Hudson Cancelled Contractor License Bonds in California. Here’s How to Keep Your License Clean.

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Your bond is the most boring document in your truck. Nobody frames it. Nobody brags about it. And it’s the one piece of paper that can quietly take your license offline while you’re out pouring a slab.

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That’s the situation some California contractors are in right now. Contractors and brokers are reporting that Hudson Insurance Company cancelled a block of California contractor license bonds, with a cancellation date of September 1, 2026. At the time of writing, CSLB has not posted a public notice about it that we could find, so treat the scope as reported, not official. What is official is how CSLB handles any cancelled bond, and that’s what decides whether this is a phone call or a problem.

What happened

• Reported: Hudson Insurance Company cancelled a group of California contractor license bonds effective September 1, 2026. How many bonds is not confirmed by CSLB, so we’re not going to guess.
• Official (CSLB): when your surety cancels your bond, your license goes into bond suspension unless a replacement bond (or a rescission from the surety) is on file in time.
• Official (CSLB): a license bond is cancelled 30 days after CSLB receives the surety’s cancellation notice. If no reinstatement notice or replacement bond reaches CSLB within that 30 days, the license is suspended.

This isn’t something you did wrong. It doesn’t matter much to CSLB, though. The rule looks at what’s on file, not whose fault it is.

Who’s affected

You’re in the blast radius if:

1. Your Contractor’s Bond ($25,000, required to keep an active license) was written by Hudson Insurance Company, or
2. Your license uses an RME, or an RMO who owns less than 10% of the voting stock, and the Bond of Qualifying Individual ($25,000) was written by Hudson.

Check both. People remember the first bond and forget the second.

What to do this week

1. Look yourself up on CSLB. Go to CSLB’s Check a License page and pull your license. Look at the license status line and open the Contractor’s Bond History. You’re looking for the surety name, the bond number and any cancellation date. If the status says something about a bond suspension, skip to step 2. Don’t stop to finish your coffee.

2. Replace the bond, and match the dates. Get a new $25,000 bond from a surety licensed through the California Department of Insurance. CSLB’s own advice is to make the new bond’s effective date the same as the old bond’s cancellation date, so there’s no gap. CSLB says it plainly: “To avoid a break in licensing time, the bond coverage must be continuous.”

3. Mind the 90-day clock. CSLB must receive a new bond within 90 days of the bond’s effective date. For a replacement effective September 1, 2026, 90 days lands on November 30, 2026. That’s our count, not a CSLB-published deadline, so confirm with CSLB or your surety and don’t plan on cutting it close. The clock runs on when CSLB receives the bond, not when you paid for it.

4. Confirm who files it. Ask your bond agent whether the surety files the bond with CSLB or whether you do. Get the filing confirmation in writing, then recheck your CSLB record after it posts.

5. If you’ve missed 90 days, there’s still a door. CSLB can accept a late bond and lift the suspension retroactively if the lapse was due to circumstances beyond your control (Business and Professions Code §7071.7). You’d complete CSLB’s “Request for 7071.7 Bond Acceptance” (form 13B-31), which CSLB says you get by calling 1-800-321-CSLB (2752), and send it with the original bond. It’s at CSLB’s discretion, so it’s a fallback, not a plan.

Why it matters: suspension is not a paperwork problem

CSLB is blunt about this: “Any work performed while the license is suspended is considered to be unlicensed and disciplinary action can be taken against you.” That’s the word nobody wants next to their name, especially on a job with a GC and an owner watching. Replacing a bond is a short errand. Explaining a suspension is not.

While you’re in there, look at the rest of the stack. If your bond lapsed without you noticing, ask whether your general liability, workers’ comp and auto renewals are on your radar too. Our contractors insurance page covers what most trades carry, and our surety bonds page covers license, bid, performance and payment bonds. For the full list of bonds we place, see our bonds page. And if workers’ comp is next on your list, read our explainer on CSLB’s 2028 workers’ comp requirement.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my bond was with Hudson?

Look up your license on CSLB’s Check a License page and open the Contractor’s Bond History. It lists the surety that wrote each bond. If you have a qualifier (RME/RMO), check the qualifier bond too.

Is my license suspended right now?

Only CSLB’s record can tell you. Under CSLB’s rules, a license is suspended when the surety cancels the bond and no replacement or rescission is on file in time. Check your status on CSLB’s site today.

What effective date should the replacement bond have?

CSLB recommends that the new bond’s effective date match the old bond’s cancellation date so coverage is continuous. For a Hudson bond cancelled September 1, 2026, that would be September 1, 2026. Ask your surety whether it can issue with that date.

How long do I have to get the new bond to CSLB?

CSLB must receive a bond within 90 days of its effective date. For a bond effective September 1, 2026, our count puts that at November 30, 2026. Confirm the exact date with CSLB.

What if I’m past 90 days?

You can ask CSLB to accept the bond late and lift the suspension retroactively under Business and Professions Code §7071.7, using form 13B-31. CSLB decides case by case.

Can I keep working while I sort this out?

Not if the license is suspended. CSLB treats work performed during a suspension as unlicensed.

Need a hand?

If you’re not sure what CSLB is showing or which bond needs replacing, call us at (916) 967-7715 or send us a note. We’ll walk through your CSLB record with you and help you line up a replacement bond application with the right dates. We’re Lions & Coventry Insurance Services, CA Lic. #0G22084.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Last checked against CSLB’s bond pages on October 12, 2026.