CSLB B-2 Residential Remodeling (Trade Exam) — All Questions

A homeowner's project is a new floor in one bedroom, nothing else. How does the B-2 license rule apply?

• a.The job is not B-2 work✓
• b.The job is B-2 work if the owner signs a waiver
• c.The job is B-2 work if it costs under a set dollar limit
• d.The job is B-2 work, because flooring is a listed trade

A residential remodeling contractor may not take a contract unless it includes three or more unrelated trades, so a flooring-only job fails even though flooring is listed. A waiver cannot waive the statute, and the statute sets no dollar limit.Bus. & Prof. Code section 7057.5(b)(2)

A B-2 contractor wants to add moving a bearing wall to a three-trade remodel. What does the statute say?

• a.It is allowed if a subcontractor does the cutting
• b.It is allowed if an engineer writes a letter
• c.It is allowed because it is a finish item
• d.Load-bearing walls are outside the license✓

The statute says a residential remodeling contractor shall not contract to make structural changes to load-bearing portions of a structure, including load-bearing walls. A letter or a subcontractor does not change the limit, and a bearing wall is structure, not finish.Bus. & Prof. Code section 7057.5(c)(2)

A contract includes tile, paint, flooring and a new fire sprinkler system. What must the B-2 contractor do about the sprinklers?

• a.Install them as mechanical fixtures
• b.Install them with an unlicensed helper to keep the costs down
• c.Hold the C-16 license or subcontract to a C-16 contractor✓
• d.Install them as plumbing fixtures, since water pipes feed them

Fire protection work is one of the trades a B-2 contractor may not take unless it holds the classification or subcontracts with an appropriately licensed contractor. Sprinklers are not plumbing or mechanical fixtures, and unlicensed help does not satisfy the rule.Bus. & Prof. Code section 7057.5(c)(1)

Which of these needs a building permit under CRC R105.2.2?

• a.Replacing a burned-out lamp in a ceiling fixture
• b.Cutting away a wall to open a room✓
• c.Painting a bedroom ceiling and the walls
• d.Laying carpet over an existing floor

Cutting away a wall is excluded from ordinary repairs and needs a permit. Replacing a lamp is expressly outside the permit rule, and painting and carpeting are exempt finish work.2025 CRC R105.2.2

A plan shows a bedroom 6 feet 9 inches wide by 11 feet long. Which rule does it fail?

• a.Bedrooms must be at least 10 feet wide
• b.Habitable rooms must be at least 8 feet in any horizontal dimension
• c.Habitable rooms must be at least 7 feet in any dimension✓
• d.Habitable rooms must be at least 120 square feet

Habitable rooms must be at least 7 feet in any horizontal dimension, and 6 feet 9 inches is short of that. The 8-foot, 120-square-foot and 10-foot figures are not code minimums, and the room's area (about 74 square feet) exceeds the 70-square-foot minimum.2025 CRC R312.2

A new egress door will be 30 inches wide in the clear. What is the finding?

• a.It meets the minimum, which is 28 inches
• b.It meets the minimum, which is 30 inches
• c.It exceeds the minimum, which is 24 inches
• d.It is narrower than the 32-inch minimum clear width✓

The required egress door provides at least 32 inches of clear width, so 30 inches fails. Twenty-eight and twenty-four inches are not the minimum, and 30 inches is not the figure for the required egress door.2025 CRC R318.2

A plan shows an open stair side 40 inches above the floor with a 34-inch-high guard around the landing. What is the problem?

• a.A guard must be 48 inches high
• b.A guard is not required until the drop exceeds 30 inches
• c.A guard may be 34 inches on a landing
• d.The landing guard must be at least 42 inches high✓

Guards are required at drops over 30 inches and must be at least 42 inches high, with 34 inches allowed only on the open sides of stairs measured from the nosing line. Forty-eight inches is not the minimum.2025 CRC R321.1

A basement bedroom is planned in an existing basement. What does the CRC require?

