How We Rank Contractors
No black-box algorithms. No pay-to-rank. No fake reviews. This page IS our algorithm. Full transparency on how every contractor is scored, badged, and ranked on NorCal Repairs.
Our commitment: Every ranking on NorCal Repairs is based on verifiable data — Google reviews, CSLB license status, and direct contractor verification. We publish our methodology so homeowners can trust the results and contractors can understand how to improve their standing. Paid subscribers get priority placement and a badge, but their score is still earned — never bought.
The NorCal Score (0–100)
A Bayesian-adjusted composite trust score assigned to every contractor. Here is exactly what goes into it.
Bayesian-adjusted so a 5.0 with 2 reviews does not outrank a 4.8 with 200 reviews. Rating is weighted by review volume to prevent low-sample outliers.
More verified reviews increase statistical confidence in the rating. A contractor with 200+ reviews has a much more reliable score than one with 5 reviews.
Recent reviews signal an active, currently operating business. A contractor with no reviews in 12+ months scores lower on recency than one with reviews in the last 30 days.
Active California Contractors State License Board license verified — C-10 (Electrical), C-20 (HVAC), C-36 (Plumbing), C-39 (Roofing), and other classifications.
Minimum $1M general liability insurance. Workers' compensation verified where applicable. Certificates of insurance checked for Trusted Contractors.
How quickly the contractor responds to lead requests and inquiries. Faster response times contribute positively to the overall score.
Review Scoring: Why Bayesian Adjustment Matters
Google reviews are weighted by volume. A 5-star contractor with 2 reviews does not outrank a 4.8-star contractor with 200 reviews.
Two reviews is not enough data to trust a perfect score. This ranking is misleading.
200 reviews gives far more statistical confidence. This ranking reflects reality.
Trust Badges Explained
Three badges, three meanings. Here is what each one signals about a contractor and how it is earned.
The top contractor per city/service combination, calculated by rating x review_count weighted score with Bayesian adjustment. This badge is awarded automatically and cannot be purchased.
How it works:
- 1.Calculate rating x review_count for every contractor in the city/service pair
- 2.Apply Bayesian adjustment to pull low-volume scores toward the mean
- 3.Highest-scoring contractor earns AI Recommended for that market
Verified subscribers who have claimed their listing and pay $299/mo. CSLB licensed, insured, and background-checked. They get the green badge, priority placement, and exclusive leads.
Verification requirements:
- ✓Active CSLB license verified
- ✓Insurance verified ($1M+ GL)
- ✓Background-checked
Benefits:
- ✓Priority placement in search results
- ✓Exclusive lead access
- ✓Green Trusted Contractor badge
Important: Their NorCal Score is still earned, not bought. A Trusted Contractor with a lower score will rank below a free-listed contractor with a higher score.
The composite trust score (0–100) displayed on every contractor listing. Combines all ranking factors into a single, comparable number. Higher is better.
Score ranges:
Our Data Sources
Every data point in our rankings comes from a verifiable source. No proprietary mystery metrics.
Google Business Profile
Star ratings, review counts, review text, review recency, business hours, and service areas pulled via the Google Places API.
CSLB Verification
California Contractors State License Board records — active license status, license classification (C-10, C-20, C-36, C-39, etc.), bond status, and disciplinary history.
Direct Contractor Verification
For Trusted Contractors: insurance certificates of liability ($1M+ GL), workers' compensation verification, and background check results provided during onboarding.
Google Places API
Structured business data including categories, phone numbers, addresses, website URLs, photo references, and place IDs used to populate contractor profiles.
What We Reject
Transparency means being clear about what we do and what we will never do. These are our hard lines.
What We Do
What We Reject
Find Top-Ranked Contractors Near You
Search by city or zip code to see NorCal Scores, badges, and verified reviews for local contractors.
Are You a Contractor?
Claim your free listing or upgrade to Trusted Contractor for priority placement, the green badge, and exclusive leads at $299/mo.
Ranking Methodology — FAQ
Can a contractor pay to get a higher NorCal Score?
No. The NorCal Score is calculated entirely from objective data: Google rating (Bayesian-adjusted by review volume), review count, review recency, CSLB license verification, insurance verification, and response time. Trusted Contractors (paid subscribers at $299/mo) receive priority placement and a green badge, but their NorCal Score is still earned — not purchased. A Trusted Contractor with a 72 score will still appear below a free-listed contractor with an 88 score in the rankings.
How does the Bayesian adjustment work?
Bayesian adjustment prevents outliers from gaming the system. Instead of taking a contractor's raw Google rating at face value, we weight it against the average rating and average review count across all contractors in the same market. A contractor with 2 reviews and a 5.0 rating gets pulled toward the mean, while a contractor with 200 reviews and a 4.8 rating stays near 4.8. This ensures that review volume matters — not just the star number.
What is the NorCal Score?
The NorCal Score is a 0-100 composite trust score that combines five factors: Google rating (weighted by review volume using Bayesian adjustment), total review count and recency, CSLB license verification, insurance verification, and response time. It is recalculated regularly as new data comes in from Google Business Profile and CSLB records. Every contractor listed on NorCal Repairs has a NorCal Score.
What does the AI Recommended badge mean?
The AI Recommended badge is automatically awarded to the top-performing contractor in each city/service combination based on a weighted score of Google rating multiplied by review count, with Bayesian adjustment applied. It is not manually assigned or purchasable — it is recalculated as review data changes. Only one contractor per city/service pair can hold this badge at a time.
What does the Trusted Contractor badge mean?
Trusted Contractors are verified subscribers who pay $299/month. They must be CSLB licensed, carry minimum $1M general liability insurance, and pass a background check. In exchange, they receive the green Trusted Contractor badge, priority placement in search results, and exclusive lead access. Their NorCal Score is still independently earned — the subscription does not inflate their score.
Where does NorCal Repairs get its data?
We pull data from four primary sources: Google Business Profile (ratings, reviews, business info via Google Places API), the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB license verification, bond status, disciplinary actions), direct contractor verification (insurance certificates, background checks for Trusted Contractors), and ongoing monitoring for changes in license status or review patterns.
How often are NorCal Scores updated?
NorCal Scores are recalculated regularly as new Google review data and CSLB records are updated. AI Recommended badges are recalculated whenever the underlying rating or review data changes for contractors in a given city/service pair. AI-generated review summaries are regenerated monthly.
Do you remove or filter Google reviews?
No. We use all publicly available Google reviews as-is. We do not add, remove, or edit reviews. Our Bayesian adjustment simply ensures that review volume is factored into the score — it does not change the underlying review data. If we detect review fraud patterns, we may flag or remove the contractor from our platform entirely.
Why does a 4.7-star contractor rank above a 5.0-star contractor?
Because of Bayesian adjustment. A contractor with 4.7 stars and 300 reviews has far more statistical confidence in their rating than one with 5.0 stars and 3 reviews. Our system recognizes that a perfect score based on very few data points is less reliable than a slightly lower score based on hundreds of verified customer experiences.
What happens if a Trusted Contractor loses their CSLB license?
If a Trusted Contractor's CSLB license is suspended, revoked, or expires, they are immediately removed from our platform and lose their Trusted Contractor badge. We periodically verify license status against CSLB records. Contractors are not re-listed until their license is fully reinstated.