Section 1720.
Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1720.
in effect(a)
As used in this chapter, “public works” means all of the following:
(1)
Construction, alteration, demolition, installation, or repair work done under contract and paid for in whole or in part out of public funds, except work done directly by a public utility company pursuant to order of the Public Utilities Commission or other public authority. For purposes of this paragraph, “construction” includes work performed during the design, site assessment, feasibility study, and other preconstruction phases of construction, including, but not limited to, inspection and land surveying work, regardless of whether any further construction work is conducted, and work performed during the
postconstruction phases of construction, including, but not limited to, all cleanup work at the jobsite. For purposes of this paragraph, “installation” includes, but is not limited to, the assembly and disassembly of freestanding and affixed modular office systems.
(2)
Work done for irrigation, utility, reclamation, and improvement districts, and other districts of this type. “Public works” does not include the operation of the irrigation or drainage system of an irrigation or reclamation district, except as used in Section 1778 relating to retaining wages.
(3)
Street, sewer, or other improvement work done under the direction and supervision or by the authority of an officer or public body of the state, or of a political subdivision or district thereof, whether the political
subdivision or district operates under a freeholder’s charter or not.
(4)
The laying of carpet done under a building lease-maintenance contract and paid for out of public funds.
(5)
The laying of carpet in a public building done under contract and paid for in whole or in part out of public funds.
(6)
Public transportation demonstration projects authorized pursuant to Section 143 of the Streets and Highways Code.
(7)
(A)
Infrastructure project grants from the California Advanced Services Fund pursuant to Section 281 of the Public Utilities Code.
(B)
For purposes of this paragraph, the
Public Utilities Commission is not the awarding body or the body awarding the contract, as defined in Section 1722.
(8)
Tree removal work done in the execution of a project under paragraph (1).
(b)
For purposes of this section, “paid for in whole or in part out of public funds” means all of the following:
(1)
The payment of money or the equivalent of money by the state or political subdivision directly to or on behalf of the public works contractor, subcontractor, or developer.
(2)
Performance of construction work by the state or political subdivision in execution of the project.
(3)
Transfer by
the state or political subdivision of an asset of value for less than fair market price.
(4)
Fees, costs, rents, insurance or bond premiums, loans, interest rates, or other obligations that would normally be required in the execution of the contract, that are paid, reduced, charged at less than fair market value, waived, or forgiven by the state or political subdivision.
(5)
Money loaned by the state or political subdivision that is to be repaid on a contingent basis.
(6)
Credits that are applied by the state or political subdivision against repayment obligations to the state or political subdivision.
(c)
Notwithstanding subdivision (b), all of the following apply:
(1)
Private residential projects built on private property are not subject to this chapter unless the projects are built pursuant to an agreement with a state agency, a redevelopment agency, a successor agency to a redevelopment agency when acting in that capacity, or a local public housing authority.
(2)
If the state or a political subdivision requires a private developer to perform construction, alteration, demolition, installation, or repair work on a public work of improvement as a condition of regulatory approval of an otherwise private development project, and the state or political subdivision contributes no more money, or the equivalent of money, to the overall project than is required to perform this public improvement work, and the state or political subdivision maintains
no proprietary interest in the overall project, then only the public improvement work shall thereby become subject to this chapter.
(3)
(A)
If the state or a political subdivision reimburses a private developer for costs that would normally be borne by the public, or provides directly or indirectly a public subsidy to a private development project that is de minimis in the context of the project, an otherwise private development project shall not thereby become subject to this chapter.
(B)
(i)
For purposes of subparagraph (A), a public subsidy is de minimis if it is both less than six
hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) and less than 2 percent of the total project cost.
(ii)
Notwithstanding clause (i), for purposes of subparagraph (A), a public subsidy for a project that consists entirely of single-family dwellings is de minimis if it is less than 2 percent of the total project cost.
(iii)
This subparagraph shall not apply to a project that was advertised for bid, or a contract that was awarded, before July 1, 2021.