• a.An escape opening in the new sleeping room✓
• b.A skylight over the basement stairs and hall
• c.No escape opening, because it is an existing basement
• d.An escape opening if the room is over 200 square feet

New sleeping rooms created in an existing basement need an emergency escape and rescue opening, and the escape rules apply to every sleeping room. Existing-basement relief does not cover new bedrooms, and the 200-square-foot figure applies to basements with no habitable space.2025 CRC R319.7

Plans are drawn at 1/4 inch = 1 foot. A wall measures 8-3/4 inches. How long is it?

• a.17-1/2 feet
• b.8-3/4 feet
• c.70 feet
• d.35 feet✓

At 1/4 inch to the foot each inch is 4 feet: 8.75 × 4 = 35. Seventeen and a half is the 1/2-inch reading, 70 feet is the 1/8-inch reading, and 8-3/4 feet ignores the scale.CSLB B-2 study guide 13E-B2 (computation questions)

A city's remodel handout wants a bathroom plan to show which dimension for the toilet?

• a.The toilet's warranty length
• b.The distance in front of the toilet✓
• c.The toilet's brand
• d.The color and finish of the toilet fixture

The plan checklist asks for door width, overall room dimensions, windows and the distance in front of the toilet. Color, brand and warranty are not code dimensions.City of Rancho Cucamonga handout BSF-0031

A remodel plan will demolish an interior wall. What does the city handout want shown?

• a.The color of the existing wall
• b.The owner's tax parcel
• c.The age of the paint
• d.The existing framing layout✓

The handout requires the existing framing layout so the wall can be determined bearing or non-bearing, and notes engineering may be required if it is bearing. Color, paint age and tax parcel do not answer that.City of Rancho Cucamonga handout BSF-0031

A shop drawing for a window shows a different size from the plan schedule. When should the discrepancy be resolved?

• a.After the unit is delivered
• b.Before the unit is ordered✓
• c.After the unit is installed
• d.At final inspection

A shop drawing for a window is checked against the construction documents before ordering because the manufacturer builds what is drawn, and a mismatch found later costs a reorder or a rebuilt opening. Waiting until delivery, installation or final inspection finds the error only after the wrong unit is built, bought or set.2025 CRC R106.1

When must rough electrical and plumbing be inspected relative to the walls closing?

• a.After the gypsum board has been taped
• b.Before covering or concealment✓
• c.At final
• d.After the insulation is installed

Rough inspection is made before covering or concealment, before fixtures are set and before the framing inspection. Insulation, taping and final are all after the work is hidden.2025 CRC R109.1.2

When is the gypsum board inspection made?

• a.After the first coat of paint is applied
• b.Before the wall framing is complete
• c.After the trim is installed and painted
• d.After the board is hung, before taping✓

The board inspection is made after lath and gypsum board are in place but before any plastering is applied or joints and fasteners are taped and finished. Paint and trim come later, when the board is already covered, and framing is earlier, before there is any board to inspect.2025 CRC R109.1.4.2

Who requests inspections and provides access, under CRC R109.3?

• a.The material supplier
• b.The neighbor
• c.The inspector's supervisor
• d.The permit holder or agent✓

It is the duty of the permit holder or the agent to notify the building official that work is ready and to provide access and means for inspection. Neighbors, supervisors and suppliers do not carry that duty.2025 CRC R109.3

What moisture content must framing members be at or below before being enclosed, according to a city handout summarizing CALGreen?

• a.19 percent✓
• b.12 percent
• c.25 percent
• d.30 percent

New framing shall not be enclosed when the moisture content exceeds 19 percent. Twelve percent is a flooring subfloor limit in one guide, and 25 and 30 percent are higher than allowed.CALGreen 4.505.3 (per City of Rancho Cucamonga handout)

A B-2 contractor plans the sequence of a kitchen remodel with a new drain line. Which step must occur before drywall closes the wall?

