Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wages in California

Select a county to view wage determinations for building, heavy, highway, and residential construction projects in California (CA).

Quick Answer

California has 58 counties with active Davis-Bacon wage determinations (466 total WDs) across four construction types — building, heavy, highway, and residential. Federal construction contracts of $2,000 or more in California must pay no less than the DOL-published prevailing wage and fringe benefits for the project's county and construction type.

County Construction Types WDs
Alameda building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Alpine building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Amador building heavy highway residential 10 View →
Butte building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Calaveras building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Colusa building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Contra Costa building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Del Norte building heavy highway residential 8 View →
El Dorado building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Fresno building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Glenn building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Humboldt building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Imperial building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Inyo building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Kern building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Kings building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Lake building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Lassen building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Los Angeles building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Madera building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Marin building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Mariposa building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Mendocino building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Merced building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Modoc building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Mono building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Monterey building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Napa building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Nevada building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Orange building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Placer building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Plumas building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Riverside building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Sacramento building heavy highway residential 8 View →
San Benito building heavy highway residential 8 View →
San Bernardino building heavy highway residential 8 View →
San Diego building heavy highway residential 8 View →
San Francisco building heavy highway residential 8 View →
San Joaquin building heavy highway residential 8 View →
San Luis Obispo building heavy highway residential 8 View →
San Mateo building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Santa Barbara building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Santa Clara building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Santa Cruz building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Shasta building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Sierra building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Siskiyou building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Solano building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Sonoma building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Stanislaus building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Sutter building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Tehama building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Trinity building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Tulare building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Tuolumne building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Ventura building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Yolo building heavy highway residential 8 View →
Yuba building heavy highway residential 8 View →
View top-paying trades in California →

California State Prevailing Wage Law

State law: Yes — applies to qualifying state-funded projects
Threshold: $1,000 (with some thresholds at $25,000 / $15,000 for maintenance)
Enforcing agency: California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), Division of Labor Standards Enforcement

California has one of the strictest state prevailing wage regimes in the country, set out in Labor Code §§ 1720 et seq. The DIR publishes its own per-county, per-craft rates that frequently exceed federal Davis-Bacon, and the law applies to most state-funded and locally-funded public works of $1,000 or more. Apprenticeship-utilization, certified payroll, and DIR project registration are also required.

Verify before relying on this: state prevailing-wage laws change. The summary above is a general reference compiled from publicly available state-law materials and is not legal advice. Confirm the current status with the cited state agency or a qualified attorney before bidding or paying workers under it.

Federal contracts ≥ $2,000 in California must comply with the Davis-Bacon Act. Full compliance guide →