Contractors: civil penalties.

Senator Archuleta's contractor licensing enforcement measure raises minimum civil penalties for unlicensed contracting and establishes new baseline fines for violations of California's Contractors State License Law, taking effect July 2026.

The legislation increases the minimum penalty for unlicensed contracting from $200 to $1,500, while maintaining the existing $15,000 maximum fine. For other licensing violations, it creates new minimum penalties of $500 for general infractions and $1,500 for serious violations like workers' compensation insurance lapses, with maximum fines remaining at $8,000 and $30,000 respectively. The Contractors State License Board receives authority to adjust these minimum penalties every five years based on Consumer Price Index changes.

The measure preserves current citation procedures requiring the board's registrar to notify public entities within 72 hours when they plan to award contracts to unlicensed contractors. Citations must detail specific violations and include orders to cease unlicensed activity. The board must continue considering violation severity and prior infractions when determining penalty amounts within the prescribed ranges.