Reference Source

Competitive bid thresholds for local government by US state — the dollar amount at which a city, county or school district must formally bid, with statutory citations

State-by-state dollar thresholds at which a local government must put a purchase or a construction project out to formal competitive bidding. Each record is one state and one class of entity (municipalities, counties, school districts, or all local public bodies), with the amount the statute sets, the lower band where informal quotes are allowed instead, whether the figure is automatically inflation-adjusted, and the statutory citation. Thresholds range from $15,000 (California school district public projects) to $500,000 (North Carolina construction), and several states index the number annually — Ohio raises it 3% every year, Florida tracks the Engineering News-Record Building Cost Index. Answers 'what is the bid threshold for a city in [state]', 'does my school district have to bid this purchase', and 'what dollar amount triggers formal competitive bidding for a county'.

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The data

State and entity typeStateEntity typeSpending categoryFormal bid threshold (as stated in statute)Threshold (normalised)Informal quote tierBelow the thresholdIndexationStatutory citation
California — school districtsCaliforniaschool districtsequipment, materials, supplies and services (higher figure); public projects as defined in Pub. Cont. Code § 22002(c) (lower figure)more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000)$50,000 for equipment, materials, supplies and services; $15,000 for public projectsnone in § 20111 — the section requires a contract above these figures to be let to the lowest responsible bidder and prescribes no quotation procedure below theman alternative regime exists in the same code that § 20111 does not mention, and a district has to opt into it. Under Cal. Pub. Cont. Code § 22030(a) that article applies only to a public agency whose governing board has by resolution elected to become subject to the uniform construction cost accounting procedures set forth in Article 2 (commencing with Section 22010), and which has notified the Controller of that election. A district that has neither passed that resolution nor notified the Controller is outside the article altogether.the Superintendent of Public Instruction annually adjusts the dollar amounts specified in subdivision (a) for the change in the Implicit Price Deflator for State and Local Government Purchases of Goods and Services, rounded to the nearest $100; subdivision (e) states no adjustment for the $15,000 public-project figure in subdivision (b)Cal. Pub. Cont. Code § 20111
Florida — counties, municipalities and special districtsFloridacounties, municipalities, special districts and other political subdivisionspublic construction works (higher figure); electrical work (lower figure)estimated to cost more than $300,000$300,000 for construction; $75,000 for electrical worknone in § 255.20(1) — the subsection requires a project above these figures to be competitively awarded to an appropriately licensed contractor and prescribes no quotation procedure below themadjusted by the percentage change in the Engineering News-Record’s Building Cost Index from January 1, 2009, to January 1 of the year in which the project is scheduled to beginFla. Stat. § 255.20(1)
Illinois — school districtsIllinoisschool districtssupplies and materials, and workin excess of $35,000$35,000none stated — but a school board may set a lower threshold by its own policynone in 105 ILCS 5/10-20.21: the section fixes the figure itself, 'in excess of $35,000', and the only variation it provides for is downward — 'a lower amount as required by board policy'. No index, formula or delegated adjustment appears in the section.105 ILCS 5/10-20.21
Iowa — governmental entities, public improvementsIowagovernmental entities (cities, counties, school districts and other public bodies)public improvementsone hundred thousand dollars$100,000, or the adjusted threshold published under Iowa Code § 314.1Babove $36,000 for a city or school district under fifty thousand population and any other governmental entity, $51,000 for a city, school district or aviation authority of fifty thousand or more, or $67,000 for a county, and below the section 26.3 bid threshold: competitive quotations, with a good faith effort to obtain quotations from at least two contractors regularly engaged in such work (Iowa Code § 26.14)adjusted competitive bid threshold established under Iowa Code § 314.1BIowa Code § 26.3(1)
Minnesota — all municipalitiesMinnesotaall municipalities (the Uniform Municipal Contracting Law supersedes inconsistent entity-specific laws)all contracts for the purchase or sale of supplies, materials, equipment, and the construction, alteration, repair or maintenance of real or personal propertyestimated to exceed $175,000$175,000over $25,000 but not over $175,000: sealed bids or direct negotiation, obtaining two or more quotations for the purchase or sale when possible, without advertising for bids (Minn. Stat. § 471.345, subd. 4)none in Minn. Stat. § 471.345, subd. 3: it fixes the figure itself, 'estimated to exceed $175,000', and delegates only the manner of bidding — 'in the manner and subject to the requirements of the law governing contracts by the particular municipality or class thereof' — not the amount. No index or formula appears in the section.Minn. Stat. § 471.345, subd. 3
New York — all political subdivisionsNew Yorkall political subdivisions and districts, including soil conservation districtspublic work (higher figure) and purchase contracts (lower figure)more than thirty-five thousand dollars$35,000 for public work; $20,000 for purchase contractsbelow these figures the section treats a purchase as discretionary: no quotation procedure is set, but the reasonably expected aggregate of all purchases of the same commodities, services or technology over the following twelve months must be counted, purchases may not be artificially divided to satisfy the discretionary buying thresholds, and no change or renewal may bring the aggregate above the discretionary buying threshold amount (N.Y. Gen. Mun. Law § 103(1))a written local policy is mandatory, not optional: N.Y. Gen. Mun. Law § 104-b(1) requires the governing board of every political subdivision and district, by resolution, to adopt internal policies and procedures governing all procurements of goods and services that § 103 does not require to be competitively bid. So what governs a purchase below the § 103 discretionary thresholds is that locally adopted policy, and the statutory objectives it must serve — prudent and economical use of public moneys, maximum quality at the lowest possible cost, and a guard against favoritism, improvidence, extravagance, fraud and corruption. In cities with a population of one million or more the procurement policy board promulgates those policies and procedures by rule.none in N.Y. Gen. Mun. Law § 103(1): both figures are spelled out in words in the operative sentence as flat amounts — 'more than thirty-five thousand dollars' for public work, 'more than twenty thousand dollars' for purchase contracts — and the subdivision states no index or formula.N.Y. Gen. Mun. Law § 103(1)
