For a contractor, what does being licensed and bonded actually mean? ~

To get a License, You have to have the experience, that means 
knowing , Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical and
all things relating to that.
Usually people have worked with a licensed contractor
for a number of years and usually becomes the top guy
in the crew and eventually goes for his own license.
I was fortunate because my Step Dad was a Building Inspector
for the Naval Base in Monterey so he taught me everything.
Even so, I still worked with a few Contractors over the years.
     And then the contractors test for the all and everything.
two parts...General Building and Electrical. I had to go to Sacramento
four times to test and retest. I failed the Electrical Exam twice.
The tests take hrs to complete. Very Hard and detailed and thorough.
and to pass you really have to know your stuff.
     Being Bonded is just covering your client in case you mess up.
I think my Bond is $15,000.
License is very expensive renewal every two years. 
Same with the Bond.
Also most contractors that do other than small jobs
have a hefty Insurance policy. This post was edited by Baba at July 4, 2020 8:32 PM MDT

Heck, I don't know. The 'guys' my wife knows were professional tradesmen who were doing side-work. We saved thousands of dollars by not using contractors and still got high quality work. It pays to know people.

You know what being licensed means....the state has been convinced that you have the education, knowledge, and experience of the trade for which you aspire to be licensed and practice.   Contractors can buy surety bonds which provide protection for his customers in case he fails to perform.  A bond is a type of insurance. 

This is my personal opinion.

This post was edited by Thriftymaid at July 5, 2020 10:41 AM MDT

License to kill. He's Bonded.