2016 California Contractors License Bond Increase

The Governor has recently signed Senate Bill 467 increasing the bond amount for licensed contractors from $12,500.00 to $15,000.00. This will not affect the Bonds of Qualifying Individuals (bonds for RME's and RMO's who own less than 10% of the business). Although the bill itself does not set an exact time, it is my understanding that the Contractors State License Board intends to make it effective on January 1, 2016. If you are a licensed contractor, this probably means that you will be getting a supplemental bill for the increase. Since it is a 20% increase, you can expect new and renewal bonds to cost about 20% more. If you are already bonded, you will only have to pay a pro-rata increase based on the amount of time that you have left on your current bond. For example, if you purchased a 2-year bond one year ago, you will be billed approximately 10% of your original premium, or half the 20% increase.