North Carolina — all political subdivisionsNorth Carolinaany board or governing body of the State, of a State institution, or of any political subdivisionconstruction or repair work (higher figure); apparatus, supplies, materials or equipment (lower figure)equal to or more than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000)$500,000 for construction or repair; $90,000 for apparatus, supplies, materials or equipment$30,000 or more but less than the limits prescribed in G.S. 143-129: contracts for construction or repair work, or for apparatus, supplies, materials or equipment, must be made after informal bids have been secured (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-131(a))none in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-129(a): both figures are fixed amounts written in words and digits — 'five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000)' for construction or repair, 'ninety thousand dollars ($90,000)' for 'apparatus, supplies, materials, or equipment' — and the subsection prescribes no adjustment.N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-129(a)
Ohio — all local governmentsOhioall local governments (counties under ORC 307.86, school districts under ORC 3313.46, cities under ORC 735.05 all reference this single amount)all contracts, purchases, leases and construction under any Revised Code section that references ORC 9.17seventy-five thousand dollars$75,000 base through calendar year 2024, then increased 3% each calendar year; the Director of Commerce set the amount for calendar year 2026 at $79,568only on an emergency determination: where the board of county commissioners by unanimous vote finds that a real and present emergency exists and the estimated cost is less than $125,000 but is the section 9.17 amount or more, the county must solicit informal estimates from no fewer than three persons who could perform the contract (Ohio Rev. Code § 307.86(A)(1))increased 3% each calendar year, as determined and published by the director of commerceOhio Rev. Code § 9.17
Texas — countiesTexascountiespurchases of one or more items under a contractexceeding $100,000$100,000none in chapter 262 — above $100,000 the commissioners court must use competitive bidding, competitive proposals, a reverse auction or a Chapter 2269 method; the chapter sets no informal-quotation band below that figurenone in Tex. Loc. Gov't Code ch. 262: § 262.023(a) states the amount itself, 'an expenditure exceeding $100,000', and delegates only the procedure — 'the competitive bidding or competitive proposal procedures prescribed by this subchapter'. No index, formula or delegated adjustment appears anywhere in chapter 262 as published.Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 262.023(a)
Texas — municipalitiesTexasmunicipalitiesall contracts requiring an expenditure from municipal fundsmore than $100,000$100,000none stated in this section; in the $3,000 to $100,000 band section 252.0215 instead requires the municipality to contact at least two historically underutilized businesses on a rotating basisnone in Tex. Loc. Gov't Code ch. 252: § 252.021(a) states the amount itself, 'an expenditure of more than $100,000 from one or more municipal funds', and what it delegates is the procedure — 'the procedure prescribed by this subchapter and Subchapter C' — not the figure. No index, formula or delegated adjustment appears anywhere in chapter 252 as published.Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 252.021(a)
Texas — school districtsTexasschool districtsgoods and services, aggregated across each 12-month period, with produce and vehicle fuel excepted; a school bus purchase or lease must be bid at $20,000 or more$100,000 or more in the aggregate for each 12-month period$100,000none in chapter 44 — above $100,000 the district must use competitive bidding, competitive sealed proposals, a request for proposals, an interlocal contract, a Chapter 2269 method or a reverse auction, whichever gives the district best value; the chapter sets no informal-quotation band below that figurenone in Tex. Educ. Code ch. 44: § 44.031(a) states the amount itself, 'valued at $100,000 or more in the aggregate for each 12-month period', and what it leaves to the district is 'the method, of the following methods, that provides the best value for the district' — not the figure. No index, formula or delegated adjustment appears anywhere in chapter 44 as published.Tex. Educ. Code § 44.031(a)
Virginia — all public bodiesVirginiaall public bodies (state and local)goods and non-professional services, and non-transportation-related construction; transportation-related construction and professional services are each set separately in the same subsectionnot expected to exceed $200,000$200,000 for goods and non-professional services; $300,000 for non-transportation construction; $25,000 for transportation construction; $80,000 for professional serviceswritten small purchase procedures may be used below these ceilings, but must provide for competition wherever practicablenone in Va. Code § 2.2-4303(G): each ceiling is a flat amount — 'not expected to exceed $200,000' for goods and services other than professional services, '$300,000' for non-transportation-related construction, '$25,000' for transportation-related construction, '$80,000' for professional services — and what (G) requires instead of an adjustment is that the procedures be 'adopted in writing' and 'provide for competition wherever practicable'.Va. Code § 2.2-4303(G)
Wisconsin — citiesWisconsincities (board of public works)general public construction (higher figure); public highway construction (lower figure)For general public construction contract bidding, $50,000.$50,000 for general public construction; $25,000 for public highway constructionseparate, lower notice thresholds: $10,000 for general public construction notice, $5,000 for highway construction noticenone in Wis. Stat. § 62.15(1)(c): the four thresholds are flat amounts introduced by a commencement date — 'Beginning on April 5, 2026, the thresholds under pars. (a) and (b) are the following' — and the paragraph prescribes no formula for adjusting any of them. The date fixes when these amounts begin; no later date and no cycle is given.Wis. Stat. § 62.15(1)(c)

