Cal. Business and Professions Code § 4545.3

A certificate and the holder thereof are subject to this section in the same manner as are a license and the holder thereof. A license that is not renewed within four years after its expiration may not be renewed, restored, reinstated, or reissued thereafter, but the holder may apply for and obtain a new license if all of the following apply: (a) No fact, circumstance, or condition exists that would justify denial of the license under Section 480. (b) The holder pays all of the fees that would be required if the holder were applying for a license for the first time. (c) The holder takes and passes the examination, if any, which would be required if the holder were applying for the license for the first time, or otherwise establishes to the satisfaction of the board that, with due regard for the public interest, the holder is qualified to perform the services described in Section 4502. The board may, by appropriate regulation, provide for the waiver or refund of all or any part of the application fee in those cases in which a license is issued without an examination under this section.