How rankings work

Contractor lists are ordered only by public data, in this order:

1. Jobs of the trade in the countyThe number of building permits for that kind of work (solar, roofing or electrical) that name the contractor's CSLB license on the county's permit portals.
2. All permits in the countyThen all their permits there.
3. Recent activityThen permits in the last three years anywhere in our data.
4. Office in the countyLicensed contractors with an office in the county but no permits on our portals yet are listed below.

Suspended licenses are not listed (their profiles still show the status). Equipment is ordered by Southern California permits that name it, then by how complete its data is. Nobody can pay to appear or to move — including Cali Energy, which develops Cali-Graf.

Permit portals cover different periods — see data sources. Counties without a loaded portal show office-based lists until permit data arrives.