I recently started a painting company and I got my fictitious name and city license. Well I'm a little confused. I have been giving out estimates and they are asking if I'm licensed and I have been answering confidently that I am. My question is am I required to have a state license? There are only 6 numbers for the state license and about 10 in my city license which confuses my customers and honestly I am now too confused. Can someone please help. Thanks...

Hi, osiel11!

Without knowing which state it is, it's hard to address your question.

Thanks!

Sorry CA

Did you have to take any sort of tests in order to get the city license?

Thanks!

No

Now, I'm not absolutely positive, but I know that California is very picky about people calling themselves some kind of contractor and that the state would appear to require people who are going to call themselves some kind of contractor would appear to need to be licensed.

For example, a friend of my daughter drove up with her to where I'm located over this past Christmas holiday. I helped him to put together some advertising online. He does landscaping and yard type of work. I asked him about calling himself a contractor for advertising purposes. He said that he needed to take tests to call himself that. It seemed that he could still do the work, but that if he was going to advertise to be a contractor, that he would need the proper licensing.

There is some information on the following site that should be helpful to you. At the bottom of that page, there is a way to contact people on that site.

http://www.cslb.ca.gov/Applicants/ExaminationStudyGuides/C33PaintingAndDecorating.asp

Thanks!