• a.Final paint on the walls
• b.Cabinet installation along the wall
• c.Final inspection of the finished job
• d.Rough plumbing inspection✓

The rough plumbing inspection is made before the system is covered, so it comes before the wall is closed. Final paint, cabinet installation and the final inspection all occur after the wall is closed.2025 CRC R109.1.2

A job needs a licensed electrician for a new circuit. Who may the B-2 contractor hire?

• a.An appropriately licensed electrical contractor✓
• b.A licensed tile setting contractor
• c.The owner's cousin, who has done some wiring before
• d.A licensed painting contractor

A B-2 contractor may subcontract trades only to appropriately licensed subcontractors, and new circuits are system work that needs the electrical license. A painting or tile setting contractor holds a license for another trade, and a relative with some wiring experience holds none.Bus. & Prof. Code section 7057.5(b)(3)

Before demolition begins, which coordination step does Cal/OSHA require?

• a.Ordering the paint
• b.Hanging the cabinets
• c.Scheduling the final inspection
• d.Controlling the utilities✓

Utilities are controlled before demolition begins. Ordering paint, scheduling the final inspection and hanging cabinets belong to later phases of the job.8 CCR 1735(a)

A permit issued eight months ago was never started. What does CRC R105.5.1 say?

• a.It lapses after 12 months without commencement✓
• b.It lapses after 30 days
• c.It lapses after six months without commencing
• d.It never lapses

A permit becomes invalid unless work is commenced within 12 months, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 12 months, with written extensions allowed. Eight months has not yet expired it, and it does lapse.2025 CRC R105.5.1

A bathroom floor 7 feet by 9 feet is tiled with 12 percent waste. Cartons cover 10 square feet. How many cartons are needed?

• a.6 cartons
• b.9 cartons
• c.7 cartons
• d.8 cartons✓

Area is 63 square feet; with 12 percent waste it is 70.56; divided by 10 that is 7.06, which rounds up to 8 cartons. Six cartons ignores the waste, seven rounds down, and nine over-orders.CSLB B-2 study guide 13E-B2 (computation questions)

A painter works 30 hours at a burdened $45 per hour. The contractor adds 20 percent overhead and profit. What is the labor price?

• a.$1,620✓
• b.$1,800
• c.$1,485
• d.$1,350

30 × 45 = $1,350 cost; adding 20 percent gives $1,620. The $1,350 figure omits the add-on, $1,485 adds only 10 percent, and $1,800 adds about 33 percent.CSLB B-2 study guide 13E-B2 (computation questions)

A contractor wants a 30 percent margin on a job costing $14,000. What is the price?

• a.$20,000✓
• b.$18,200
• c.$17,500
• d.$19,600

Price = cost ÷ (1 − 0.30) = 14,000 ÷ 0.70 = $20,000. The $18,200 figure is a 30 percent markup, $19,600 is a 40 percent markup and $17,500 is a 25 percent markup.CSLB B-2 study guide 13E-B2 (computation questions)

A bathroom wall to be removed has a double top plate and 2x6 studs, and joists lap over it. What is the safest conclusion?

• a.Treat it as bearing until the building official says otherwise✓
• b.It is non-bearing because it stands in a bathroom and holds some pipes
• c.It is bearing if it has a window
• d.It is non-bearing because it holds plumbing

A wall carrying joists and framed like an exterior wall may be load bearing, and interior load-bearing walls are framed as exterior walls. Location, plumbing and windows do not decide it, and B-2 contractors may not alter bearing walls.2025 CRC R602.4

Why is a permit needed to remove a non-bearing partition?

• a.Permits are required when a bearing wall is removed
• b.All interior work needs a permit
• c.Non-bearing walls are structural
• d.Cutting away a wall is not an ordinary repair✓

R105.2.2 excludes cutting away any wall or partition from ordinary repairs. Not all interior work needs a permit, non-bearing walls are not structural, and the exclusion is not limited to bearing walls.2025 CRC R105.2.2

A 2x4 stud in a nonbearing partition is notched for a pipe. What is the deepest notch allowed (3-1/2 inch depth)?

