New California employment laws 2027: taking effect in 2027
33 new California laws on employment take effect in 2027. Each is listed below with its date, what it does and a link to the official text.
- 33 laws take effect on 1 January 2027.
Updated 25 October 2026
One-line summaries are drafted by software from the bill text and are not reviewed by an attorney.
New California employment laws in 2027
AB 1198: Public works: prevailing wages.
Some duties start later: the text names an operative date.
AB 1235: California State University: skilled and trained workforce requirement.
AB 1331: Workplace surveillance.
Requires employers to prohibit workplace surveillance tools in bathrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, and lactation spaces, and allows workers to leave surveillance devices behind when entering these areas and public bathrooms or during off-duty hours.
AB 1439: Public retirement systems: development projects: labor standards.
AB 1683: Workers' compensation: prepaid cards.
Extends indefinitely the authorization for employers to deposit workers' compensation disability indemnity payments into prepaid card accounts that meet specified requirements and disclosure standards.
AB 1803: Employment: sexual harassment training and education: anti-hate speech training.
AB 1818: California State University: employer-employee relations: meeting and conferring.
AB 187: Employment.
AB 1883: Workplace surveillance tools.
Requires employers to stop using workplace surveillance tools with artificial intelligence that collect neural data, recognize emotional states, make inferences based on gait, or identify protected characteristics, with exceptions for federal defense and security purposes.
AB 1904: Teachers: credentialed educator apprenticeship programs.
AB 1980: Labor: apprenticeship: Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant Program.
Requires the Department of Industrial Relations to establish a grant program providing stipends and support services to women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations in construction apprenticeships.
AB 2078: Employees: meal periods: stationary engineers.
AB 2129: State employees: compensation: firefighters.
AB 2157: Workforce development: Displaced Oil and Gas Worker Pilot Program: extension.
AB 2227: Farm labor contractors: surety bonds.
Requires farm labor contractors to deposit higher surety bonds with the Labor Commissioner based on annual gross receipts: $50,000 for up to $500,000, $100,000 for $500,000 to $2,000,000, and $150,000 for over $2,000,000.
AB 2321: Occupational safety and health: investigations.
Requires the Division of Occupational Safety and Health Bureau of Investigations to establish written policies for reviewing workplace incidents and deciding whether to investigate or refer cases for prosecution.
AB 2466: Strong Workforce Program: work-based learning opportunities: regional consortia.
AB 2563: Sex discrimination: scope.
AB 2634: Workforce development: High road training partnerships: scoring preference.
AB 2646: Employment: minimum wages: agricultural workers.
Requires employers to pay approved agricultural employees and corresponding employees a minimum wage of $19.75 per hour, adjusted annually for cost-of-living starting 1 January 2027.
AB 2682: Transportation network company drivers: labor relations: appeals.
SB 1012: Employment of inmates.
SB 1046: Occupational safety: transboundary pollution.
Requires the Division of Occupational Safety and Health to propose, by 1 January 2030, a standard protecting employees with high or prolonged outdoor exposure to transboundary pollution from Baja California.
SB 1083: Noncertificated public school employees: private school employees: egregious misconduct: statewide data system: Commission on Teacher Credentialing: adverse actions: contracts and background checks for educational services.
Some duties start later: the text names an operative date.
SB 1166: Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District: employee relations.
SB 1227: Department of Industrial Relations: apprenticeship pilot program.
SB 1316: Employment.
SB 1371: Solid waste handling services: labor dispute.
SB 1383: Housing development: density bonus: incentives or concessions: labor standards.
SB 1444: Employment.
SB 909: Public works.
SB 947: Employment: automated decision systems.
Beginning 1 July 2027, employers are prohibited from using automated decision systems to make certain employment decisions and must provide workers with data used and written notice when an automated system primarily drives discipline or termination decisions.
SB 951: Employment: technological displacement: notice.
Requires employers to give affected workers and state agencies 60 days' notice before laying off 50 or more workers due to artificial intelligence or automation replacing positions, and prohibits discharge without cause during the notice period.
Next year's employment laws are bills now. Follow them in every state with the Employment and Labor Legislation Tracker.
Questions about new California employment laws in 2027
When do new employment laws take effect in California in 2027?
Most take effect on 1 January 2027. Of the 33 laws listed here, 33 start on 1 January 2027. In California, a statute from a regular session takes effect on the 1 January after 90 days from enactment unless it is an urgency measure (Cal. Const. art. IV, sec. 8(c)(1)).
What new employment laws take effect on 1 January 2027 in California?
33 laws in employment, including California AB 1198 (Public works: prevailing wages), California AB 1235 (California State University: skilled and trained workforce requirement), California AB 1331 (Workplace surveillance), California AB 1439 (Public retirement systems: development projects: labor standards) and California AB 1683 (Workers' compensation: prepaid cards). The full list, with what each one does, is above.
Is this legal advice?
No. Dates and the one-line summaries are drafted by software from the bill text and are not reviewed by an attorney. Each law links to the legislature’s own record: check the text before relying on it.
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