DAS 140 and DAS 142 on a Caltrans contract: where they go and what proof to send

Where the DAS 140 and DAS 142 go on a Caltrans contract

Every source sends the forms it names to apprenticeship committees or programs, not to the state's Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS). The DAS 140 form (Rev. 1/04) and DAS 142 form (Rev. 6/24) both say not to send them to DAS. What changes is whether Caltrans gets something too.

The regulations accept a written notice with the content they list and do not require the DAS forms. 8 CCR 230 says the notice "may be a DAS Form 140"; 8 CCR 230.1 calls the DAS 142 "an optional form". The checklists do name the forms, so use them.

A checklist that does not name the DAS 142, like the first one, does not remove the duty in 8 CCR 230.1 to ask the committee in writing for apprentices when you do not already employ enough.

How to tell which row is yours

Use the checklist in your pre-job package. Caltrans lists nine on its Labor Compliance page, and the table compares four. The other five are State Services, State Maintenance, Federal-Aid Maintenance, State Architectural and Engineering, and Federal-Aid Architectural and Engineering. Each of the five has the same committee-plus-Caltrans-copy wording, so match the heading to your contract type.

Manual section 8-1 says the pre-job conference should take place as soon as possible after Notice to Proceed and no later than just before work starts. But 8 CCR 230 starts the 10-day DAS 140 clock when your contract or subcontract is executed, so day 10 can arrive before you have a checklist. If it does, send the committee copy on time, then add the Caltrans copy or the LCPtracker step once you have the checklist.

Which payroll track your contract uses

None of the nine checklists mentions File Transfer, and Caltrans does not say which of them goes with it. Its File Transfer Quick Guide (2020) says that process is separate from projects using LCPtracker Pro and names no checklist. The 2025 Standard Specifications, section 7-1.02K(3), say to submit certified payroll through LCPtracker Pro and do not limit that to some contracts. Neither document says how to tell which route a contract uses. The two checklists with no LCPtracker Project line, State Contract and Federal-Aid Contract, describe electronic payrolls in unmodifiable PDF format and a Contractor's Acknowledgement Form but never name File Transfer. So ask the Labor Compliance contact at the top of your checklist which track you are on. Our File Transfer or LCPtracker guide covers the two tracks. No checklist says which Caltrans office takes the Caltrans copy or how, so ask the same contact. If your checklist asks for more than chapter 11, do it.

Which apprenticeship committee gets the forms

Under 8 CCR 230 (last amended in 2002), a contractor already approved to train by a committee sends the DAS 140 to that committee for each apprenticeable craft. Any other contractor sends it to every applicable committee whose area includes the jobsite. DIR's program lookup lists sponsors by county and craft. 8 CCR 230.1 sends the DAS 142 to the committees that train the craft in that area, then to the others if one does not dispatch.

When each form is due

Both forms apply to apprenticeable crafts unless an exemption applies, though an individual contractor exemption does not remove the DAS 140 (DIR FAQ, which has no revision label). Manual section 11-2 lists exemptions that include a general contractor's contract under $30,000 (the manual says a subcontract under that amount does not qualify), a craft that is not apprenticeable, and a sole proprietor who does all the work unassisted. Labor Code 1777.5 words the dollar exemption as contracts of general contractors, or of specialty contractors not bidding through a general or prime contractor, under $30,000. Section 11-7-2 puts the DAS 142 on contractors who do not already employ enough apprentices for the 1 to 5 ratio.

• What the 10 days count from. The manual says contract award. The regulation says execution of the prime contract or subcontract, and DIR's DAS public works FAQ says the date of the prime or subcontract. Count from your own subcontract.
• 72 hours or three business days. DIR's older apprenticeship requirements page (dated October 2016) rounds this to three business days. The regulation and the DAS 142 form say 72 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. Count from the regulation.

Apprentice proof with the first payroll

All nine checklists ask for proof of registration with the first payroll on which an apprentice appears: state registration on the state checklists, state and federal on the federal-aid ones. The registration must match the craft shown on the payroll (manual section 13-5). An apprentice not registered in a state-approved program is paid the journeyperson rate for the work performed (manual section 8-4-4).

Training fees are a separate item from the DAS forms. Eight of the nine checklists, such as the State Contract checklist, require training fees to be identified on the fringe benefit statement; the training-fee line in the Federal-Aid Maintenance checklist does not. See the CEM-2501 guide, the Caltrans training fund guide, and our Caltrans requirements page.

Federal-aid contracts

• The apprentice needs a state registration and a federal registration (manual section 11-6). A worker registered with the state alone is paid the federal journeyperson rate from the Davis-Bacon wage determination.
• There is no online database for federal certificates, so you supply the certificate with the first payroll (section 11-6-1).
• The manual says federal certificates expire and must be reissued every 90 days on federally funded projects (section 11-6-1). Section 13-5-2 says you keep submitting them throughout the apprentice's employment to get apprentice credit.

If a form is late or missing

Under 8 CCR 230, failing to provide contract award information that is known by the awarded contractor is a continuing violation for the duration of the contract, ending when the awarding body files a Notice of Completion, for counting penalties under Labor Code 1777.7. DIR's FAQ says forms sent after the project ends do not eliminate or reduce penalty exposure, and the regulation does not say that a late filing during the project stops the count. As advice, send a missing form as soon as you find the gap and keep a dated copy, since the DAS 142 form says proof of submission may be required. Our DAS 140 and DAS 142 guide covers the penalty amounts.

How WellStanding fits

WellStanding prepares your Caltrans payroll documents from the payroll export you already run, and the DAS 140 and DAS 142 for your project, and a person reviews them before they go out. You review and sign; the certification is always yours and we never sign for you.

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