Cal. Codes » Labor Code / DIVISION 2. EMPLOYMENT REGULATION AND SUPERVISION / PART 1. COMPENSATION / CHAPTER 1. Payment of Wages / ARTICLE 1. General Occupations
California Codes

Cal. Labor Code § 201.5 (2026)

General Occupations

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

(1)“An employee engaged in the production or broadcasting of motion pictures” means an employee to whom both of the following apply:

(A)The employee’s job duties relate to or support the production or broadcasting of motion pictures or the facilities or equipment used in the production or broadcasting of motion pictures.

(B)The employee is hired for a period of limited duration to render services relating to or supporting a particular motion picture production or broadcasting project, or is hired on the basis of one or more daily or weekly calls.

(2)“Daily or weekly call” means an employment that, by its terms, will expire at the conclusion of one day or one week, unless renewed.

(3)“Next regular payday” means the day designated by the employer, pursuant to Section 204, for payment of wages earned during the payroll period in which the termination occurs.

(4)“Production or broadcasting of motion pictures” means the development, creation, presentation, or broadcasting of theatrical or televised motion pictures, television programs, commercial advertisements, music videos, or any other moving images, including, but not limited to, productions made for entertainment, commercial, religious, or educational purposes, whether these productions are presented by means of film, tape, live broadcast, cable, satellite transmission, Web cast, or any other technology that is now in use or may be adopted in the future.

(b)An employee engaged in the production or broadcasting of motion pictures whose employment terminates is entitled to receive payment of the wages earned and unpaid at the time of the termination by the next regular payday.

(c)The payment of wages to employees covered by this section may be mailed to the employee or made available to the employee at a location specified by the employer in the county where the employee was hired or performed labor. The payment shall be deemed to have been made on the date that the employee’s wages are mailed to the employee or made available to the employee at the location specified by the employer, whichever is earlier.

(d)For purposes of this section, an employment terminates when the employment relationship ends, whether by discharge, lay off, resignation, completion of employment for a specified term, or otherwise.

(e)Nothing in this section prohibits the parties to a valid collective bargaining agreement from establishing alternative provisions for final payment of wages to employees covered by this section if those provisions do not exceed the time limitation established in Section 204.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 13 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1998–2024 · leading case: Hall v. Live Nation Worldwide, Inc., 146 F. Supp. 3d 1187 (C.D. Cal. 2015).
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Hall v. Live Nation Worldwide, Inc., 146 F. Supp. 3d 1187 (C.D. Cal. 2015). · cites it 4× “See Cal. Lab. Code §§ 201.5 , 201.9. See also id.”
David Valles John Breslin, & Members of the Gen. Pub. Similarly Situated v. Ivy Hill Corp., 410 F.3d 1071 (9th Cir. 2005). · cites it 2× “See Cal. Lab. Code § 201.5 ; Balcorta , 208 F.”
Gelfo v. Lockheed Martin Corp., 17 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 1773 (Cal. Ct. App. 2006). “, Lab. Code, § 201.5 [in the motion picture industry, “ ‘layoff means the termination of employment of an employee where the employee retains eligibility for reemployment with the employer”].”
Willner v. Manpower Inc., 35 F. Supp. 3d 1116 (N.D. Cal. 2014). “Code § 202(a) (providing that when employee who quits requests payment by mail, “[t]he date of the mailing shall constitute the date of payment for purposes of the requirement to provide payment within 72 hours of the notice of quitting”); Cal. Lab. Code § 201.5 (c) (providing…”
Lang v. Skytap, Inc., 347 F. Supp. 3d 420 (N.D. Cal. 2018). “To deny Plaintiff the possibility of recovering the attorney's fees he would otherwise be entitled to upon prevailing in a court is unconscionable.”
Burnside v. Kiewit Pac. Corp., 491 F.3d 1053 (9th Cir. 2007). “3d at 1111 (holding that “[t]he rights granted to employees by California Labor Code § 201.5 are not subject to negotiation,” given the legislative history surrounding the statute); Zavala v.”
Vincent Steib v. Sony Pictures Television Inc. (C.D. Cal. 2023). · cites it 3× “5(b))); 7 Cal. Lab. Code § 201.5 (a)(1). However, as authorized by section 201.”
Baumgardner v. Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., 347 F. Supp. 2d 927 (D. Or. 2004). “See Cal. Lab.Code § 201.5 (1997). The court held that plaintiffs statutory wage claim was not preempted even though his CBA provided time periods for payment after discharge.”
Balcorta v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., 208 F.3d 1102 (2000). · cites it 5× “The district court held that California Labor Code § 201.5 created an independent, nonnegotiable state law right, and that interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement was not required for resolution of Balcorta’s claims.”
Valles v. Ivy Hill Corp. (9th Cir. 2005). · cites it 2× “See Cal. Lab. Code § 201.5 ; Balcorta, 208 F.”
Naranjo v. Spectrum Sec. Servs., Inc. (Cal. 2022). “, Lab. Code, §§ 201.5 [deadline for motion picture employees], 201.”
Josephine Tehrani v. Amazon Studios LLC (C.D. Cal. 2024). “Code §§ 510 , 1194); (3) failure to pay wages due and owning on 11 separation ( Cal. Lab. Code §§ 201.5 , 203); (4) failure to provide accurate wage 12 statements ( Cal.”
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Cal. Labor Code § 201.5(b): 1 case
Vincent Steib v. Sony Pictures Television Inc. (C.D. Cal. 2023). “5(b))); 7 Cal. Lab. Code § 201.5 (a)(1). However, as authorized by section 201.”
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