Questions to ask
1. Are you licensed with the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) as a C-33 Painting and Decorating contractor, and can I see the license number?
Why it matters: In California, painting is its own license classification: a C-33 Painting and Decorating contractor prepares surfaces and applies paints, coatings, and wall coverings. Ask for the exact license number and check its status, classification, bond, and complaint history on CSLB’s license check before anyone moves your furniture. CSLB says a license is required for any job that needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or is valued above a dollar threshold that CSLB publishes for combined labor and materials (see What Kind of Contractor Do I Need?), and CSLB’s page on illegal contractor activity covers what unlicensed work looks like. A painter with a crew falls under the license rule no matter how small the job, so don’t accept “handyman prices” as a reason to skip the check. Also look at the name: the license on the contract should belong to the company whose crew shows up. A business license, a yard sign, or a paint-store “pro” account is not a contractor license, and someone who comes to your door to sell home improvement work should also be registered as a home improvement salesperson (see CSLB: Home Improvement Salesperson registration).
2. Who exactly will be working on my house, and are they covered by workers’ compensation?
Why it matters: Painting is not on CSLB’s list of classifications that must carry workers’ compensation insurance even with no employees (that list includes roofing, which is why a roofer can’t file the usual exemption). A C-33 painter who truly works alone may therefore have an exemption on file, but a painter with a crew must carry coverage, and an exemption stops being valid the day someone is hired (see CSLB: Workers’ Compensation Insurance Requirements). So ask who is on the crew and whether every person is the contractor’s employee. Ladders, scaffolds, and lead scraping are not low-risk, and an uninsured worker injured on your property can pull you into the dispute. CSLB’s guidance on hiring a contractor also says to ask about workers’ comp for employees and about general liability insurance in case accidental damage occurs. Ask for a certificate naming you, and confirm it covers the dates of your job. Contractors must also hold a CSLB license bond, which you can see on the license check.
3. Was my home built before 1978, and if so, is your firm EPA lead-safe certified?
Why it matters: Federal rules require firms that disturb lead-based paint in homes built before 1978 to be EPA (or authorized-state) certified and to use lead-safe work practices. The EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule covers paid work that disturbs more than 6 square feet of paint inside a room or more than 20 square feet on the exterior, plus window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces (see EPA: Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program and the EPA RRP rule FAQ). Scraping, sanding, and heat-stripping old paint on a Los Angeles bungalow or mid-century house is exactly the kind of work it covers. Ask the painter to show the firm’s EPA certification, to name the certified renovator who will supervise, and to explain containment, cleanup, and how paint chips will be handled. The firm must give you EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet before work starts. EPA also keeps a tool for finding lead-safe certified firms. Dry sanding with no containment is the practice to refuse.
4. Does any part of my job need a permit, and how do you handle exterior washing and prep?
Why it matters: In the City of Los Angeles, the building code’s permit exemptions list painting, papering, and similar finish work, so a repaint by itself generally does not need an LADBS building permit (see Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 91.106). The same section separately requires a permit to start liquid washing, compressed-air cleaning, or steam cleaning of a building’s exterior, with an exemption for buildings outside Fire District No. 1 and for exterior surfaces more than 20 feet from pedestrian walkways in dedicated streets. So ask whether the prep includes pressure washing, and whether the contractor has checked how that rule applies to your lot, especially if the house sits close to a public sidewalk. Other work that often rides along with a repaint, such as stucco or drywall repair, wall changes, or window replacement, may need its own permit, and unlicensed or unpermitted add-ons are where homeowners get stuck. Get the answer in writing, with the name of whoever pulls any permit. If you live outside the City of Los Angeles, such as Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, or unincorporated county areas, confirm the rules with that building department, since they differ. You can look up your property and its zoning overlays on the city’s ZIMAS parcel map.
5. Is my house in a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) or otherwise designated, and who handles any exterior color approval?
Why it matters: Many Los Angeles neighborhoods are HPOZs, and the city’s Office of Historic Resources says exterior changes in an HPOZ generally need written Planning approval even when no building permit is required, with painting named as an example (see HPOZ FAQs). Routine repainting is typically handled as Conforming Work, which has no fee for minor cases, and each district’s Preservation Plan sets the rules (see HPOZ Definitions). Those plans can treat repainting an already-painted surface differently from painting brick, stone, or stained wood that has never been painted, so the answer depends on your district. Check your parcel on ZIMAS first, then email your HPOZ planner with your address before choosing colors. Ask your painter whether they have worked in your district, who submits the color request, and whether the schedule leaves time for review before work starts. Painting without the approval can mean being asked to undo it.
6. Exactly which products will you use — brand, product line, sheen, number of coats — and do they meet local low-VOC rules?
Why it matters: “Premium paint” is not a specification. Ask for the manufacturer, product line, sheen, color, and coat count for each surface, and ask for the product data sheet. In the Los Angeles basin, the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Rule 1113 limits the volatile organic compound (VOC) content of architectural coatings, and it applies to anyone who supplies, applies, or stores them at a worksite. The limit for flat and nonflat paints is 50 grams per liter, and for primers, sealers, and undercoaters it is 100 grams per liter (see SCAQMD Rule 1113 and the district’s architectural coatings page). The rule also bars applying industrial maintenance coatings in homes, apart from certain anti-graffiti products. A painter who plans to bring in cheaper out-of-area or industrial paint, or who won’t name the product, is a problem for the air and for your warranty. Also ask who buys the paint, and make sure the written quote says whether the paint cost is included.
