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California Contract Templates

Free California templates: Independent Contractor Agreement, Non-Compete Agreement, Employment Offer Letter, Residential Lease Agreement and LLC Operating Agreement. Each comes with the California rules that apply and their citations. Download the free template, or get one drafted for your situation.

  • California Independent Contractor Agreement

    Updated for AB5

    Worker-classification test
    ABC test: the worker is presumed an employee unless the business proves freedom from control, work outside its usual business, and an independent trade. Where the ABC test does not apply, the Borello test governs.
    State freelancer-protection law
    Freelance Worker Protection Act (SB 988), for contracts entered into or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. Los Angeles has a separate Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance for work performed in the city.
    Written contract required?
    Yes, for professional services worth $250 or more from one freelancer, counting all contracts with the same hiring party over the prior 120 days. The hiring party gives a signed copy and keeps it four years.
    California rules and free template

  • California Non-Compete Agreement

    Updated for § 16600

    Are employee non-competes enforceable?
    No. Employee non-competes are void in California no matter where or when they were signed, and employers may not enter into or try to enforce them.
    Governing law
    Bus. & Prof. Code § 16600, read broadly under AB 1076 (codifying Edwards v. Arthur Andersen), plus § 16600.5 (SB 699) and Lab. Code § 925 on out-of-state law and courts.
    Salary or wage threshold
    None. The ban covers employees at every pay level; there is no high-earner exception.
    California rules and free template

  • California Employment Offer Letter

    Updated for Lab. Code § 2810.5

    At-will employment
    Yes. Employment with no specified term may be ended at the will of either party on notice; offer-letter or handbook promises can rebut that presumption.
    Pay-range disclosure
    Employers with 15+ employees must put the pay scale in job postings; any employer must give it on reasonable request. Since Jan. 1, 2026 the scale must be a good-faith estimate of expected pay.
    Salary-history ban
    Yes, for all employers. An employer may not seek or rely on an applicant's salary history to decide whether to hire or what to pay; volunteered history still cannot be used to set pay.
    California rules and free template

  • California Residential Lease Agreement

    Updated for Civil Code 1950.5

    Security deposit cap
    One month's rent for deposits collected on or after July 1, 2024, furnished or not. Small landlords (natural persons or family LLCs with up to two properties and four units) may take two months, except from service members.
    Deposit return deadline
    21 days after move-out, with an itemized statement and receipts for repair or cleaning deductions over $125. Move-out photos are required since April 1, 2025; move-in photos for tenancies starting on or after July 1, 2025.
    Required disclosures
    Megan's Law database notice, bed bug information, flood-hazard and renter's-insurance notice, and the Tenant Protection Act just-cause notice (or, for exempt property, the exemption statement in the lease). Other notices apply in specific situations.
    California rules and free template

  • California LLC Operating Agreement

    Updated for RULLCA

    Governing statute
    California Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (RULLCA).
    Operating agreement required?
    Not required by statute. The operating agreement may be oral, in a record, implied, or any combination, and a sole member's agreement counts.
    Filing fee to form the LLC
    $70 for Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1), the same online or on paper.
    California rules and free template

Templates that work in California and every other state