How to check a California pest control license
It takes a few minutes on a state website. Do it before you sign anything, including for a company you reached through this line.
Calls are answered early morning to late evening
Look it up
Get the details from the company
Ask for the business name and the license or registration number. It should also be on the paperwork.
Open the state search
Go to the Department of Consumer Affairs license search. The Board's instructions page explains it.
Choose the Board
Under Board and Bureaus, pick Structural Pest Control Board. Search by name, business name or number.
Read the result
The result shows whether the license is current and whether there has been discipline. Cancelled licenses do not appear, so the Board's licensing line at (916) 561-8704 can check those for you.
How California sorts the work
The Board groups pest work into three branches. Branch 1 is fumigation, the tent jobs using lethal gas. Branch 2 is general household pests such as ants and roaches. Branch 3 is wood-destroying pests, including termites and related repairs.
So the thing to look for is a match. A company offering a termite inspection should show Branch 3, and a company tenting a house should show Branch 1. Companies are registered, and individuals are licensed as operators, field representatives or applicators.
If something goes wrong
The Board takes complaints about unlicensed activity, poor workmanship and unfinished work. You generally have two years from the problem, or four for fraud, gross negligence or misrepresentation. It cannot settle payment disputes or landlord and tenant problems.
Sources: Structural Pest Control Board: verify a license; The three branches; Filing a complaint. Checked 4 November 2026.
Seeing it now? Make the call.
You will be connected with an independent pest control company that works in your area. Say what you have seen and where, then ask about the visit. Nothing is decided until you agree to it with the company.
Calls are answered early morning to late evening
Calls may be recorded. See the referral disclosure and privacy policy.