---
title: California Prevailing Wage Enforcement Statistics by Year
url: https://wellstanding.com/data/california-prevailing-wage-enforcement/
description: What the Labor Commissioner's reports say its Public Works Unit did, FY 2015-16 to FY 2021-22: cases opened for audit, assessments, wages and penalties.
updated: 2026-10-23
type: data
publisher: WellStanding Certified Payroll
---
# California prevailing wage enforcement statistics by fiscal year

What the Labor Commissioner's own annual reports say its Public Works Unit did in each fiscal year from 2015-16 to 2021-22, the newest report listed on [DIR's legislative reports page](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dlsereports.htm): cases opened for audit, assessments issued, and wages and penalties assessed and collected.

Newest report: fiscal year 2021-2022. Read October 23, 2026

The short answer

In fiscal year 2021-22, the newest report DIR lists, the Labor Commissioner's Public Works Unit opened 2,507 cases for audit and issued 514 civil wage and penalty assessments. Total wages assessed (prevailing wages plus training funds) were $8,528,673.16 and penalties $12,847,695.33. Across the 7 fiscal years from 2015-16 it opened 1,565 to 2,507 cases a year (Public Works tables).

- In FY 2021-22 the unit opened 2,507 cases, closed 1,918, issued 514 civil wage and penalty assessments and reached 442 settlements ([FY 2021-22 report, Public Works section](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf)).
- Assessed in FY 2021-22: $8,528,673.16 in wages ($8,240,155.17 in prevailing wages plus $288,517.99 in training funds) and $12,847,695.33 in penalties, $3,639,826.95 of them under [Labor Code section 1777.7](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1777.7) ([FY 2021-22 report, Public Works section](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf)).
- The FY 2021-22 report counts $9,813,623.92 collected from public works, $5,044,328.76 in wages and $4,769,295.16 in penalties, and its Table 7 footnotes say collections can include money found due in earlier reporting periods ([FY 2021-22 report, Public Works section](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf)).
- From FY 2015-16 to FY 2021-22, cases opened ranged from 1,565 ([FY 2015-16 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2016.pdf)) to 2,507 ([FY 2021-22 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf)) and assessments issued from 514 ([FY 2021-22 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf)) to 863 ([FY 2018-19 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2019.pdf)); the [FY 2015-16 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2016.pdf)'s own footnote reads that year as 2,006 audits and 479 assessments; this page uses its Public Works table (1,565 and 636).
- The reports measure the unit by cases opened for audit, not inspections, and give no count of public works contractors or projects, so no audit rate can be computed from them ([FY 2021-22 report, Public Works section](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf)).

2,507cases opened for audit in FY 2021-22

514civil wage and penalty assessments issued in FY 2021-22

$12,847,695penalties assessed in FY 2021-22

## What the Public Works Unit did, by fiscal year

[Labor Code 90.5(d)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=90.5) requires the Labor Commissioner to report to the Legislature each year by March 1 on the effectiveness of the field enforcement unit. DIR's reports call it the Bureau of Field Enforcement ([DIR's legislative reports page](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dlsereports.htm)), and DIR lists a report for each year through FY 2021-22. Each report has a Public Works section for the Bureau's Public Works Unit, which the report says investigates complaints under the state's prevailing wage and apprenticeship laws and conducts audits for back wages owed to workers. The first column links to that year's report. Newest first.

| Fiscal year | Cases opened for audit | Cases closed | Assessments issued | Settlements | Debarment orders |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [FY 2021-22 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf) | 2,507 | 1,918 | 514 | 442 | 1* |
| [FY 2020-21 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2021.pdf) | 1,964 | 1,400 | 516 | 453 | 1* |
| [FY 2019-20 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2020.pdf) | 1,660 | 1,483 | 659 | 493 | 1* |
| [FY 2018-19 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2019.pdf) | 1,791 | 1,360 | 863 | 487 | 8 |
| [FY 2017-18 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2018.pdf) | 2,108 | 1,254 | 757 | 321 | 4 |
| [FY 2016-17 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2017.pdf) | 1,877 | 932 | 574 | 197 | 16 |
| [FY 2015-16 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2016.pdf) | 1,565 | 1,398 | 636 | 205 | 12 |

