MW Erectors, Inc. v. Niederhauser Ornamental & Metal Works Co.

Opinion

BAXTER, J.

To protect the public, the Contractors’ State License Law (CSLL; Bus. & Prof. Code, § 7000 et seq.) 1 imposes strict and harsh penalties for a contractor’s failure to maintain proper licensure. Among other things, the CSLL states a general rule that, regardless of the merits of the claim, a contractor may not maintain any action, legal or equitable, to recover compensation for “the performance of any act or contract” unless he or she was duly licensed “at all times during the performance of that act or contract.’'’ (§ 7031, subd. (a) (section 7031(a)), italics added.)

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