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How to Verify a Professional's License in San Bernardino?

San Bernardino professionals are generally required to obtain occupational licenses from the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) before offering their services to residents of the city. The DCA issues more than 200 different types of licenses through its various boards and bureaus, and it is your responsibility to ensure that your intended professionals have obtained the appropriate licenses required for their respective occupations. To this end, the DCA provides and maintains an online search tool that you can utilize to confirm the licensing status of San Bernardino professionals.

In addition to confirming that your intended professional is duly licensed for the job at hand, you may also be required to obtain city-issued permits from the Building and Safety Division of the San Bernardino Community and Economic Development Department. These permits are typically required for building and construction-related projects, and they usually include building permits, electric permits, plumbing permits, and mechanical permits. Note that the specific types or number of permits that you will require is primarily dependent on the scope and nature of your project. Therefore, it is advisable to contact the city's Community and Economic Development Department at (909) 384-5357 to get information on the permitting requirements for your intended project.

Do San Bernardino Neighborhood Councils
Issue Permits?

Residents and other interested parties in San Bernardino typically form neighborhood associations that allow them to come together to voice their concerns about happenings in their respective neighborhoods. Through these associations, residents organize and seek solutions to their voiced concerns and also providing other means and methods aimed at enhancing the quality of life for the families, neighbors, and the city at large. However, these neighborhood associations are not authorized to issue building and construction-related permits. Each of these neighborhood associations typically has a president who serves on a Neighborhood Association Council and meets regularly to come up with ways to make their respective associations work for everyone involved in them. In 2019, the Neighborhood Association Council partnered with the city to come up with a Neighborhood Leadership Academy for interested residents of the city that want to make a difference in their respective communities. Also, in June 2021, members of the SB Civic Center Neighborhood Association came together to clean up the Court Street Square area in preparation for the San Bernardino Food Fest. You can get more information on the city's Neighborhood Association Council, as well as on the active neighborhood associations in San Bernardino, via email or phone number (951) 237-3016.

How to File an Unfair Business
Complaint in San Bernardino?

The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Consumer Protection Unit is charged with protecting residents of San Bernardino from fraudulent, unscrupulous, and unfair business practices. You can file complaints that involve these types of matters by contacting this office at:

• 303 W. 3rd Street
• San Bernardino, CA 92415
• Phone: (909) 382-3800
• Hours: 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays

Note that this office is first and foremost a prosecutorial agency. As such, it typically refers complaints that it receives to more specialized agencies for investigation before pursuing civil or criminal action against the offending business, based on the findings of the investigation. Also, this office is not permitted to give legal advice to private citizens, and while its actions may result in possible restitution to the victims of a business's unfair practices, this is not always guaranteed. Therefore, it is advisable that you also contact a lawyer and take private legal action if you aim to seek redress from a business or professional that you hired. You can contact the San Bernardino County Bar Association's Legal Referral Service at (909) 888-6791 or online for referrals to qualified lawyers near you. If the amount of money that you wish to obtain as restitution is not more than $10,000, then you can file a claim with the San Bernardino County Small Claims Court. It is a good idea to contact the court's Small Claims Advisor via phone numbers (909) 387-3880 and (800) 634-9085 or email to get information regarding small claims procedures in San Bernardino before doing this.