The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) announced today that a
mandatory renewal deadline is approaching for contractors who bid or work on public
works projects in California. Contractors whose public works contractor registration
expired June 30, 2015, and have ongoing public works projects or plan to bid on new
ones, must pay the $300 renewal fee before January 1, 2016 or face an additional
$2,000 late penalty after that date.
“Contractor registration ensures that only those contractors who play by the rules can
bid and work on public works projects,” stated Julie A. Su, State Labor Commissioner.
As a result of Senate Bill 854, all contractors have been required since April 1, 2015, to
register with DIR to be awarded a public works contract, even if the project did not go
out to bid.
If you believe that your public works registration with DIR is still active, you can check
the active contractor registration search tool to locate and confirm your registration. If
your registration does not appear, it may have expired or you were not registered. DIR’s
Frequently Asked Questions page has more information.
If you were registered last year and have not bid nor worked on any public works
projects on or after July 1, 2015, you can renew for this fiscal year without incurring a
penalty.
The required annual registration fee of $300 is used to fund such activities as DIR’s
compliance monitoring and enforcement, prevailing wage and public works coverage
determinations, and enforcement appeal hearings.
DIR registration requires that all contractors affirm under penalty of perjury that they
have workers’ compensation insurance coverage, have no outstanding wage
judgments, and are licensed with the Contractors State License Board.
DIR maintains a listing of registered contractors and subcontractors on its website to
assist awarding bodies who must confirm this registration before considering a bid or
awarding a contract, and for contractors who must confirm that their bid team members
are registered. For more information, visit the DIR Public Works page.
DIR protects and improves the health, safety and economic well-being of over 18 million
wage earners, and helps their employers comply with state labor laws.
DIR’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), also known as the Labor
Commissioner’s Office, enforces prevailing wage rates and apprenticeship standards in
public works projects, inspects workplaces for wage and hour violations, adjudicates
wage claims, investigates retaliation complaints, issues licenses and registrations for
businesses and educates the public on labor laws.