Contractors: debris removal.

The bill moved from an amended assembly format (with line-by-line numbering and strikethrough/insertion markup) to a clean enrolled format with standard legislative presentation.

Added passage dates: Passed the Senate August 20, 2026 and Passed the Assembly August 19, 2026, along with a line for the Governor's receipt and approval date.

Removed prior amendment tracking headers (Amended in Assembly June 15, June 24, and August 13, 2026) and the original introduction date of February 19, 2026.

The bill now applies to debris removal on both residential and commercial property, not just residential property as in the prior version.

All references to 'debris removal' are narrowed to 'debris removal that includes hazardous materials,' limiting the bill's reach to work involving hazardous substances rather than all disaster debris cleanup.

A new subdivision (d)(3) defines that 'residential property' and 'commercial property' do not include property owned, operated, or leased by a state, federal, or local government or utility, creating an explicit exemption for public entities.

Subdivision (b) no longer conditions the hazardous substance certification requirement on a declared emergency or disaster being in effect. The prior version required compliance only 'during a declared federal or state emergency or for a declared disaster area'; the new version applies the requirement whenever a licensee is performing covered work under the section.

The C-12 license description was corrected from 'Earthwork and Paving and Paving' to 'Earthwork and Paving,' removing a duplicated word.

Removed the phrase 'in a declared disaster area' from subdivision (a), so the licensing restriction now applies to residential property damaged by a natural disaster regardless of whether it falls within a formally declared disaster area boundary.

Subdivision (c) now explicitly states the section applies when a permit is required for debris removal resulting from a natural disaster, clarifying the trigger for applicability.

Added C-49 Tree and Palm as a new eligible license classification for debris removal, with a limitation that such contractors may only perform tree service and removal work.

Split the combined C-12 and C-21 requirement into two separate options: (3) C-12 Earthwork and Paving alone, and (4) C-21 Building Moving/Demolition alone, rather than requiring both together.

Added a new definition of 'debris removal' in subdivision (d)(2): appropriate identification, encapsulation, transportation, and disposal of debris.

Debris removal restrictions now apply only to residential property damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, rather than any declared disaster area generally. This excludes commercial and industrial properties from the licensing requirements.

Subsection (b) removes 'local' from the list of emergency types that trigger the hazardous substance certification requirement, changing it from 'federal, state, or local emergency' to 'federal or state emergency.'

The triggering event is now specifically limited to a state of emergency declared by the Governor under Government Code Section 8625 or an emergency/major disaster declared by the President, rather than any declared disaster area without specifying who must make the declaration.

New subsection (c) provides that the debris removal restrictions automatically end once needed debris removal is deemed completed or finalized within the requirements of the local permitting agency, even if an emergency proclamation or disaster declaration is still in effect.

New subsection (d) defines 'debris' as materials from or located on a residential property as a result of a natural disaster, and explicitly excludes any materials unrelated to the declared emergency or disaster.