The California Senate, in Senate Bill 1999, amended section 1720 of the Labor Code by extending the prevailing wage rate law, as it relates to public works. The amendment, which became effective January 1, 2001, now covers inspection, land surveying, and soil testing.
Existing law requires persons who enter into construction contracts for public works to pay the prevailing rate of per diem wages. SB 1999, by codifying existing administrative decisions of the Department of Industrial Relations, revises the definition of public works by providing that “‘construction’ includes work performed during the design and preconstruction phases of construction, including, but not limited to, inspection and land surveying work.” Local government entities must comply with provisions affecting public works, including the prevailing wage laws; thus, if the Commission of State Mandates determines that the prevailing wage laws contain costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts may be required.
In conjunction with the passage of SB 1999, the Department of Industrial Relations issued a notice regarding the need to pay prevailing wage rates for inspection, field surveying, and soil testing on public works. The Department advises that the classifications that perform this work have been published in the Directors’ General Prevailing Wage Determination and can be found on the Basic Trades pages for Building Inspection and Soils Testing, and on the individual county sheets for Field Surveying. This information and other questions can be directed to the Industrial Relations Department through the Internet at www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR/PWD.