The 33 questions most contractors hope you never ask.

Ask for five things in writing before you sign anything: the CSLB license number and the classifications it covers for your scope; certificates for general liability, umbrella, commercial auto, workers’ compensation and professional errors and omissions; how base prep, compaction and drainage will be photographed before they are buried; the change order policy; and the warranty written per scope of work with its exclusions. A company that operates this way will have all five ready. The full 33-question version of this list is on this page, and the printable scorecard has blank columns so you can record what each bid answered.

C-27 (Landscaping) is the classification California requires for landscape construction. Work that changes grade or moves water, such as drainage, grading, earthmoving, excavation and trenching, falls under Class A general engineering. Concrete flatwork falls under C-8, structural concrete such as footings and pads under D-06, and artificial turf under D-12. Hiring an unlicensed contractor for work over $500 is illegal in California and exposes the homeowner to liability for injuries, damages and unpaid wages. Any license number can be checked free at cslb.ca.gov.

General liability at $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate is the baseline. Workers’ compensation is what keeps an injured crew member’s medical bills off your homeowner’s policy. Commercial auto should include hired and non-owned vehicles. Two more are less common and matter on larger projects: an umbrella or excess liability policy for claims that exceed base limits, and professional errors and omissions covering mistakes in the design itself. Ask for a current ACORD 25 certificate naming you as certificate holder, not a screenshot.

Base preparation, compaction, drainage, utilities, edge restraints and wall footings are the structural elements of an outdoor project, and every one of them is buried before the job finishes. Once pavers or concrete go down, no inspection can tell you whether the base was built in lifts and compacted properly. Photo and video documentation at each stage is the only record that exists, and it is what settles the question if something settles, cracks or holds water years later.

Not necessarily, and often the opposite. Long headline warranties in this trade are usually layered with exclusions that remove coverage for the failure modes that actually occur, particularly settlement traced to base preparation. What matters is whether the warranty is written per scope of work, whether you can read the exclusions before you sign, and whether the company is financially stable enough to still exist when you call. Ask to read the warranty exhibit itself rather than comparing the number on the brochure.

Ask how they fund materials and payroll. A company that purchases materials upfront and pays crews weekly is not depending on your deposit to close a gap on another job. Ask whether they carry debt or rely on vendor financing, ask for a BBB rating, and be direct about what happens to your deposit between signing and delivery. Financial instability is the most common reason residential contractors abandon projects, cut corners or disappear mid-build.

In California, any representative who meets with you, discusses your project or presents a contract must hold a valid Home Improvement Salesperson (HIS) license, which is registered with the CSLB and requires a background check. That is separate from design training. Ask two questions: what is your HIS number, and what did the person drawing my plan study and where. At many companies the designer is a commissioned sales representative with no formal training in grading, soil science, hydrology or construction detailing.