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The asbestos certification and the open-book exam

Two asbestos rules sit in Bus. & Prof. Code s. 7058.5: the certification for asbestos-related work, and the open-book exam every new licensee completes.

Published 2026-10-11

Every applicant for a California contractor license answers an asbestos exam, and almost none of them are asbestos contractors. The two things share a section of the license law, Bus. & Prof. Code s. 7058.5, and candidates mix them up because the section does. Subdivision (a) is about who may do asbestos-related work. Subdivision (b) is a booklet and an open-book test that every new licensee completes before the license issues. They have nothing else in common.

Subdivision (b): the open-book exam for everyone

Under s. 7058.5(b), the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) makes available, on its website or in hard copy on request, a booklet on the handling and disposal of asbestos, together with an open-book examination on asbestos-related work. All applicants for an initial contractor license complete that examination and submit it to the board, electronically or by mail, before a license is issued.

CSLB’s applicant pages put it in sequence: after you pass your license examination, you take the asbestos open-book exam and sign the verification form, and you send the form in with your bond, workers’ compensation and license fee paperwork. The page’s own emphasis is that CSLB cannot process the license without it. The board’s September 2026 packet lists “asbestos open book examination results” among the final issuance items an applicant may still owe after passing, alongside the bond, the insurance and the fees, and its applicant survey reports 88 percent satisfaction with the online version of the process.

This exam is separate from the Law and Business exam. The statute asks only that it be completed and submitted before the license issues, so treat it as paperwork the license waits on.

The other half of the section is a rule about work. A contractor may not engage in asbestos-related work, as defined in Labor Code s. 6501.8, that involves 100 square feet or more of surface area of asbestos-containing materials unless one of two things is true: the contractor holds the C-22 Asbestos Abatement classification, or the qualifier for the license has passed an asbestos certification examination. CSLB may require updated certification exams when new health and safety information warrants it, after consulting the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), which the section names as the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), and the State Department of Public Health.

The section carves out three kinds of product: no certification examination is required for the installation, maintenance and repair of asbestos cement pipe or sheets, vinyl asbestos floor materials, or asbestos bituminous or resinous materials.

Get Licensed to Build explains the practical difference between the two routes. A C-22 licensee may contract for asbestos abatement with no limitations. A contractor who is merely certified may perform abatement only within the license classification it already holds. Either way, the guide says, the contractor takes and passes an asbestos abatement training course accredited by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), registers with the Asbestos Contractors’ Registration Unit of Cal/OSHA, applies to CSLB, shows four years of journey-level experience and passes the exam.

The application fee for the asbestos certification examination is $125 under 16 CCR s. 811(a)(6). The board released a new version of the ASB certification examination between May 1 and July 31, 2026, according to the Testing Program Update in its September 2026 packet, and a study guide for it is on CSLB’s Examination Study Guides page.

The Cal/OSHA registration gate

Section 7058.6 ties the certification to Cal/OSHA. The board does not issue an asbestos certification unless the contractor is registered with Cal/OSHA under Labor Code s. 6501.5, with one exception: a contractor who states in writing that it does not perform asbestos-related work may be certified without registering. When a contractor passes the certification exam, CSLB notifies both the contractor and Cal/OSHA in writing, and the contractor then has 90 days to register. Miss the 90 days and the board may require a re-examination, at the applicable test fees.

A certified contractor who does asbestos-related work has to show current Cal/OSHA registration when renewing the license. And under subdivision (c), a contractor who is not certified may still bid on and contract for a project that includes asbestos-related work, provided that work is performed by a C-22 contractor or by one that is certified and registered.

Two neighbors worth knowing

Section 7058.7 is the hazardous substance removal certification, a separate examination for removal or remedial action at listed hazardous substance release sites and for installing or removing underground storage tanks. Its definition of removal or remedial action expressly excludes asbestos-related work, so the two certifications do not overlap, and the same bid-but-subcontract rule applies to underground tanks. The application fee is also $125, under 16 CCR s. 811(a)(7).

Section 7118.4 is the disclosure rule. A contractor who inspects a property for asbestos, knowing the report is required by a lender or by a public entity issuing a permit, must disclose orally and in writing any ownership or financial relationship, including commissions or referral fees, with a business that does the corrective work. A violation is cause for discipline and a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $3,000 to $5,000, up to a year in county jail, or both.

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