I agree; you lose an awful lot of your rights if you hire an unlicensed contractor in my state and then have problems later on.

Thanks guys. But part of my question is if, in general, a cabinet maker is required to have this license if they are not acting as a contractor.

The name of the license is "California Cabinet, Millwork and Finish Carpentry Contractor license" which could be interpreted as a license for contractors of cabinet, millwork and finish carpentry. And not a license for the actual trades.

When I am hiring a cabinet maker, should I ensure that they have this license? Or does it only apply if there is a contractor involved?

A what? Do cards build things or do people build things.

Yes, don't get hung up on the word "contractor". "It is illegal for an unlicensed person to perform contracting work on
any project valued at $500 or more in combined labor and material costs.
Besides being illegal, unlicensed contractors lack accountability and
have a high rate of involvement in construction scams. They also are
unfair competition for licensed contractors who operate with bonds,
insurance, and other responsible business practices."

If this cabinet maker is working for a licensed contractor, that's another thing. Don't give away your position of power.

Many thanks to everyone! I will not hire anyone without a license to build my cabinets.

On a related note, I have a licensed contractor who is skilled at cabinetry but he does not have this cabinet license. Should I avoid hiring him for the cabinet work? Does it matter if he does it himself or subs the work out and manages the project? I guess I'm a little fuzzy on when to insist someone have the cabinet license; this was less complicated before I knew it existed :-/

Licensing was originally intended as a guard against substandard work, just as building codes were also supposed to prevent.

What has happened is local governments have often begun to use licensing as a revenue source, lessening the actual protection and creating a money making stream for the government.

I am not licenses(was not required), but I was insured and did all my jobs according to or better than local codes. I also knew the local codes and requirements, and often did unpermitted jobs legally(twice next door to jobs inspected by city inspectors) because I knew how the local codes were written.

The folks who build cabinets for home improvement stores(and Ikea) are not licensed in the city in which their work is sold.

Point is that licensing is only one indicator of a persons/companys skill or reliability. If local laws require licensing, fine. But a license becomes only a fulfilment of a local regulation.

Look more at references and prior work, work history, length of time in business and reputation.

I respectfully disagree. When I am hiring a professional, I expect that professional to have all of their ducks in a row. If the state that I am doing business in requires a license for a particular trade, I expect the professional I am hiring to have that license. I do agree that having a license is not an indicator of skill or knowledge, but is is an indicator of professionalism and willingness to abide by the rules and laws governing the trade. If a contractor in California is going to have worker's comp insurance, the insurer will want to know the contractor license number as well as the license classification.

A cabinet makers license? What a joke - just a revenue stream for the city / county / state.

I think the word 'license' indicates that it is required. If in doubt, call the licensing authority to find out.

Simple Definition of license

• : an official document, card, etc., that gives you permission to do, use, or have something

I would want to know why he doesnt hv one but in any case would not consider him. If no money to renew, it means he doesnt make a good living--and why would that be? If he doesn't believe in rules (u must have license) , will he also break rules when building cabinets?

A friend told me recently that California licenses over 1100 trades. I don't even think I could name 1100 trades.....

I believe that is an exaggeration. I think there is around 42 classifications, and then there are another 30+ limited specialty "D" license classifications. But, yeah, they pretty much want their hands in everything and anything.

Here is some information about this kind of license.

JDS-- your link didn't link. I've never heard of needing a license to make a cabinet, but in California, who knows. I would surely care much more about the competence of the person than whether or not they've paid their fee to the state. There's not much to hide in making a cabinet, nor corners to cut that aren't instantly obvious. I would have no qualms about buying a well-made cabinet from someone without a state permit. I might even prefer that in protest to absurd regulatory overreach by the state.

I'm not familiar with requirements in California, but here in Virginia, a cabinetmaker would not be required to be a licensed contractor in order to manufacture cabinets. They would, however, require a contractor's license to install them in a home. The distinction is manufacturer vs. contractor.

Basically, if you are going to pick up a tool in California, they want to issue you a license, and of course, collect a fee from you to do so.