THIRD-PARTY LABOR COMPLIANCE MONITORINGCalifornia runs its own prevailing wage system, separate from federal law.
State and local public works projects over $1,000 must pay California's prevailing wage rates, register with the DIR, and file certified payroll through the state's own system, on top of any federal requirements that also apply.
We track DIR registration, prevailing wage determinations, and certified payroll reporting on California public works projects, so nothing gets missed between state and federal rules.
30+ years
MONITORING PUBLIC WORKS50 states
COVERAGEFederal & State
DUAL JURISDICTIONWhich projects this applies to
California's prevailing wage law, Labor Code sections 1720 through 1861, applies to public works projects funded in whole or in part by state or local government, once the project's value exceeds $1,000. That's a much lower bar than the federal Davis-Bacon threshold of $2,000, so a small project that wouldn't trigger federal rules can still be covered here.
The DIR operates independently from the federal Department of Labor. It publishes its own wage determinations by county and craft, twice a year, and uses its own certified payroll form, not the federal WH-347.What California requires beyond the federal rules
Contractor Registration
Every contractor and subcontractor must register with the DIR as a Public Works Contractor before bidding on or performing covered work. Registration is annual, and awarding bodies are required to verify it's active before issuing a contract.
State Certified Payroll
Certified payroll must be submitted directly to the DIR, not just to a union, awarding body, or labor compliance program. Projects of $30,000 or more also trigger the state's apprenticeship requirements.
What happens if you miss it
Working on a covered project without an active DIR registration can trigger a stop-work order, and prime contractors are liable if they use an unregistered subcontractor, so verifying registration up front matters as much as your own paperwork.
Noncompliance can lead to forfeitures and debarment from California public works for one to three years. On projects that are also federally funded, state and federal requirements apply at the same time, so a fix on one side doesn't clear an issue on the other.
We monitor it so you don’t have to guess
We verify DIR registration before work begins, track prevailing wage determinations by county and craft, and manage certified payroll submissions directly to the state, alongside any federal requirements running on the same project.