What "Family Sup Susp" means on a California contractor license
Updated November 1, 2026 · Primary status
CSLB's license page wording: "License is suspended for failure to comply with a family support order."
Suspended under a child or family support order; the status says nothing about workmanship, but the license is not valid for now.
- 239licenses statewide
- 0.1%of all licenses in the file
- 237with a California address
This one is personal rather than business-related. CSLB's license page says: "License is suspended for failure to comply with a family support order." In plain terms, the licensee is behind on court-ordered child or family support.
California Family Code §17520 ties professional licenses to support orders. A licensee gets notice and, unless they comply, the license is suspended automatically 150 days later. Before that point you may see a temporary license tied to family support.
The status doesn't speak to the quality of anyone's work. It does mean the license can't legally be used for contracting while the suspension stands, and that has to come first when you decide whether to hire.
What to do if a contractor you're considering shows this status
- Wait to sign anything until CSLB shows the license as active again.
- Check the live license page yourself rather than relying on a verbal update.
- If you have a deadline, get bids from other licensed contractors in the meantime.
Always confirm the current status on CSLB's Instant License Check; it can change between our weekly refreshes.
Legal basis
Counties with the highest rate
| County | Licenses with this status | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Tulare County | 8 | 0.5% |
| Lake County | 2 | 0.4% |
| Monterey County | 8 | 0.3% |
| Mendocino County | 3 | 0.3% |
| Merced County | 3 | 0.3% |
| Tuolumne County | 2 | 0.3% |
| Fresno County | 10 | 0.2% |
| San Joaquin County | 6 | 0.2% |
| Stanislaus County | 5 | 0.2% |
| Santa Cruz County | 4 | 0.2% |
Counties with at least 300 licenses. Rate = share of local licenses showing this status.
City and trade lists where it is most common
- Licensed painters in Watsonville: 2 of 53 (3.8%)
- Licensed general contractors in Marina: 2 of 57 (3.5%)
- Licensed plumbers in Manteca: 1 of 40 (2.5%)
- Licensed tile contractors in Santa Barbara: 1 of 40 (2.5%)
- Licensed general contractors in Panorama City: 2 of 84 (2.4%)
- Licensed electricians in San Carlos: 1 of 44 (2.3%)
- Licensed painters in Visalia: 1 of 44 (2.3%)
- Licensed electricians in Wildomar: 1 of 44 (2.3%)
- Licensed flooring contractors in Salinas: 1 of 43 (2.3%)
- Licensed general contractors in South Gate: 2 of 89 (2.2%)
We started tracking week-to-week changes with the November 1, 2026 file. Trend data will appear here as history builds up.
Source: CSLB public data · Updated November 1, 2026 Status can change at any time. Verify on CSLB's Instant License Check.