- **Cases opened.** The reports say the unit does not conduct inspections and measures its performance by cases opened for audit purposes. Their footnote reads the newest year as 2,507 audits conducted and 514 civil wage and penalty assessments issued. One caveat: the FY 2015-16 report's own footnote reads that year as 2,006 audits and 479 assessments; this page uses its Public Works table (1,565 and 636).
- **Assessments issued.** The reports' name for this is civil wage and penalty assessments, or CWPAs. It counts assessments, not violations or citations.
- *** Debarment orders.** Each report's Public Works section says how many construction companies and individuals the Labor Commissioner signed debarment orders for that year. FY 2019-20, FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22 are worded "one construction company and individual", which can mean one company and one individual, so the 1 marked * in those rows may count two parties. See [how debarment happens](https://wellstanding.com/guides/prevailing-wage-debarment-california/).

## Wages and penalties assessed and collected

Dollars from the same Public Works sections, rounded to whole dollars here. The CSV has the cents.

| Fiscal year | Wages assessed | Wages collected | Penalties assessed | Penalties collected |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [FY 2021-22 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf) | $8,528,673 | $5,044,329 | $12,847,695 | $4,769,295 |
| [FY 2020-21 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2021.pdf) | $10,979,509 | $9,228,127 | $12,598,322 | $4,792,107 |
| [FY 2019-20 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2020.pdf) | $23,197,217 | $10,746,511 | $23,952,406 | $5,691,814 |
| [FY 2018-19 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2019.pdf) | $18,538,987 | $10,286,086 | $27,452,145 | $7,056,891 |
| [FY 2017-18 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2018.pdf) | $20,573,217 | $7,261,882 | $29,385,945 | $6,593,795 |
| [FY 2016-17 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2017.pdf) | $16,488,777 | $7,492,716 | $22,671,120 | $4,372,785 |
| [FY 2015-16 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2016.pdf) | $27,459,264 | $9,235,088 | $25,078,769 | $5,344,426 |

- **Wages.** The reports through FY 2017-18 call these wages found due and wages recovered. From FY 2018-19 they show total wages, which is prevailing wages plus training funds. This table shows each report's total wages figure; for FY 2021-22 that is Table 7's Total Wages, because the report's Table 1 prints only the prevailing wages row (see "Where a report disagrees with itself" below).
- **Penalties** include penalties under [Labor Code 1777.7](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1777.7), which the statute sets for a contractor or subcontractor that knowingly violated the apprenticeship section, Labor Code 1777.5 (see [apprentice numbers by quarter](https://wellstanding.com/data/california-apprenticeship-numbers/)).
- **Collected** amounts can include money found due in earlier reporting periods, according to the footnotes to the FY 2021-22 report's Table 7. Do not subtract collected from assessed to get an outstanding balance.

## FY 2021-22 in detail

The newest report splits the unit's dollars by type in its Table 7 ([FY 2021-22 report, Public Works section](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf)). Row labels are the report's. One cell, marked †, is not Table 7's figure.

| FY 2021-22 | Assessed | Collected |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prevailing wages | $8,240,155.17 | $4,893,684.20 |
| Training funds | $288,517.99 | $150,644.56 |
| Total wages | $8,528,673.16 | $5,044,328.76 |
| Penalties per Labor Code sections 1775/1813/1776/1773.3/1771.1 & PCC section 2600 (Skilled & Trained) | $9,207,868.38 | $2,636,696.33 |
| Penalties per Labor Code section 1777.7 | $3,639,826.95 | $2,133,598.32 |
| Total penalties | $12,847,695.33 | $4,769,295.16† |

- **†** From the report's amounts collected tables 2 and 4. Table 7 prints $4,770.294.65 in this cell.

Of the $12,847,695.33 in penalties assessed, $3,639,826.95 (28%) was assessed under Labor Code section 1777.7. Penalties collected are the totals the report's amounts collected tables give, which are not the same as the sum of the two penalty rows (see the notes below).