(4)
The construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing units for low- or
moderate-income persons pursuant to paragraph (5) or (7) of subdivision (e) of Section 33334.2 of the Health and Safety Code that are paid for solely with moneys from the Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund established pursuant to Section 33334.3 of the Health and Safety Code or that are paid for by a combination of private funds and funds available pursuant to Section 33334.2 or 33334.3 of the Health and Safety Code do not constitute a project that is paid for in whole or in part out of public funds.
(5)
Unless otherwise required by a public funding program, the construction or rehabilitation of privately owned residential projects is not subject to this chapter if one or more of the following conditions are met:
(A)
The project is a self-help housing project in which no fewer
than 500 hours of construction work associated with the homes are to be performed by the home buyers.
(B)
The project consists of rehabilitation or expansion work associated with a facility operated on a not-for-profit basis as temporary or transitional housing for homeless persons with a total project cost of less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000).
(C)
Assistance is provided to a household as either mortgage assistance, downpayment assistance, or for the rehabilitation of a single-family home.
(D)
The project consists of new construction, expansion, or rehabilitation work associated with a facility developed by a nonprofit organization to be operated on a not-for-profit basis to provide emergency or
transitional shelter and ancillary services and assistance to homeless adults and children. The nonprofit organization operating the project shall provide, at no profit, not less than 50 percent of the total project cost from nonpublic sources, excluding real property that is transferred or leased. Total project cost includes the value of donated labor, materials, and architectural and engineering services.
(E)
The public participation in the project that would otherwise meet the criteria of subdivision (b) is public funding in the form of below-market interest rate loans for a project in which occupancy of at least 40 percent of the units is restricted for at least 20 years, by deed or regulatory agreement, to individuals or families earning no more than 80 percent of the area median income.
(d)
Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, the following projects are not, solely by reason of this section, subject to this chapter:
(1)
Qualified residential rental projects, as defined by Section 142(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, financed in whole or in part through the issuance of bonds that receive allocation of a portion of the state ceiling pursuant to Chapter 11.8 (commencing with Section 8869.80) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code on or before December 31, 2003.
(2)
Single-family residential projects financed in whole or in part through the issuance of qualified mortgage revenue bonds or qualified veterans’ mortgage bonds, as defined by Section 143 of the Internal Revenue Code, or with mortgage credit certificates under
a Qualified Mortgage Credit Certificate Program, as defined by Section 25 of the Internal Revenue Code, that receive allocation of a portion of the state ceiling pursuant to Chapter 11.8 (commencing with Section 8869.80) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code on or before December 31, 2003.
(3)
Low-income housing projects that are allocated federal or state low-income housing tax credits pursuant to Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code, Chapter 3.6 (commencing with Section 50199.4) of Part 1 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, or Section 12206, 17058, or 23610.5 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, on or before December 31, 2003.
(e)
Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), construction, alteration, demolition, installation, or repair work on the
electric transmission system located in California constitutes a public works project for the purposes of this chapter.
(f)
If a statute, other than this section, or a regulation, other than a regulation adopted pursuant to this section, or an ordinance or a contract applies this chapter to a project, the exclusions set forth in subdivision (d) do not apply to that project.
(g)
For purposes of this section, references to the Internal Revenue Code mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and include the corresponding predecessor sections of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended.
(h)
The amendments made to this section by either Chapter 938 of the Statutes of 2001 or the act adding this subdivision shall not be
construed to preempt local ordinances requiring the payment of prevailing wages on housing projects.
References
referencesCal. Streets and Highways Code - SHC § 143.
referencesCal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 281.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 33334.2.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 33334.3.
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 8869.80.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 50199.4.
referencesCal. Labor Code - LAB § 1778.
referencesCal. Labor Code - LAB § 1722.
referencesCal. Labor Code - LAB § 33334.2.
referencesCal. Labor Code - LAB § 142.
referencesCal. Labor Code - LAB § 12206.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026