Running the Business · Part 2

Advertising law for a licensed contractor: the number on every ad and the van, the word you can never use, and what a misleading ad costs

CSLB regulates what a contractor says in public more tightly than most new licensees expect, and it enforces the rules with citations and, in one case, suspension. The license number must appear on every form of advertising, and the regulation defines advertising to include business cards, the van, the website, a directory listing, and a text message with a bid in it. A C-36 has its own vehicle rule with a letter-height requirement. Advertising the bond is grounds for suspension. A misleading ad, or an advertised price you do not honor, is a misdemeanor. This lesson lists every rule with its section and shows what a compliant van, card, and ad look like.