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California

Prevailing wage and public works in California

A California public job asks for DIR registration before it asks for a price, and certified payroll every week after that. These guides cover registering, the wage determinations that apply to your classification, the apprenticeship request, and where Caltrans and the local agencies advertise the work.

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19 guides on this

How to run the businessChange orders and extrasWritten and signed before the extra work starts on residential jobs under BPC s.7159, the 150 percent cap on withholding a disputed amount (BPC s.7108.5), and the public works order of preference where agreement comes before force account.After you qualifyDIR registration and certified payrollLab. Code s.1725.5 and s.1771.1 make registration a bid qualification for you and for every sub over one-half of one percent of your bid, renewed every July 1, plus certified payroll under s.1776 and the 10 days you get to produce records.After you qualifyCalifornia prevailing wageThe determination in force on the advertisement date governs the whole job under Lab. Code s.1773.2. Covers predetermined increases, what counts toward the hourly total under s.1773.1, the 8 hour daily overtime trigger, and the per worker per day penalties.After you qualifyBid ready checklistThe seven things an agency verifies before it reads your price: active license and classification, DIR registration for you and every listed sub, comp in force, named endorsements, security at 10 percent of the bid, and the one-half of one percent listing threshold.How to run the businessWhere work is startingBuilding permits, Caltrans advertisements and CEQAnet filings are all published before any invitation goes out. Read a permit status to know when to call, and use the 30 and 45 day CEQA review clocks to arrive years before a bid list exists.Before you qualifyA General EngineeringWhat the A carries under 16 CCR 832, where it stops against a B, the DIR registration and prevailing wage gate on public work over $1,000, the payment bond over $25,000, and the four years of journey-level experience CSLB wants.Before you qualifyC-4 Boiler and steamfittingThe C-4 scope for boilers, burners, feedwater and steam mains, why hospitals permit through HCAI and schools through DSA, and how continuous special inspections set your weld schedule. Prevailing wage applies on public work over $1,000.Before you qualifyC-8 Concrete contractor licenseBank, loose and compacted are three counts of the same dirt, and California has no standard method of measurement. Covers the Caltrans and Greenbook pay item families, the one acre SWPPP line, and the five foot trench permit.Before you qualifyC-10 Electrical contractor licenseThe state electrician certification under Lab. Code s.3099 is not the C-10, and the two come from different agencies. Covers Title 24 energy documents, the ECC field verification change on 1 January 2026, the $450 application and the $25,000 bond.Before you qualifyC-12 Earthwork and paving licenseCaltrans charges working days against the controlling activity, and a quantity moving more than 25 percent opens a price adjustment. Covers trench permits at 5 feet, SWPPP coverage at one acre, the $450 application and the $25,000 bond.Before you qualifyC-13 Fencing contractor licenseThe $500 licensing threshold under BPC s.7048, a down payment capped at the lesser of $1,000 or 10 percent, three business days to cancel, prevailing wage on public work over $1,000, and a city business tax certificate in every town you work.Before you qualifyC-31 Construction zone traffic controlAlmost all C-31 money is public, so DIR registration and a compliant certified payroll are the entry ticket. Covers the wage determination in force on the advertisement date, working days charged against the controlling activity, the 20 percent overhead cap and the half of one percent listing rule.Before you qualifyC-34 PipelineTrench depth sets the cost: egress at 4 feet, cave-in protection and a Cal/OSHA permit at 5, stormwater coverage at one acre. Covers the 25 percent quantity swing that opens a price adjustment, the 150 percent withholding cap, and five weeks from progress invoice to money.Before you qualifyC-49 Tree serviceDefensible space runs to 100 feet from the structure with an ember-resistant zone in the first 5 feet, and on a district contract the wage determination in force on the advertisement date fixes your labor cost for three years. Covers the $500 line, the payment bond required above $25,000 and the six month clock to sue on it.After you qualifyCaltrans and public works bidsHow a bid item price is deemed full compensation, why final pay quantities are never remeasured, the 25 percent quantity swing, working days charged against the controlling activity, 5 percent retention and release 60 days after completion.Before you qualifyC-32 Parking and highway improvementFour specification families measure the same stripe differently, and Caltrans final pay quantities are never remeasured. Covers escalating to the construction midpoint, the 20 percent path of travel cap on accessibility upgrades, and the 20 day preliminary notice on private lots.Before you qualifyC-43 Sheet metalYou fabricate, so CDTFA Regulation 1521 deems a manufacturing profit into the cost price of every fixture that leaves your shop, and the contract wording decides the tax base before you ever bill. Covers the 136 days from buying coil to retention landing, the 150 percent withholding cap, and Chapter 7A envelope work inside the 100 foot defensible space.Before you qualifyC-60 WeldingChapter 17 verifies your welder qualification records before it inspects a single weld, and a continuous inspection call means nobody welds on a day the inspector cannot attend. Covers the 20 day preliminary notice that still protects the 20 days before service, the 150 percent withholding cap and the $25,000 bond.Before you qualifyHAZ Hazardous substance removalThe removal item is bid as its own line and the certification is the eligibility check on the bidder, which is why the list stays short. Costs 40 hours of initial training plus an 8 hour refresher a year under 8 CCR 5192, and pays on a public clock with 5 percent retention released 60 days after completion and no lien behind it.

The rest of the California library

Getting and keeping a CSLB licensePreliminary notices and mechanics liens in CaliforniaRetention on California jobsBuilding standards on a California siteCal/OSHA on a construction siteWorkers comp for California contractorsSales tax for California contractorsHome improvement contracts in California
Every guideThe whole California libraryHow to run the business