• a.2.1 inches
• b.0.875 inch
• c.1.4 inches✓
• d.1.75 inches

Nonbearing studs may be notched to 40 percent of depth: 3.5 × 0.40 = 1.4 inches. The 0.875-inch figure is the bearing 25 percent limit, 2.1 inches is 60 percent and 1.75 inches is half the depth.2025 CRC R602.6

A pipe needs a 1-1/2 inch hole bored in a 2x4 stud (3-1/2 inches deep) in a nonbearing partition. Is that allowed, and what is the edge limit?

• a.No, because holes may not exceed 1 inch
• b.Yes, with no limit on how close to the edge
• c.No, because 1-1/2 inches exceeds 40 percent
• d.Yes, since it is under 60 percent of depth✓

Boring is limited to 60 percent of depth (2.1 inches here) and the hole edge stays at least 5/8 inch from the stud edge; in a bearing stud over 40 percent (1.4 inches) the stud is doubled, so 1-1/2 inches in a nonbearing partition is acceptable. The 1-inch cap and no-edge-limit options are not the rule.2025 CRC R602.6

Cutting a top plate more than half its width for a pipe in a bearing wall requires what?

• a.A second pipe run through the same wall
• b.A nail every 4 feet
• c.A galvanized metal tie across the cut✓
• d.Nothing, the plate is fine if the studs are sound

Where more than 50 percent of the top plate width is cut in an exterior or load-bearing wall, a 16-gage, 1-1/2-inch-wide metal tie is fastened across the cut with at least eight 10d nails each side and extends 6 inches past the opening. Doing nothing leaves the plate weakened. A second pipe run adds another cut rather than reinforcing the plate, and nails spaced every 4 feet do not bridge the cut.2025 CRC R602.6.1

Which order matches a cabinet maker's guide for removing an old kitchen?

• a.Appliances, countertops, base cabinets, wall cabinets✓
• b.Countertops, appliances, wall cabinets, base cabinets
• c.Base cabinets, countertops, appliances, wall cabinets
• d.Wall cabinets, base cabinets, countertops, appliances

The guide removes appliances first, then counter tops, base cabinets and finally wall cabinets. Starting with wall cabinets or removing counter tops last takes supported items out in the wrong order.Manufacturer installation guide (cabinets)

What should be done to cabinets before they are lifted out for reuse?

• a.Remove doors, drawers and shelves, noting where each goes✓
• b.Remove the finished wall behind them before anything else
• c.Fill the cabinets with debris so that they stay steady and level
• d.Paint the backs

The guide says to remove doors and drawer boxes to ease handling and prevent damage, and to note each door's cabinet. Debris adds weight, painting backs is irrelevant, and removing the wall damages the finish.Manufacturer installation guide (cabinets)

Old vinyl flooring under cabinets may contain asbestos. How does Cal/OSHA classify its removal?

• a.Class II asbestos work✓
• b.Class IV asbestos work
• c.Class III asbestos work
• d.Class I asbestos work

Class II covers removal of ACM that is not thermal system insulation or surfacing, including floor tile and sheet flooring. Class I is insulation and surfacing, Class III is repair and maintenance likely to disturb ACM, and Class IV is custodial.8 CCR 1529

A permit is issued for a kitchen remodel that moves the sink. What does the city handout say about countertop work alone?

• a.Every kitchen change needs a permit, even a simple countertop swap
• b.The cabinets need a permit
• c.A countertop swap needs no permit, but moving the sink does✓
• d.Nothing needs a permit

The handout says a permit is not required for countertop replacement or refacing of existing cabinets, but is required if the remodel includes relocating cabinets, the sink, dishwasher or hood or altering electrical.City of Rancho Cucamonga handout BSF-0030

What must be done before a toilet is removed and reset?

