Most general contractors use licensed subcontractors for specialty trades — plumbing, electrical, tile, roofing. This is normal and appropriate. What matters is who those subcontractors are and how they are supervised.
Licensing Requirements
Every California subcontractor must hold the correct CSLB licence for their scope: C-36 for plumbing, C-10 for electrical, C-39 for roofing, and so on. A B-licence GC can perform general building work but must use properly licenced subs for trades work. Ask for licence numbers and verify them at CSLB.ca.gov.
Insurance Requirements
Subcontractors should carry their own general liability and workers’ compensation insurance. The GC’s policy covers the GC’s direct employees. Ask your GC for certificates of insurance for each major subcontractor on your project.
Management Quality
The quality of subcontractor management separates good GCs from mediocre ones. Ask how your GC selects subs, how long they have worked together, and how sub work is supervised. Long-term sub relationships indicate quality — unreliable subs do not get called back.
