State Administrative Manual (SAM)
Statewide Management Policy
NOTICE: The California Prison Industry Authority (CalPIA) has been renamed. Effective January 1, 2026 any references to CalPIA in the SAM shall refer to the California Correctional Training and Rehabilitation Authority (CalCTRA).
Statewide administrative policy issued by the following authoring agencies can be found in the State Administrative Manual (SAM):
- Governor's Office (GO)
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Department of Finance (DOF)
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Department of Human Resources (CalHR)
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Department of General Services (DGS)
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California Department of Technology (CDT)
As of July 31, 1990, responsibility for managing the SAM was officially transferred to the Department of General Services (DGS). To keep administrative policies consistent across the state, all content in SAM is overseen by the DGS Policy Unit, under the Office of Training and Administrative Standards.
In 2025, the DGS Policy Unit created and adopted the use of a policy template to standardize SAM for consistency and ease of use, with a focus on a user-friendly design.
SAM Access
CLICK HERE to access the SAM's Table of Contents.
Do you have questions regarding a SAM section or need to contact the Policy Owner?
CLICK HERE to find Policy Owner information.
Navigating SAM
Process and Forms for Revising SAM
The process for revising SAM can be found in SAM section 0020.
Required forms and templates:
- DGS OTAS 237 - SAM Update Request form
- SAM Revision Template
- Revision Summary Template
- Subject Index Changes, if necessary
SAM Revision History
*Effective January 2026, when sections in SAM are revised, they will now include a Track Changes Version.
- CLICK HERE to access Revision Summaries.
Contact Us
For questions relating to SAM or Management Memos, please contact the DGS Policy Unit at:
Subscribe
CLICK HERE to receive a notification of updates to SAM.
Please visit our Management Memos page to access:
- Management Memos
- Management Memo Archive
- Information and Resources for Policy Owners
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Disclaimer: SAM is updated regularly. Please use the online version for the most up-to-date information.
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