Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from California's official board.
California certifies individual elevator mechanics through the Cal/OSHA Elevator Unit rather than a trades board, and only a Certified Competent Conveyance Mechanic employed by a Certified Qualified Conveyance Company may perform maintenance, repairs, alterations or replacements on any conveyance in California.
| Requirements | Only a Certified Competent Conveyance Mechanic working for a Certified Qualified Conveyance Company is authorized to perform any maintenance, repairs, alterations or replacements on a conveyance in California. CCCM certification requires employment by a CQCC, at least three years of work experience in the construction, maintenance, service or repair of conveyances with employer verification of that employment and experience, two passport sized color photos, and either a certificate from an approved apprenticeship program (NEIEP, CET or CAT) or a passing score on the qualifying examination, for which an additional $100 exam fee applies. The initial biennial CCCM certification fee is $210. A Temporary CCCM may be issued when an employer shows insufficient certified mechanics are available, on one of three routes: one year of industry experience plus second year apprentice status, two years of experience plus enrollment in an approved apprenticeship, or three years of experience plus division verified proof of competency. A CQCC must hold a current, valid CSLB C-11 contractor license and carry current workers' compensation and liability insurance; the initial CQCC fee is $700. A CCCI must be employed by a licensed insurance company, a municipality or the State of California, hold at least four years of mechanical or electrical experience of which at least one year is elevator related (college engineering education may substitute year for year), pass written and field examinations, and complete 90 days of intensive training under the supervision of a certified inspector, which may be waived before the examination. |
| Reciprocity | Yes, by statute. Labor Code § 7311.2(b)(1)(B)(iv) lists a certificate or licence from another state having standards substantially equal to or more comprehensive than those of the chapter as one of five accepted qualifying pathways for the Certified Competent Conveyance Mechanic, with the Division making a case-by-case determination; no pre-approved state list is published. Two further pathways substitute for California's own examination: a national training programme certificate such as NEIEP or an equivalent CET or CAT programme, and completion of a registered federal or state apprenticeship with substantially equal standards. All pathways still require three years of documented conveyance-industry experience and the biennial certification fee. One practical caveat: the current public CCCM application form (DOSH 003, rev. 1/2025) operationalises only three of the five statutory pathways, Division examination, NEIEP/CET/CAT examination and apprenticeship, and provides no checkbox or process for the out-of-state licence pathway, although nothing repeals it. The Division's public elevator certification and FAQ pages say nothing about reciprocity; the mechanism appears only in the statute. NAESA QEI is an inspector credential mapping to California's separate CCCI inspector certification, not to the CCCM mechanic credential. |
| Renewal | CCCM, CQCC and CCCI certifications are renewed every two years, and each renewal requires a copy of an approved continuing education certificate. The renewal fee for each is $140. A Temporary CCCM is issued for an initial six months, after which subsequent certifications require monthly renewal at $35. |
| Notes | California certifies individual elevator mechanics through the Cal/OSHA Elevator Unit rather than a trades board, and only a Certified Competent Conveyance Mechanic employed by a Certified Qualified Conveyance Company may perform maintenance, repairs, alterations or replacements on any conveyance in California. |
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Sources: www.dir.ca.gov, www.dir.ca.gov, www.dir.ca.gov, www.cslb.ca.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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