Two licenses, not one: how fence and wall requests are matched

The short version

What a C-13 Fencing Contractor is licensed to do

CSLB's official classification scope: a C-13 contractor "constructs, erects, alters, or repairs all types of fences, corrals, runs, railings, cribs, game court enclosures, guard rails and barriers, playground game equipment, backstops, posts, flagpoles, and gates, excluding masonry walls." That covers every fence page on this site — wood, vinyl and chain link installation, privacy fences, gates, and section or post repair.

What a C-29 Masonry Contractor is licensed to do

CSLB's official scope: a C-29 contractor "installs concrete units and baked clay products; concrete, glass and clay block; natural and manufactured stone; terra cotta; and fire brick or other material for refractory work," and the classification additionally covers masonry units for load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls, veneer, paving, and waterproofing connected to masonry work. That is the block wall, retaining wall and pilaster work on the block wall page.

Why the split matters on a Visalia lot

Three common Central Valley projects sit on the line between the two:

• A block wall replacing an old wood fence. Homeowners often call a fence company first because the old structure was a fence. The new one is a wall — C-29 work. The block wall vs. wood fence comparison covers the decision; this page covers who is licensed to build each.
• A low block base with wood or vinyl fencing on top. Two classifications on one structure. One company holding both, two companies, or a B General Building contractor coordinating both trades.
• A retaining wall with a fence along its top. Same answer — and retaining walls are the project most likely to need engineering and a permit, which the company doing the masonry should raise before quoting.

How requests are sorted here

The request form asks what the project is and, if you know, the material. That answer sets the license lane:

What you select	License lane	Who gets the request
New fence, replace a fence, gate, repair one section	C-13	One independent company reporting an active C-13 license and serving your address
Block wall or retaining wall	C-29	One independent company reporting an active C-29 license
Fence and block wall together	C-13 + C-29	One company reporting both, or a B General Building contractor
Not sure yet	Sorted by what you describe	The details box decides; when it's ambiguous, a company reporting both classifications

Exactly one company receives each request, and it is named to you before you submit. If a request ever needs to move to a different company, we get your fresh consent first.

What "reports holding a license" means — and what it doesn't

Companies we pass requests to report holding an active California CSLB license — C-13 Fencing Contractor for fence work, C-29 Masonry Contractor for block and retaining walls — and insurance. Verify any contractor yourself at cslb.ca.gov before hiring.

We check a company's CSLB record when it joins the network. We do not audit it before every request, and a license can lapse, be suspended, or drop a classification between our check and your job. That is not a reason to distrust the introduction; it is a reason to spend two minutes on cslb.ca.gov yourself. Here is exactly what to look at.

How to verify a C-13 or C-29 license in seven checks

1. Open CSLB's license check. Go to cslb.ca.gov and choose "Check a License." You can search by license number, business name, or the name of a person on the license.
2. Confirm the business name matches the quote. The name on the license record should match the name on the written estimate — not a similar name, and not a personal name when the quote came from a company (or the reverse).
3. Read the classifications line. Look for C-13 (Fencing Contractor) if the job is a fence or gate, and C-29 (Masonry Contractor) if it is a block, retaining or other masonry wall. A "B" General Building license can also cover a project that involves two or more unrelated trades. If the classification you need is not there, the license does not cover the work.
4. Check the status and expiration date. The record shows whether the license is active, expired, suspended or revoked, and when it expires. Only an active license counts.
5. Check the bond line. The record shows whether a contractor's bond is on file. This page does not state the required bond amount — read it off the CSLB record.
6. Check workers' compensation. The record shows whether the license has workers' compensation insurance on file or an exemption because the contractor has no employees. If a crew of several people shows up under an exemption, ask about it.
7. Ask for a certificate of liability insurance. CSLB does not track general liability insurance. Ask the company for a current certificate naming you as certificate holder before work starts.

The $1,000 question

California's AB 2622 raised the statewide minor-work licensing exemption to $1,000, effective 2025-01-01. Three conditions all have to hold for it to apply: the whole job — labor and materials — is $1,000 or less, the work needs no building permit, and the person doing it employs nobody else on the project. Most fence jobs and essentially every wall job fail at least one of those, so for the projects on this site the practical answer is that the work needs a licensed contractor. Where it might apply — a single rotted post, one gate hinge — the repair page covers what that kind of job usually involves.

What this page is not

It is not a statement that any particular company is licensed and insured. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the CSLB record itself, which is the only authoritative source for a license's status on any given day.