7. Is the quote based on a site visit, and does it list each room or exterior side, the repairs, and the prep separately?
Why it matters: Photos and square-foot guesses miss ceiling height, damaged siding or stucco, rotted trim, and the number of coats needed to cover a dark color. An itemized, visit-based quote lets you compare bids on the same scope and reduces change orders later. It should state the surfaces to be painted, what will be washed, scraped, sanded, patched, caulked, and primed, which items stay unpainted, how furniture, floors, plants, and landscaping will be protected, and who handles minor repairs. If one bid is far below the rest, find out which prep step it quietly dropped before you sign.
8. What will be in the written contract, and what happens if I change my mind?
Why it matters: CSLB’s guidance on contracts says California requires a written contract for home improvement projects above a small dollar threshold, that it must identify the contractor with address and license number, detail the work, price, payment timing, who gets the permits, and the completion date, and carry warnings about your right to cancel, mechanics liens, and allowable delays. CSLB says you may cancel within three days of signing, in writing, mailed before midnight of the third day. Ask that the contract name the exact products, sheens, and colors from your quote, say who removes debris and cleans up, and require every change in writing, with its price, before the work happens. Never sign a blank or partly blank contract. If the painter promises something verbally, including warranty terms, make sure it is also in the writing.
9. How much is the deposit, and how are payments tied to finished work?
Why it matters: CSLB says a down payment should never exceed 10 percent of the contract price or a fixed dollar cap that CSLB publishes, whichever is less (see CSLB: contracts). The one exception is a contractor with a Blanket Performance and Payment Bond on file, which is rare and shows on the license check. Other payments should be listed in the contract and tied to work actually completed or materials delivered, a rule CSLB repeats for all home improvement projects on its Disaster Help Center. A painter who wants a large deposit “to buy paint,” cash only, or most of the money before the first coat is a risk. Payments are easier to keep clean when they follow the job: for example, after prep and priming, after the first finish coat, and at final completion. Hold the last payment until you have walked the job in good light, listed the touch-ups, and seen them done.
10. Who are your suppliers and any subcontractors, and will I get lien releases as I pay?
Why it matters: If a subcontractor or paint supplier on your job isn’t paid, they can put a mechanics lien on your home even though you paid the contractor. CSLB’s guide to preventing a mechanics lien says to get a list of subcontractors, laborers, and material suppliers, to keep any Preliminary Notices you receive, to get signed conditional releases before you pay and unconditional releases after, and to consider joint checks. You may withhold the next payment until you have the unconditional releases for the previous payment. After the work is finished, filing a Notice of Completion with the county recorder (within 15 days of completion for homeowners) shortens the time others have to record a lien claim.
11. What does your warranty cover, and who handles cleanup and leftover paint?
Why it matters: Peeling, blistering, and early fading usually trace back to prep or the wrong product, so ask what the workmanship warranty covers, how long it lasts, and how to make a claim, and get it in writing. Ask for a finish schedule listing every color, sheen, and brand, plus a labeled can of each color for touch-ups. Also settle who removes drop cloths, scraped paint, and old cans. Leftover paint is regulated waste in California: PaintCare accepts house paint, primers, stains, and sealers at drop-off sites across California at no charge, and the Los Angeles County program lists local options on CleanLA. Your contract should say the painter takes unusable paint and debris away lawfully, not leave it in your trash cans, a storm drain, or an alley.
Red flags
- Can’t give a CSLB C-33 license number, the license on the contract doesn’t match the name on the truck, or the company shows up in unlicensed-contractor warnings.
- A crew with no workers’ comp, or “I work alone” while several people show up.
- Your house was built before 1978 and the painter says lead rules don’t apply, can’t show EPA lead-safe certification, or plans to dry-sand or heat-strip old paint with no containment.
- Says an HPOZ or historic-district color review is “not a problem” without checking your address, or starts before approval comes back.
- Won’t name the paint brand, product line, or sheen, or offers industrial or out-of-area coatings for the inside of your home.
- Pressure washes or sandblasts the exterior without telling you how the city’s rules apply or how runoff and debris will be controlled.
- A quote far below the others with no itemized prep, or a “this week only” price.
- Asks for a large deposit, cash only, or most of the payment before work begins.
- Door-to-door pitch with pressure to sign today, or a contract with no cancellation notice.
- Offers to skip lien releases, can’t list suppliers or subs, or gets annoyed when you ask.
- No written warranty, and no plan for leftover paint, debris, or touch-up cans.
Next-step checklist
- Check each painter’s CSLB license, bond, and workers’ comp status, and write the license number on the contract.
- Find out the year your home was built; if it was before 1978, ask for the firm’s EPA lead-safe certification and the Renovate Right pamphlet.
- Look up your address on ZIMAS for HPOZ and other overlays, and contact the HPOZ planner before choosing exterior colors if you’re in a district.
- Get at least three written, site-visit bids for the same scope: surfaces, prep, repairs, products, sheens, coats, protection, and cleanup.
- Ask whether any part of the job needs a permit, whether exterior washing is involved, and who is responsible for each.
- Ask for the paint brand, product line, sheen, and VOC data sheet in writing.
- Make sure the contract has the cancellation notice, a start and completion date, change-order rules, and a payment schedule tied to finished work.
- Keep the deposit within the legal limit and pay by traceable methods, not cash.
- Request lien releases as you pay and withhold final payment until the walkthrough list is done.
- Keep the contract, color schedule, product sheets, certificates, releases, warranty, photos, and a labeled can of each color.
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