• a.Cut the supply line with a saw to release the fixture
• b.Close the stop valve and drain the tank and bowl✓
• c.Remove the water heater
• d.Disconnect the gas line

The supply is shut off at the stop and the fixture drained before disconnecting. The water heater and gas line are unrelated, and cutting the supply is not a controlled shutoff.8 CCR 1735(a)

A crew removes a light fixture and finds two live wires in the box. What is the safest next step?

• a.Cut them and push them into the wall
• b.Cap them with tape and leave the breaker on
• c.Turn off the breaker✓
• d.Twist them together without a connector

The circuit is de-energized and tested before conductors are terminated in a covered box. Taping live wires, cutting and burying them or twisting them without a connector leave exposed or unprotected conductors.8 CCR 1735(a)

CRC R105.2 exempts which electrical work from a permit?

• a.Replacing the service panel at the meter location outside
• b.Installing a new circuit
• c.Reinstalling plug receptacles, but not the outlets✓
• d.Adding a new outlet box

The exemption covers reinstalling attachment plug receptacles but not the outlets. A new circuit, a replaced service panel and a new outlet box are all permit work.2025 CRC R105.2

A bathroom remodel permit is issued, and an old toilet elsewhere in the house uses 3.5 gallons per flush. What does the city handout say?

• a.The fixtures in the room being remodeled need to change
• b.Nothing changes
• c.The old toilet must be upgraded to a 1.28-gallon model✓
• d.Showerheads must change

The handout explains that a remodel permit triggers upgrades of noncompliant fixtures throughout the house, and the required water closet is 1.28 gallons per flush. Doing nothing, remodel-room-only and showerhead-only rules are not stated.California Civil Code section 1101.4 (per City of Rancho Cucamonga handout)

What is the maximum flow for a kitchen faucet under the required fixtures in the handout?

• a.1.2 gallons per minute at 60 psi
• b.2.5 gallons per minute at 80 psi
• c.2.2 gallons per minute at 60 psi
• d.1.8 gallons per minute at 60 psi✓

The required kitchen faucet is 1.8 gpm at 60 psi. The 1.2 gpm figure is for bathroom faucets, 2.2 gpm is the noncompliant threshold, and 2.5 gpm at 80 psi is the old showerhead threshold.California Civil Code section 1101.4 and CALGreen 4.303 (per City of Rancho Cucamonga handout)

A B-2 contractor must remove a gas range and cap its line. Which statement fits?

• a.Tape over the open end of the gas line and leave the gas on
• b.Leave the gas line open and uncapped while the range is moved
• c.Turn off the gas and have a professional do the shutoff✓
• d.Cut the gas line with a cutting torch to release the old range

The guide says to turn off gas or electricity to appliances and suggests having a professional take care of shutoffs. Cutting with a torch, leaving it open or taping it are unsafe.Manufacturer installation guide (cabinets)

How far from a building must the ground be kept reasonably free of irregularities, per the housekeeping rule?

• a.Within 1 foot
• b.Within 6 feet✓
• c.Within 20 feet
• d.Within 50 feet

The ground area within 6 feet of a building under construction is to be reasonably free from irregularities. One foot is too narrow a zone, and 20 and 50 feet are more than the rule states.8 CCR 1513(b)

Where should combustible debris that accumulates inside a building be handled?

• a.Burned on site
• b.Left in place until the end of the whole job
• c.Removed promptly during construction✓
• d.Stacked in a pile beside the furnace room

Combustible debris accumulated inside is removed promptly. Leaving it until the end, stacking it by the furnace and burning it on site all create fire hazards.8 CCR 1513(d)

An engineered hardwood maker requires acclimation. How long must the unopened boxes sit in the room?

• a.At least 10 minutes
• b.At least 48 hours✓
• c.At least 30 days
• d.At least 2 hours

That maker requires at least 48 hours with conditioned air in the room. Two hours and ten minutes are far too short, and 30 days is longer than any stated requirement.Manufacturer installation guide (engineered hardwood)

A plywood subfloor reads 14 percent. A flooring maker allows no more than 12 percent. What should be done?