## How to read these numbers

- **Fiscal years, not calendar years.** Each year in this table is the fiscal year its report names.
- **An assessment starts with a written notice.** After an investigation finds a violation, the Labor Commissioner issues a civil wage and penalty assessment to the contractor or subcontractor, or both, under [Labor Code 1741(a)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1741). To contest one, you ask for review in writing within 60 days after service under [Labor Code 1742(a)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1742); if you do not, the assessment becomes final. Details in [the appeal guide](https://wellstanding.com/guides/appeal-certified-payroll-penalty-california/).
- **No audit rate.** The Public Works sections give no count of public works contractors or projects, so these figures cannot show the chance that any one contractor is audited. This page does not estimate one.
- **One unit, not every letter.** These are the Public Works Unit's figures. For what a Compliance Monitoring Unit letter means for you, read [the CMU audit letter guide](https://wellstanding.com/guides/dir-compliance-monitoring-unit-audit-letter/). For penalties that can apply to late certified payroll, read [the penalties guide](https://wellstanding.com/guides/certified-payroll-penalties-california/).

### Where a report disagrees with itself

Some reports print a number twice and the copies differ. We show which one this page uses:

- **FY 2015-16.** The unit table prints penalties assessed as $25,078,769; the results table prints $25,078,769.39. This site uses the figure with cents.
- **FY 2015-16.** The footnote under the results table says 2,006 audits and 479 assessments; the Public Works table says 1,565 cases opened and 636 assessments. This site uses the Public Works table.
- **FY 2021-22.** Total penalties collected: table 7 prints "$4,770.294.65" and the amounts collected tables print $4,769,295.16. This site uses the amounts collected tables (table 2 and table 4 agree).
- **FY 2021-22.** The penalty rows of table 7 add up to $4,770,294.65 collected; the amounts collected tables say $4,769,295.16.
- **FY 2021-22.** Table 1 of the [FY 2021-22 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf) prints $8,240,155.17 as Public Works wages assessed, which is the Prevailing Wages row of Table 7. The reports for FY 2018-19 to FY 2020-21 print total wages in Table 1. This site uses Table 7's Total Wages, $8,528,673.16, to match them.

## How current this is

[DIR's legislative reports page](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dlsereports.htm) lists Bureau of Field Enforcement reports 2011 through 2022, and the newest covers fiscal year 2021-2022. We read the page and all 7 reports in this table on October 23, 2026. When DIR posts a newer report this page changes with it.

## Your filing, whichever project you are on

WellStanding prepares the WH-347 and the eCPR from the payroll export you already run, and a person reviews every filing. You review the finished filing and sign the certification in one step, and nothing is filed until you have signed. The certification is always yours; we never sign for you. The reason the certification is yours is in [Labor Code 1776(a)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1776) and [8 CCR 16401](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/16401.html).

Download the table: [california-prevailing-wage-enforcement.csv](https://wellstanding.com/data/california-prevailing-wage-enforcement.csv). Cite as: WellStanding, California Labor Commissioner Public Works Unit figures, FY 2015-16 to FY 2021-22, read on October 23, 2026 from DIR's Bureau of Field Enforcement fiscal year reports, https://wellstanding.com/data/california-prevailing-wage-enforcement/.

## Questions

**How many prevailing wage audits does the California Labor Commissioner do each year?**

The Labor Commissioner's Public Works Unit opened between 1,565 and 2,507 cases for audit a year in the 7 fiscal years from 2015-16 to 2021-22: 2,507 in FY 2021-22 and 1,565 in FY 2015-16. The reports count cases opened, which they read as audits conducted, and not inspections. One caveat: the FY 2015-16 report's own footnote reads that year as 2,006 audits and 479 assessments; this page uses its Public Works table (1,565 and 636). The table above has every year.

