Changes to Public Works Contractor Registration Fees and Small Contractor Exemption

The State of California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has implemented several changes that affect the Public Works Contractor Registration Fees. Registration fees paid by contractors on or before June 30, 2017 are not affected, however, effective July 1, 2017 any renewal or new registrations will be charged an increased rate of $400.00.

Additionally, beginning June 1, 2019, contractors will be provided the option of renewing their registrations for a 3-year term. Penalties and fees will be assessed for failures to register and as a reminder, registrations are due annually by June 30th. 

Small project exemptions are available for both the registration fees and electronic certified payroll reporting requirements. DIR has issued the following notice clarifying requirements for small project exemption. 

  • Small project exemption is applied based on the amount of the entire project, not a contractor's subcontracted amount of the project.
  • Small project exemption applies for all public works projects that do not exceed $25,000 for new construction, alteration, installation, demolition or repair; and $15,000 for maintenance.

To access further information and details on the rate increases and exemptions, please refer visit DIR's Public Works website.