About This Book
The California Department of Industrial Relations Public Works Manual (October 2023 edition) is a comprehensive enforcement and educational guide issued by the Labor Commissioner's Office (DLSE).
Key Purposes and Content
- Prevailing Wage Enforcement: Outlines the legal rules, enforcement processes, and investigative tools used to ensure consistent, timely, and accurate enforcement of California prevailing wage laws.
- Statutory Updates: Reflects legislative changes under SB 96, including enhanced penalties for contractor registration violations, penalties for awarding agencies using unregistered contractors, and expanded stop-order powers.
- Definition of Public Works: Clarifies what qualifies as a public works project—covering construction, alteration, demolition, and maintenance funded wholly or partly with public funds, public-agency work, below-market asset transfers, fee waivers, or contingent loans.
- Thresholds and Exemptions: Details prevailing wage thresholds (generally projects over $1,000) and small-project registration exemptions ($25,000 or less for construction/repair; $15,000 or less for maintenance).
- Stakeholder Resource: Serves as a reference for contractors, awarding bodies, labor compliance programs, and legal counsel, including relevant case law summaries and enforcement guidance.
Practice Tests Using This Book
This book is required or recommended for 1 licensing exam. We've written 24 practice questions directly from this material, each one citing the chapter and section it comes from.