DAS-140 vs DAS-142: What They Are and When to File

If you run public works in California, the DAS-140 and DAS-142 are two forms you cannot afford to mix up — and almost everyone does at first. They sound similar, they go to the same apprenticeship committees, and they are both tied to the apprenticeship requirements in Labor Code section 1777.5. But they do two completely different jobs. Here is the plain-English difference, who gets each one, and the deadlines that trip people up.

The short version

• DAS-140 = "I was awarded a public works contract." It is a notice to the apprenticeship committee.
• DAS-142 = "Please send me apprentices." It is a request for dispatch.

Filing the 140 does not get you apprentices. If you actually need apprentices on the job to meet your ratio, you also have to send a 142.

What is the DAS-140 (Apprenticeship Contract Award Notice)?

The DAS-140 notifies the applicable apprenticeship committee(s) that your company has been awarded a public works contract in their craft or trade. It tells the committee a job exists and identifies you as a contractor working in their jurisdiction.

How you fill it out depends on your training status:

• If you are already approved to train (you are a party to apprenticeship standards or run your own approved program), the 140 is mostly a notification.
• If you are not approved to train, the 140 also signals that you intend to comply by requesting apprentices from the committee when you need them.

What is the DAS-142 (Request for Dispatch of an Apprentice)?

The DAS-142 is the actual request asking the apprenticeship committee to dispatch apprentices to your project. You send it when you need apprentices on site to satisfy the apprenticeship ratio for the hours your journeymen are working.

This is the step contractors forget. They send the award notice, assume they have "done the apprenticeship paperwork," and never request dispatch — which is exactly the gap auditors look for.

The key difference in one sentence

The DAS-140 announces the job to the committee; the DAS-142 asks the committee to staff it with apprentices.

Filing deadlines

• DAS-140: generally within 10 days of being awarded the contract or subcontract, and before you start work on the project.
• DAS-142: at least 72 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) before you need the apprentice dispatched to the job.

Miss the 72-hour window and you can find yourself unable to get apprentices dispatched in time — which does not excuse the ratio unless you requested properly and no committee was able to dispatch.

Who you send them to

Both forms go to the applicable apprenticeship committee(s) for each apprenticeable craft in your scope, in the area of the project. If you are not already approved to train in a craft, send the DAS-140 to all applicable committees for that craft in the geographic area, not just one.

Keep proof. Send by a method that gives you a date-stamped record (certified mail, fax confirmation, or email with delivery confirmation), and file the proof with your project records. In an audit, "we sent it" without evidence is the same as not sending it.

Common mistakes that lead to penalties

• Sending the 140 and stopping there. The award notice is not a dispatch request. If you employ workers in the trade, you generally still owe a 142.
• Blowing the 72-hour dispatch window on the 142.
• Sending to only one committee when several are applicable.
• No proof of mailing. No date-stamped record means no defense.
• Treating it as one-and-done. Each public works contract is its own obligation.

Penalties for apprenticeship violations fall under Labor Code section 1777.7 and can add up quickly per calendar day of violation — on top of the reputational hit on future bids.

A simple workflow that keeps you clean

• Win the job → send the DAS-140 within 10 days to every applicable committee, and save the proof.
• Plan your crew → at least 72 hours before you need apprentices, send the DAS-142.
• Track dispatch responses and your apprentice-to-journeyman ratio as the job runs.
• File every notice, request, and response with the project's certified payroll records.

Run it in TradePRO

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This article is general information for California public works contractors, not legal advice. Apprenticeship requirements and deadlines change — confirm the current rules and forms with the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and the applicable apprenticeship committees before you file.