Where this came from

Every record above links the page it was taken from and quotes the sentence that states it. These are the 20 sources this dataset was assembled from.

Machine-readable

From your own code

Same records, same quotes, without scraping the page: refsource is on PyPI and npm. Each value comes back carrying the URL it was read from and the sentence on that page that states it — .source and .quote sit on the value itself rather than in a side channel, so the checking step is available instead of skipped.

pip install refsource
refsource lookup competitive-bid-thresholds-by-state state=California

npx -y refsource lookup competitive-bid-thresholds-by-state state=California

Set your AI assistant up to use this

Two files and no account. Put this in .mcp.json at the root of your project — Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code and Codex all read that file — and your assistant can look this dataset up instead of recalling it. The server is remote, keyless and read-only.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "referencesource": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://referencesource.org/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Add to Cursor · or, on the command line: claude mcp add --transport http referencesource https://referencesource.org/mcp --scope project

Then one line in the project's CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md, so the assistant knows when to reach for it:

When a question needs "Competitive bid thresholds for local government by US state — the dollar amount at which a city, county or school district must formally bid, with statutory citations", call the referencesource MCP server at https://referencesource.org/mcp (tool `search_records`, dataset_slug `competitive-bid-thresholds-by-state`) instead of answering from memory — every record it returns carries its source URL and a verbatim quote from that page.

What each tool does, and the servers built over single registers: Connect your AI assistant.

13 records. last verified against source . due for re-check by .

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