What a Contractor Website Must Show Before Anyone Calls, Including the License Number

The five things a stranger looks for are the same on every trade site we build: who you are, if you are licensed, what the work looks like, whether you come to their town, and how to reach you. This page is the checklist, with the part that is law separated from the part that is judgment. It belongs to our cluster on what a website costs a trade business.

The license number

This is the one item on the list that is not optional. Business and Professions Code section 7030.5 requires a license number in all forms of advertising for construction that needs a contractor’s license, and the Board’s regulation lists “any electronic transmission” among the forms. Its guide for contractors says advertising includes “any website or post that solicits business on the Internet,” and that licensed contractors must include their license number in all forms of advertising.

Good to know The civil penalty for not complying is between $100 and $1,000 for a first offense¹.

Practical placement, which is our judgment and not the Board’s: the number in the footer of every page, so that no page a visitor lands on lacks it, and again on the contact page next to the phone number. A linked number that opens the Board’s license check is a convenience for the visitor, who can then confirm the license themselves; the Board’s site has a “License Check” tool for that.

Classification: advertise only what you are licensed for

A contractor cannot advertise for construction work outside the areas it is licensed for. The Board’s example is a C-29 masonry contractor, who cannot advertise electrical work without also holding the C-10 electrical license. Section 7117.6 makes advertising and contracting outside the classification a violation and cause for discipline. Licensed “A” general engineering and “B” general building contractors may advertise as general contractors.

On a website this is a content question. Every service page, every heading, every city page and every item in a services list is advertising. A fence company that adds “patios” or “retaining walls” to its menu because customers ask for them has to check the license behind the page first.

Bonding: leave it off

The Board’s guide says: “Don’t advertise about bonding.” The law prevents noting in advertising or any presentation to the public that you are bonded, because the statement could lead a consumer to believe bonding offers a higher level of protection than it does. Some contractor sites say “licensed, bonded and insured” out of habit. The guide’s advice is the opposite, and the license number already lets a visitor check the Board’s record themselves.

False or misleading claims

It is a misdemeanor to use false, misleading or deceptive advertising to induce a client to enter into an improvement contract if the client might be misled or injured. That is the rule behind the following judgment calls about reviews and claims.

The rest of the checklist

These are judgment, not law. Each is what we look for first when we audit a trade site, and contractor websites audited applies the same list to real ones.

1. A phone number that can be tapped. At the top of every page, as a link that dials. On a phone this is the main way a customer reaches a trade business.
2. A short quote form. Name, phone, city and a line about the job. Every extra field costs submissions. Say what happens next and when.
3. Photos of your own work. Finished jobs in your area, with the city named. Stock photography tells the visitor nothing about you.
4. The cities you serve, in words. A short list on the home page and the contact page. If you want a page for each city, see service area pages that are not doorway pages.
5. Reviews that say where they come from. “Google review, June 2026” is checkable; a first name and a quote are not. If a review is not from a named platform, we leave it off. The rule about false and misleading claims applies to the page you publish.
6. Your classification, in words. “Licensed fence contractor, CSLB number” says what the license covers. It also keeps the page inside the classification.
7. Speed on a phone. Google’s guidance treats a Largest Contentful Paint of 2.5 seconds or less as good, between 2.5 and 4.0 seconds as needing improvement and over 4.0 as poor, measured at the 75th percentile of loads and segmented by mobile and desktop². Test your own home page on a phone before you decide it is fast enough.

What gets left off most often

When we look at a trade site, the missing item is rarely the phone number. It is usually one of three: the license number on the pages other than the home page, the cities in words rather than a map, and the review source. The first is the one with a penalty attached.

What we do about it

We put the license number in the footer of every page of a contractor site, in the theme, so that a page added later carries it automatically. We write the services list from the license classification, not from the owner’s wish list, and we leave the word “bonded” out. The fence company whose site has run on our managed servers since 2021 is the example we know best; the theme is one we wrote ourselves, with no page builder, which keeps the pages light on a phone. If you want the checklist applied to your site, websites for contractors describes what we do.

When to get help

If your site is missing the number on some pages, or lists work outside your classification, correct it first and ask for help afterward. A licensed professional can tell you whether a particular claim on your site is a problem for your license; we are not a law firm, and this page states what the Board’s published guide says. If you want a second pair of eyes on the checklist, the consultation is free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to put my contractor license number on my website?

Yes, if the site solicits work. The Board’s guide says licensed contractors must include their license number in all forms of advertising and that advertising includes any website or post that solicits business on the Internet.

What is the penalty for leaving it off?

The Board’s guide gives a civil penalty of between $100 and $1,000 for a first offense¹. The guide says nothing about later offenses; ask a licensed professional about your own case.

Can my website say I am bonded?

The Board’s guide says the law prevents you from noting in your advertising that you are bonded.

Can I list services I do not have a license for?

No. A contractor cannot advertise for construction work outside the classification it is licensed in, and advertising for work without a valid license in that classification is a criminal misdemeanor.

How fast should a contractor website load?

Google treats a Largest Contentful Paint of 2.5 seconds or less as good, at the 75th percentile of page loads².

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