Business & LicensingQuestion 676 of 1632

Under Bus. & Prof. Code §7059.1, a licensed contractor's business name (including any DBA/fictitious business name) may NOT:

a.Be longer than thirty characters, including the entity suffix
b.Imply a license classification the contractor does not hold
c.Be registered as a federal trademark by the licensee
d.Combine the contractor's surname with the city of operation

Explanation

B&P §7059.1 forbids a contractor's name, including any fictitious business name used in advertising, from indicating or implying a classification the licensee does not hold or otherwise misleading the public about license status — so a C-10 electrical contractor may not trade as 'Acme General Construction' or 'Ace Roofing'. (a) invents a character limit the section does not impose. (c) confuses trademark law with the license law; registering a mark neither cures nor creates a §7059.1 problem. (d) describes the most ordinary contractor name there is. Note that §7030.5 separately requires the license number on advertising; §7059.1 polices the name itself.

Law Reference: Bus. & Prof. Code §7059.1

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Reviewed by Abraham Chen — Licensed California General Contractor (CSLB License #1101856 — verify)
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