Moving to California as a general contractor: every state's rule

California's unlimited building credential is the Class B General Building Contractor license from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), and there is no dollar limit or tier system above it. Under Business and Professions Code section 7057 a general building contractor's principal business is structures requiring at least two unrelated building trades or crafts; a B contractor may not take a prime contract on a project involving other trades unless the contract needs at least two unrelated trades besides framing and carpentry, or it holds the relevant specialty classification, or it subcontracts to a licensed specialty contractor, and fire protection (C-16) and well drilling (C-57) always need the specialty license or a subcontractor. Class A General Engineering is a parallel classification rather than a grade above B: it covers fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge such as highways, bridges, tunnels, dams, pipelines, sewers, grading and earthmoving, and a contractor who does both kinds of work holds both classifications. Below B sits B-2 Residential Remodeling, limited to existing residential wood frame structures and contracts using three unrelated trades. CSLB issues the license to a business entity and the person who meets the experience and examination requirements is named on it as the qualifying individual, a responsible managing employee (RME) or responsible managing officer (RMO), so an out-of-state general contractor moving to California applies as that qualifier. A license from another state cannot be used here even as a subcontractor or for a single project, and cities and counties additionally require a local business tax registration that does not replace the state license.