Right Column

Public Information - Information and Rates

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Public Information Unit provides information to the public regarding over 150 professional license types issued through the DCA Boards/Bureaus/Committees/Programs(hereafter referred to as "Agencies") in accordance with the Information Practices Act, Civil Code § 1798.61, and Business and Professions Code § 161.

This document provides a comparison of license files provided by the Public Information Unit and describes the various content, format and shipping options.

Most DCA license information is provided to the public through a Standard File, a Custom File or the Masterfile. Standard Files and Custom Files provide license information on single Agencies, while the Masterfile provides license information on multiple Agencies.

To determine which Agencies are included in the Masterfile, you may refer to either the Agency List or the Masterfile Request Form.

To order license information, click on the Agency List.

The following table identifies the differences between a Standard file, a Custom file and the Masterfile. All three provide information on current renewable licenses listed under various Agencies throughout California for resident and non-resident licensees.

File Type	Standard	Custom	Masterfile
Number of Agencies represented per file	One	One	Multiple
Information always included	Licensee's full business or individual name, full address, city code, county code, license type, original issue date, expiration date, date record was last updated, and Agency code	Licensee's full business or individual name, full address, city code, county code, license type, original issue date, expiration date, date record was last updated, and Agency code	Licensee's full business or individual name, full address, city code, county code, license type, original issue date, expiration date, process date, and Agency code
Information included if available	Class codes	Class codes	Class codes
Information included if requested	License number	License number, business phone numbers (if available), education information (school code, year graduated and degree code — only available through certain Agencies with their submitted approval — please contact the specific Agency directly), and primary status codes (other than current renewable licenses)	License number
Output Types	CD or email file (both in ASCII text format)	CD or email file (both in ASCII text format, Microsoft Excel format, or preformatted in Microsoft Word for Avery 5160 labels)	CD file in ASCII text format
Turn Around Time	Five business days from the time the Public Information Unit receives the request form, with full payment	Four to six weeks from the time the Public Information Unit receives the request form, with full payment	Four to six weeks from the time the Public Information Unit receives the request form, with full payment
Sort By	County, then licensee (business or individual) name	Requestor's preference. If not specified, license number	Agency code, then license type, then license number
Shipping Options	Standard United States Mail (no additional cost) or Quick Shipment (paid for by Requestor)	Standard United States Mail (no additional cost) or Quick Shipment (paid for by Requestor)	Standard United States Mail (no additional cost) or Quick Shipment (paid for by Requestor)
Cost	$235.00 per Agency	$245.00 per Agency	$235.00 full Masterfile

Note: License numbers will only be provided if requested.

Request forms, along with related support materials, are available through the Public Information Home Page or the Public Information Unit.

License data is updated by the Agencies daily and cannot be altered by the Public Information Unit.

ASCII text documents contain fixed width records and are NOT comma delimited. They can be imported into a database or spreadsheet format, and can then be sorted. ASCII text format is compatible with both Microsoft Windows and Macintosh operating systems.

All ASCII or Word format files containing up to 65,000 names can be imported into a database or spreadsheet format; it is recommended that files containing 65,000 names or more be imported into a database format. Please refer to your database or spreadsheet program for data importing instructions.

Note: Data for the Board of Registered Nursing, Medical Board of California, Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, and Bureau of Security and Investigative Services may only be available on CD if the file size exceeds 65,000 records. The record size may exceed 65,000 records if most or all available license information is requested.

Please submit data requests, with payments attached, to:

Department of Consumer Affairs, Public Information Unit, C/O Cashiering Unit
P.O. Box 989004, West Sacramento, CA 95798

If sending documents to the Public Information Unit via a Quick Shipment method (e.g., overnight or priority), please provide the Public Information Unit with a tracking number and the expected delivery date, and mail the documents to:

Department of Consumer Affairs, Office of Information Services, Public Information Unit
1625 North Market Boulevard, Suite S-100, Sacramento, CA 95834

Completed orders will be shipped via standard United States Mail (no additional cost), unless Quick Shipment is selected and the required items are provided. Please provide the vendor name, account number to be billed and priority method in the Quick Shipment section of the request form. The vendor shipping label must also accompany the request form. Quick Shipment is paid for by the Requestor. The Public Information Unit will provide a tracking number to the Requestor for outgoing Quick Shipments. Note: Quick Shipment is not available to P.O. Boxes.

Purchase orders are accepted from Government Entities (Federal, State, County, City, State Universities, or Public Schools). The Government Entity must be verified by the Public Information Unit. Note: The Requestor must notify the Public Information Unit by email or phone when using a purchase order. A "Letter of Intent" will be faxed or emailed to the Requestor to be completed and returned to the Public Information Unit within five business days of the date on the letter. If the "Letter of Intent" is not received within five business days, the request will be cancelled.

Requests will either be processed or cancelled. The Public Information Unit does not place requests on hold and is not responsible for any request received without full payment. If the Public Information Unit requires any additional information before processing the request, the Requestor will be contacted. The Requestor must supply this information within 10 business days or the request will be cancelled. If a request is cancelled, a cancellation letter and refund will be issued to the Requestor.

Fees are non-refundable unless there is a defect in the product. Replacement data is not applicable after five business days following the mailing of the output. For refunds under $10.00, the Requestor must submit a written request to the Public Information Unit, due to accounting requirements. Please allow 90 days for all refunds.

For license counts and other inquiries, please contact the Public Information Unit via email at public_sales@dca.ca.gov.