Every contractor and subcontractor intending to bid or perform public works in California must register with the Department of Industrial Relations. It costs $400 a year, it is non-refundable, and an awarding body cannot legally accept a bid that lists an unregistered contractor or subcontractor. Registration is separate from your contractor licence and from DGS small business certification.
Who has to register
Everyone in the chain. Not just the prime — every subcontractor listed on the bid as well. A single unregistered sub can invalidate the whole bid, which is why generals increasingly check registration status before listing anyone.
To register and stay registered you need to hold the appropriate state contractor licence, carry workers’ compensation coverage, have no delinquent wage assessments outstanding, and not be debarred federally or by the state.
The requirement to list only registered contractors and subcontractors on bids took effect in March 2015. It is not new, and awarding bodies do not have discretion to waive it.
What it costs and how long it lasts
- $400 per year, non-refundable.
- Registration runs on an annual cycle and must be renewed.
- A first violation within a twelve-month period may still be curable by registering and paying an additional penalty, but do not plan around that.
The renewal is where firms get caught. A registration that lapses mid-project does not just affect future bids — it affects your standing on work already underway. We track renewal dates for clients for exactly this reason.
Certified payroll records
Once you are on a public works site, you must submit certified payroll records to the Labor Commissioner. This is the ongoing obligation that outlasts the registration, and it is where most enforcement activity actually happens.
There is a small project exemption: $25,000 for construction and $15,000 for maintenance. Below those thresholds the CPR requirement does not apply. Above them it does, on every job, for every worker.
Records are submitted electronically. The practical failure mode is not refusal but drift — a payroll clerk who submits late, or classifies a worker under the wrong craft, or misses a week. Withheld payment and penalties follow from clerical error far more often than from deliberate non-compliance.
Apprenticeship: the requirement people forget
On any public works contract of $30,000 or more, apprenticeship obligations attach. Three separate things are required and each has its own timing.
- DAS 140 — contract award information. Filed with your apprenticeship committee if you are approved to train, or with all committees that could supply apprentices to the site if you are not.
- DAS 142 — request for dispatch. Submitted to the applicable committee at least three business days before you need apprentices on site. Three business days, not three days.
- The ratio. One hour of apprentice work for every five hours performed by a journeyman-level worker.
You must also make training fund contributions at the amount specified in the prevailing wage determination, paid either to your apprenticeship committee or to the California Apprenticeship Council.
Filing DAS 142 late is the single most common apprenticeship failure we see, and it is entirely avoidable. The three-day clock starts before the apprentices are needed, not when you realise you need them.
How this fits with everything else
These are four separate systems administered by three agencies, and holding one gives you nothing in the others.
- CSLB issues your contractor licence.
- DIR handles public works registration, prevailing wage and certified payroll.
- DGS handles SB, SB-PW and DVBE certification, and runs Cal eProcure.
- The awarding body — the state department, county, city or district — runs its own vendor registration on top of all of it.
A contractor who is licensed, certified and registered still cannot bid a county job without being in that county’s vendor system. Working out which of these you are missing is usually a fifteen-minute conversation, and it is worth having before a bid deadline rather than during one.
Want this handled for you? See certified payroll and prevailing wage support. New to public works? Read how to bid on public works projects in California.
Common questions
How much is DIR registration for contractors?
$400 per year, and it is non-refundable. It must be renewed annually.
Do subcontractors need DIR registration?
Yes. Every contractor and subcontractor intending to bid or perform public works must be registered, and an awarding body cannot accept a bid listing an unregistered subcontractor.
What happens if I bid public works without registering?
The bid cannot be accepted. A first violation within twelve months may still be curable by registering and paying an additional penalty, but the bid itself is lost.
When is certified payroll not required?
Under the small project exemption: $25,000 for construction and $15,000 for maintenance. Above those thresholds, certified payroll records must go to the Labor Commissioner.
What contract value triggers apprenticeship requirements?
$30,000 or more. That triggers DAS 140, DAS 142, the 1:5 apprentice to journeyman ratio, and training fund contributions.
What is the difference between DAS 140 and DAS 142?
DAS 140 provides contract award information to apprenticeship committees. DAS 142 requests actual dispatch of apprentices and must be submitted at least three business days before they are needed.
Is DIR registration the same as my contractor licence?
No. Your licence comes from the CSLB. DIR registration is separate, costs $400 a year, and is specifically about eligibility to bid and perform public works.
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This article is general information about public procurement and grant processes, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Rules change; check the official source or ask us before you act on anything here.