How to Fill Out CSLB Form 13A-1a: Work Experience Certification

CSLB Form 13A-11, the Certification of Work Experience, is the document you submit with your original California contractor’s license application to prove you have the hands-on trade experience the Contractors State License Board requires. You complete Part 1 yourself, then hand the form to a qualified certifier who completes Part 2 under penalty of perjury describing the specific trade duties you performed and the exact dates you performed them. The current version is revised 12/2024 and downloads free from the CSLB website.¹

Fill the form out in ink or type it. Pencil gets the form returned.²

The Experience the Form Has to Document

The form has to show at least four years of journey-level experience in the specific classification you are applying for, with all of that experience falling inside the last ten years.³ Journey-level means you can perform the trade without supervision or have completed an apprenticeship. Experience as a foreman, supervising employee, contractor, or owner-builder also qualifies, because each of those roles assumes journeyman-level skill.¹

The experience must match the classification on your application. Applying for a C-10 Electrical license means four years of electrical work. General labor or office duties on an electrical site do not count, and the Board will reject experience that falls outside its official classification descriptions.

If your four years came from more than one employer or more than one period, you need a separate Form 13A-11 for each. Every form in the stack must be fully completed.

Filling Out Part 1

Part 1 is yours. It asks for your full legal name, the business name of the company where you gained the experience, and that company’s contractor license number. If you were self-employed, leave the company name blank, check the self-employment box, and skip the company address line. Line 4 asks whether the experience came from owner-builder work on your own property.¹

Complete Part 1 before you hand the form to your certifier. Do not leave blanks for them to fill in.

Filling Out Part 2: The Certifier’s Section

Part 2 is where applications most often succeed or fail. Walk your certifier through what the Board expects before they start writing.

Who Can Sign as Certifier

The certifier must have direct, firsthand knowledge of your work during the dates claimed. The form lists the acceptable relationships: employer, contractor (who provides their license number), foreman or supervisor, journeyman, fellow employee, union representative, or business associate. The certifier checks every box that applies.¹

Using a relative is not prohibited, but it invites extra scrutiny. The Board is more likely to follow up when the certifier shares a last name with the applicant. A former employer or coworker with no family connection is the path of least resistance.

Describing Your Trade Duties

Line 6 is the heart of the form. The certifier lists the specific trade duties you performed or supervised in the classification you are applying for. The form explicitly tells you not to list office work or individual project names.¹

Vague descriptions like “general construction” or “remodeling” will not pass. The Board wants the actual tasks: running conduit and pulling wire for electrical, forming and pouring foundations for concrete, installing ductwork and refrigerant lines for HVAC. Name the tools and materials. The CSLB’s Description of Classifications document lists what falls under each class, and it works well as a checklist when drafting this section.

Dates and Hours

The certifier records whether the work was full-time or part-time, with exact start and end dates (month/day/year) and the total duration in years and months. Part-time experience counts, but the Board converts it to a full-time equivalent, so the calendar period needed will stretch.

The Signature Under Penalty of Perjury

Line 9 is the certifier’s signature, made under penalty of perjury under California law. By signing, your certifier affirms that they have direct knowledge of the work and that everything on the form is true. The certifier also provides a street address, phone number, and email, because the Board routinely contacts certifiers to confirm what the form says.¹ Warn them to expect a call or letter from a CSLB investigator.

No notarization is required. The penalty-of-perjury declaration takes the place of a notary.

Self-Employed and Owner-Builder Applicants

If you were self-employed, you still need a certifier who can personally vouch for the trade work. A client, subcontractor, or fellow tradesperson who saw the work firsthand can sign.

If you built on your own property as an owner-builder, you must also submit a separate Project Experience form (Form 13A-64) for each completed project in addition to Form 13A-11.² Owner-builder experience is limited to B-General Building classification work performed under Business and Professions Code Section 7044.

Self-employment and owner-builder claims are harder for the Board to verify through payroll records, so back your form up with documentation the Board can check: Schedule C filings, 1099-NEC forms, and building permits in your name. A random three percent of all applications get audited and must be verifiable through payroll records or similar documents.⁴

When You Do Not Need a Full Four Years on the Form

You can replace up to three of the four years with education, apprenticeship, or technical training credit, but at least one year must come from practical, hands-on experience. Send official sealed transcripts directly from your institution to the CSLB.³

The credit tiers:

Up to 1½ years for an associate degree from an accredited school in building or construction management.
Up to 2 years for a four-year degree in a related field (accounting, architecture, engineering, business, economics, mathematics, physics, or a field related to your specific trade), a professional law degree, or substantial accredited coursework in those subjects.
Up to 3 years for a certificate of completion from an accredited apprenticeship program, a union-certified statement of completed apprenticeship in your classification, or a four-year degree in construction technology/management or a directly related engineering field. Landscape (C-27) and Painting and Decorating (C-33) classifications have their own qualifying degree paths in horticulture and interior design.³

Veterans can apply military training toward the four-year requirement. CSLB licensing staff evaluate transferable military experience from all branches, and if your military background covers only part of the requirement, the Board will contact you with suggestions for filling the gap. Submit copies of your DD214, Enlisted or Officer Record Brief, DD2586, Joint Service Transcripts, and any sealed civilian education transcripts.⁵

Submitting the Form With Your Application Package

Form 13A-11 goes in with the rest of your original license application. Mail everything together to:

CSLB Headquarters
Contractors State License Board
P.O. Box 26000
Sacramento, CA 95826-0026²

The complete package includes the Application for Original Contractor License, one Form 13A-11 for each employer or experience period, the $450 nonrefundable processing fee,⁶ official sealed transcripts if you are claiming education credit, Project Experience forms (13A-64) for any owner-builder experience, and military documentation if you are claiming military credit.

Send the package by certified mail so you have tracking. The Board does not accept digital uploads for the initial application.

What Happens After You File

Staff review the package for completeness and verify the certifier’s information. The Board frequently contacts certifiers by phone or mail to confirm dates and duties. If something does not match up, they may request supplemental documentation such as W-2s, 1099s, or building permits. If you miss the response deadline, the application is usually returned or voided.

Processing times move. As of late May 2026, the Original Applications Unit was working on exam applications received in early March 2026, roughly an 11-week backlog.⁷ Check the CSLB website before submitting.

What a False Statement on the Form Costs

Misrepresenting or omitting a material fact on the Certification of Work Experience, or anywhere else in the application, is grounds for disciplinary action under Business and Professions Code Section 7112.⁸ Consequences range from denial of your application to fines or revocation of an existing license. Because the certifier signs under penalty of perjury, they face their own legal exposure if the Board determines the statements are false. Keep your work history verifiable. Payroll records, tax filings, and building permits are the kind of documentation that resolves questions quickly when the Board comes asking.

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Contractors State License Board. Certification of Work Experience
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Contractors State License Board. Applying for the Contractors Examination
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Contractors State License Board. Step 3: Qualifying Experience for the Examination
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Contractors State License Board. Certification of Work Experience
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Contractors State License Board. Military Application Assistance Programs
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Contractors State License Board. List of All CSLB Fees
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Contractors State License Board. CSLB Processing Times
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California Legislative Information. California Code BPC 7112