so on. This tells CSLB which license classification is being bypassed.
- How many workers are on-site.
- How long the crew has been working at the location and roughly how much work appears to be left.
- Vehicle details: make, model, color, year, and license plate for every truck or van at the site.2Contractors State License Board. SWIFT Lead Referral Form
- A physical description of the person running the job: sex, race, approximate age, height, weight, hair color.
- Any business name or identifying marks visible on vehicles, shirts, yard signs, or business cards.
You don’t need every field. At a minimum, investigators need the address, the type of work, and some way to identify the suspect, whether by name, vehicle, or physical description.
Filling Out the Form Section by Section
The form is divided into four blocks. You can type into the fillable PDF or print and write by hand.
Suspect Information
Start with what you know about the person or business running the job. If a license number is displayed on a truck, sign, or bid, write it down; CSLB can quickly tell whether the number is valid, expired, or belongs to someone else. If none is displayed, check the “Unlicensed” box. Fill in name, business name, address, phone, and email to the extent you can. Partial information still helps. A first name plus a plate number gives investigators a starting point.2Contractors State License Board. SWIFT Lead Referral Form
Suspect Description
This block is for the physical description of the person in charge at the site, meaning whoever is directing the crew rather than every worker on it. Fields include sex, race, approximate age, height, weight, hair color, driver’s license number, date of birth, and Social Security number. Most reporters won’t know the last three. That’s fine. Describe what you can observe from a reasonable distance. The vehicle fields (plate, make, model, color, year) also sit in this section, and the plate is often the single most useful piece of identifying information on the whole form.
Project Information
Check whether the project is residential or commercial, and whether the suspect appears to be the prime contractor or a subcontractor. Enter the project address, cross streets, and the property owner’s name and phone number if you know them. The most important fields here are the type of work and the two time-sensitivity fields: how long the suspect has been on-site and how much longer they’re expected to stay. A note that says “crew has been here two days and looks like they have a week of work left” is far more actionable than “I saw some guys working last month.”2Contractors State License Board. SWIFT Lead Referral Form
If the suspect is licensed but you believe they’re committing a different violation, such as working outside their classification or skipping a required permit, describe the alleged violation in the designated field instead of checking “Unlicensed.”
Reporting Party Information
Enter your name, address, phone, and email so investigators can follow up if they need clarification. There’s a “Remain Confidential” checkbox; select “Yes” if you don’t want your identity shared with the suspect. You’ll also indicate how you encountered the situation: Public, Industry, Government, or Other. Licensed contractors reporting competitors who undercut them by skipping licensing and insurance are a major source of SWIFT leads, so “Industry” is a common and perfectly appropriate selection.2Contractors State License Board. SWIFT Lead Referral Form
Where to Send the Completed Form
California has three SWIFT offices. Send your form to the one that covers the county where the construction is happening, not where you live or where the suspect’s business is based.1Contractors State License Board. How Can I Report Unlicensed Contractors
- Northern SWIFT: Alameda, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, and most counties north of Fresno. Email swiftnorth@cslb.ca.gov. Fax (916) 369-7265. Mail 9821 Business Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95827. Phone (916) 255-2924.
- Central SWIFT: Fresno, Kern, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Tulare, and surrounding counties. Email swiftcentral@cslb.ca.gov. Mail 1277 E. Alluvial Avenue, Suite 106, Fresno, CA 93720. Phone (559) 490-0580.
- Southern SWIFT: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura, and Imperial counties. Email swiftsouth@cslb.ca.gov. Fax (562) 466-6065. Mail 12501 East Imperial Highway, Suite 610, Norwalk, CA 90650. Phone (562) 345-7600.1Contractors State License Board. How Can I Report Unlicensed Contractors
Email is the fastest route. Attach the completed PDF, and include any photos you took of the job site, vehicles, or business signage. If you’re not sure which office covers a particular county, call any of the three numbers and they can redirect you.
What to Expect After You Submit
SWIFT reviews each lead to decide whether to send investigators for an undercover visit or a multi-agency site sweep. Leads describing work still in progress get priority because they allow for on-the-spot inspections and stop-work orders. A lead on a project that wrapped up weeks ago may still be reviewed, but it’s unlikely to produce the kind of immediate enforcement that catches a violator in the act.
Don’t expect a call the next day. SWIFT doesn’t typically provide status updates on individual leads, though you may hear something if your lead results in a formal citation or administrative action. If investigators need more detail, they’ll contact you using the information you provided. Keep a copy of what you submitted, along with any photos, notes, or timestamps, in case they ask you to clarify what you observed.
In cases involving criminal fraud or significant safety hazards, SWIFT can bring in law enforcement partners. Citations issued through this process become public records, which other consumers and contractors can later find through CSLB’s license-lookup tool.