• a.Install now
• b.Locate the moisture source✓
• c.Install with extra glue
• d.Cover the floor with plastic and install

The reading exceeds the maker's 12 percent limit, so the moisture source is found and the subfloor dried first. Installing, adding glue or covering with plastic does not correct a wet substrate.Manufacturer installation guide (engineered hardwood)

A safety data sheet must be kept for what under Cal/OSHA's hazard communication standard?

• a.Every hazardous chemical, kept accessible to workers✓
• b.Only chemicals stored outside the building
• c.Only chemicals bought online or by mail order
• d.Only chemicals stored in quantities over 5 gallons

Employers keep the safety data sheets that come with hazardous chemical shipments and make them accessible. The standard does not limit them by quantity, by how the chemical was purchased, or by where it is stored.8 CCR 5194

Which statement describes the clear space required for a toilet according to the bathroom handout?

• a.30 inches total with 15 each side, and 24 in front✓
• b.36 inches wide in total and 36 inches in front
• c.24 inches wide in total with 12 each side, and 30 in front
• d.15 inches wide in total with 7-1/2 each side, and 15 in front

The handout requires a total of 30 inches (15 from the centerline to each side) and 24 inches in front. The other pairings reverse the figures, use the shared 15 as the total or give numbers that are not stated.City of Rancho Cucamonga handout BSF-0031 (CPC 402.5 as cited)

Which devices must a shower valve be, according to the bathroom handout?

• a.Ball valves without mixing
• b.Gate valves
• c.Single-handle compression valves
• d.Pressure-balance✓

The handout requires individual control valves of the pressure-balance, thermostatic or combination type, with the handle positions adjusted to a 120-degree maximum mixed setting. Compression, gate and plain ball valves do not control scalding.City of Rancho Cucamonga handout BSF-0031 (CPC 408.4 as cited)

A faucet with two handles is replaced. Which handle goes on the left according to the handout?

• a.Neither; both on the right
• b.Either, by preference
• c.Hot✓
• d.Cold

The hot water valve goes on the left. Cold on the left reverses the rule, personal preference is not allowed, and putting both on the right contradicts it.City of Rancho Cucamonga handout BSF-0031 (CPC 417.5 as cited)

A site-built shower stall is 28 inches by 34 inches inside. What is the finding?

• a.It exceeds the minimum, so the stall can be built as drawn
• b.It needs a 20-inch circle
• c.It meets the minimum, so the stall can be built as drawn
• d.Its area, 952 square inches, is under the minimum✓

The stall area is 28 × 34 = 952 square inches, under the 1,024 minimum, and it must also encompass a 30-inch circle. The other findings misread the area or the circle.City of Rancho Cucamonga handout BSF-0031 (CPC 408.7 as cited)

A bidet is added to a bathroom. What protection does the handout require for its supply?

• a.A single check valve on the supply line
• b.An air gap or vacuum breaker✓
• c.Nothing, since bidets use clean water
• d.A shutoff valve at the fixture alone

The bidet supply is protected by an air gap or vacuum breaker, and its hot water discharge is limited to 110 degrees. A shutoff or check valve alone is not the protection.City of Rancho Cucamonga handout BSF-0031 (CPC 410.2 as cited)

Which statement about the relief valve discharge capacity is correct?

• a.Not less than the water heater's input rating✓
• b.Half the input rating of the water heater unit
• c.Equal to the volume of the storage tank itself
• d.Unrelated to the heater's input rating in any way

The device's discharge capacity must be not less than the input rating of the water heater. Half the rating, no relation and tank volume are not the rule.2025 CPC 504.6

A water heater's lower strap is 3 inches above its controls. What is the finding?

• a.It must be at the controls
• b.It meets the rule
• c.It must be 12 inches above the controls
• d.It must be 4 inches above the controls✓

At the lower strap point at least 4 inches must be maintained above the controls. Three inches is too close, strapping at the controls is not allowed, and 12 inches is not required.2025 CPC 507.2