**How many civil wage and penalty assessments does the Labor Commissioner issue?**

Between 514 (FY 2021-22) and 863 (FY 2018-19) a year in the reports from FY 2015-16 to FY 2021-22. A civil wage and penalty assessment is the written notice the Labor Commissioner serves under [Labor Code 1741(a)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1741) when an investigation finds a violation of the Labor Code chapter that holds the prevailing wage rules. One caveat: the FY 2015-16 report's own footnote reads that year as 2,006 audits and 479 assessments; this page uses its Public Works table (1,565 and 636).

**What are the chances my company gets audited?**

These reports cannot tell you. They count what the unit did in a year, and they give no count of public works contractors or projects to compare it with, so no rate can be worked out from them. This page does not estimate one. What the reports do show is that assessments were issued every year, from 514 to 863 a year. One caveat: the FY 2015-16 report's own footnote reads that year as 2,006 audits and 479 assessments; this page uses its Public Works table (1,565 and 636).

**How much did the Labor Commissioner assess and collect on public works?**

In FY 2021-22, the report shows $8,528,673.16 in wages and $12,847,695.33 in penalties assessed, and $9,813,623.92 collected in wages and penalties together. Collected amounts can include money found due in earlier reporting periods, so assessed and collected do not match year to year. The dollar table above has every year.

**Is there a newer year than FY 2021-22?**

Not on [DIR's legislative reports page](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dlsereports.htm) when we read it on October 23, 2026. It lists Bureau of Field Enforcement reports 2011 through 2022, and the newest covers fiscal year 2021-2022. This page is a dated copy and changes when DIR posts a newer report.

**What do I do if I receive an assessment?**

The deadline to ask for review is 60 days after service of the assessment, under [Labor Code 1742(a)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1742). Read [how to appeal a certified payroll penalty](https://wellstanding.com/guides/appeal-certified-payroll-penalty-california/) before the 60 days run out.

**Can I use these numbers?**

Yes, with attribution, under the [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) for WellStanding's compilation. The figures themselves are the Labor Commissioner's, from [DIR's legislative reports page](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dlsereports.htm). Cite as: WellStanding, California Labor Commissioner Public Works Unit figures, FY 2015-16 to FY 2021-22, read on October 23, 2026 from DIR's Bureau of Field Enforcement fiscal year reports, https://wellstanding.com/data/california-prevailing-wage-enforcement/. The CSV has every row.

## Related

- [Late certified payroll penalties in California](https://wellstanding.com/guides/certified-payroll-penalties-california/)
- [DIR Compliance Monitoring Unit audit letter](https://wellstanding.com/guides/dir-compliance-monitoring-unit-audit-letter/)
- [How to appeal a certified payroll penalty](https://wellstanding.com/guides/appeal-certified-payroll-penalty-california/)
- [Prevailing wage debarment in California](https://wellstanding.com/guides/prevailing-wage-debarment-california/)
- [How many apprentices are in California, by quarter](https://wellstanding.com/data/california-apprenticeship-numbers/)
- [California public works activity, from DIR project registrations](https://wellstanding.com/data/california-public-works-activity/)

## Sources

Every figure on this page links to its source where it first appears. The full list, in order:

1. [DIR's legislative reports page](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dlsereports.htm) dir.ca.gov
2. [FY 2021-22 report, Public Works section](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2022.pdf) dir.ca.gov
3. [Labor Code section 1777.7](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1777.7) leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
4. [FY 2015-16 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2016.pdf) dir.ca.gov
5. [FY 2018-19 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2019.pdf) dir.ca.gov
6. [Labor Code 90.5(d)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=90.5) leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
7. [FY 2020-21 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2021.pdf) dir.ca.gov
8. [FY 2019-20 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2020.pdf) dir.ca.gov
9. [FY 2017-18 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2018.pdf) dir.ca.gov
10. [FY 2016-17 report](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/BOFE_LegReport2017.pdf) dir.ca.gov
11. [Labor Code 1741(a)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1741) leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
12. [Labor Code 1742(a)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1742) leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
13. [Labor Code 1776(a)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1776) leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
14. [8 CCR 16401](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/16401.html) dir.ca.gov
15. [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) creativecommons.org