Last updated: August 31st, 2026
There are situations when a California contractor license may be canceled because of a death or disassociation, but the business still needs time to continue operating.
That’s where a CSLB license continuance can come into play.
A continuance allows certain sole ownership, partnership, or joint venture licenses to continue operating temporarily after an event that would otherwise cancel the license.
However, continuances are not available for corporations or LLCs, and the rules differ depending on the type of license and what caused the cancellation.
The Contractors State License Board allows continuances only for:
Corporations and limited liability companies are not eligible for a license continuance.
A sole owner contractor license is issued to a specific individual.
If the sole owner dies, an immediate family member may apply for a continuance of the license to allow the family business to continue temporarily.
If CSLB approves the continuance, the family may continue normal business operations and enter into new contracts during the approved continuance period.
If the family intends to continue operating the business after the continuance expires, an eligible family member will generally need to obtain a new contractor license.
Depending on the circumstances, the family member may also qualify for an examination waiver and may be able to request reissuance of the original license number.
For current information, see CSLB’s Death of a Contractor guidance.
The remaining partners listed in CSLB records may apply for a continuance when an event causes the partnership license to be canceled.
What the partnership can do during the continuance depends on what happened.
When the continuance results from the death of a partner, the remaining partners may generally:
When a partner leaves rather than dies, the rules are more restrictive.
The remaining partners may generally continue work only on contracts that were entered into before the disassociation occurred.
They may not use the continuance to enter into new contracts.
If the remaining partners intend to continue operating after the continuance period, they should apply for a new contractor license in enough time to avoid a licensing gap.
The remaining businesses listed in CSLB records as the entities that formed the joint venture may apply for a continuance.
However, a joint venture continuance is generally limited to work that was already contracted for before the event that caused cancellation.
The remaining joint venture entities may:
They may not enter into new contracts under the continued joint venture license.
This is an important distinction.
CSLB does not grant license continuances to corporations or limited liability companies.
A corporate or LLC contractor license belongs to the business entity itself rather than to an individual officer, member, or manager.
That means the departure of a non-qualifying officer, member, or manager does not automatically require a continuance.
However, the situation is different when the person leaving is the qualifying individual.
If the qualifying individual on a corporate contractor license disassociates from the license, the corporation generally has 90 days to replace the qualifier.
The corporation should use CSLB’s Application for Replacing the Qualifying Individual.
If the qualifier is not replaced within the required 90-day period, CSLB may automatically suspend the license or remove the affected classification.
So a corporation whose qualifier leaves does not request a license continuance.
Instead, it replaces the qualifier.
You can review CSLB’s Application for Replacing the Qualifying Individual information for current requirements.
In qualifying circumstances, CSLB allows a licensee to petition for a 90-day extension of the qualifier-replacement period.
An extension is not automatic.
Among other requirements, the Application to Replace the Qualifier generally must have been filed on time.
The same general qualifier-replacement concept applies to an LLC.
If the LLC’s qualifying individual dies or disassociates, the LLC generally has 90 days to replace the qualifier.
A continuance is not available because the contractor license belongs to the LLC entity.
Depending on the LLC structure, the replacement qualifier may serve in a qualifying capacity such as:
The old guidance to simply “submit a written request” should no longer be used.
CSLB now provides a specific License Continuance Request form.
To request a continuance:
You can access the current form through CSLB’s Applying for a Continuance page.
The mailing address currently listed by CSLB is:
Contractors State License Board
P.O. Box 26000
Sacramento, CA 95826-0026
The continuance request must be submitted no later than 90 days after the death or disassociation that caused the license cancellation.
Do not wait until the end of that 90-day period.
If the business needs to keep operating, submit the License Continuance Request as soon as possible.
The CSLB Registrar may approve a continuance for a period of up to one year from the applicable death or disassociation.
The purpose is to give the affected business a reasonable amount of time to:
The authority granted during that period depends on the license type and reason for the continuance.
The answer depends on the license.
An approved continuance can allow the family business to:
An approved continuance can generally allow the remaining partners to:
The remaining partners generally may:
They generally may not enter into new contracts.
The remaining joint venture entities generally may:
They may not enter into new contracts.
Yes, under limited circumstances.
The Registrar may approve an extension beyond the initial one-year continuance when additional time is necessary to complete projects that were:
An extended license remains subject to the normal provisions of California Contractors License Law, including applicable:
You can review CSLB’s Extending Your Continuance guidance for current information.
A sole owner license belongs to the individual and generally cannot simply be transferred to another person.
However, after the death of a sole owner, an immediate family member may have several potential options.
Depending on the circumstances, the family member may:
Eligibility depends on the family member’s relationship to the deceased licensee and whether they satisfy CSLB’s applicable requirements.
Continuances are available only for qualifying:
Corporations and LLCs are not eligible.
CSLB now provides a specific License Continuance Request form.
Use the current CSLB form rather than relying on older instructions telling you to simply write a letter.
The request must be submitted within 90 days of the death or disassociation that caused the license cancellation.
No.
A corporate license is not eligible for a continuance.
If the qualifying individual leaves, the corporation generally has 90 days to replace the qualifier using the Application for Replacing the Qualifying Individual.
No.
LLC contractor licenses are also not eligible for continuance.
If the qualifier leaves or dies, the LLC generally must replace the qualifier within the applicable 90-day period.
Yes.
When the sole owner dies and a qualifying family continuance is approved, normal operations and new contracts may continue during the approved continuance period.
It depends.
If a partner dies, new contracts may generally be entered into during the approved continuance.
If a partner disassociates, the continuance generally allows only completion of contracts entered into before the disassociation.
No.
A joint venture operating under a continuance generally may complete qualifying pre-existing contracts but may not enter into new ones.
A CSLB license continuance is designed to help certain businesses transition after a death or disassociation that would otherwise cancel the contractor license.
The most important rules to remember are:
If you’re dealing with the death or disassociation of a licensee, partner, or qualifier, review CSLB’s current instructions before taking action because the correct process depends heavily on the business entity and the person’s role on the license.
If you need help determining whether a continuance, qualifier replacement, examination waiver, or new license application applies to your circumstances, contact Contractors License Guru for assistance.
