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Alpine County · Plumber / Pipefitter
Plumber / Pipefitter prevailing wage in Alpine County, California
$101.11an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$59.25 base wage + $41.86 fringe benefits
On California public works in Alpine County, a plumber or pipefitter must be paid at least $101.11 an hour in total: $59.25 in wages plus $41.86 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $130.74 and Sunday and holiday work is $160.36.
DIR general determination 204-X-3, issued August 22, 2026. Expires December 31, 2026. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 10 plumber or pipefitter rates for Alpine County, from $34.65 to $101.11 an hour. See all of them.
This rate covers only part of Alpine County. DIR's wording: “Portion of county lying outside the Tahoe Basin watershed.” Rates for the rest of the county are in the table below.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $59.25 + $41.86
The basic hourly rate is the taxable wage. The other lines, the fringe benefits DIR calls employer payments, are what DIR expects the employer to pay into health, pension and other plans for each hour worked. An employer can pay part of that as extra wages instead, as long as the total per hour stays at $101.11 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $59.25 |
| Health and welfare | $13.38 |
| Pension | $23.86 |
| Training | $1.90 |
| Other payments | $2.72 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $101.11 |
Vacation and holiday is $0.00 in DIR's table. Footnote F says where that money is counted.
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
When does this rate change?
- A project pays the rates in effect on its bid advertisement date for the life of the job, plus any increase DIR set in advance (DIR FAQ).
- DIR issues new determinations on February 22 and August 22, and they take effect 10 days later. This rate is from determination 204-X-3, issued August 22, 2026; DIR's expiration date for it is December 31, 2026.
Scheduled increases
DIR has already set these increases. Work on or after each date is paid the higher rate. DIR often leaves part of an increase "to be allocated to wages and/or employer payments" and confirms the split when it comes due, and it can reduce a scheduled increase in a later notice, so check DIR's increase page before you pay it.
| Takes effect | Increase per hour | Total after increase |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2027 | +$2.75 | $103.86 |
| July 1, 2027 | +$1.25 | $105.11 |
| January 1, 2028 | +$2.80 | $107.91 |
| July 1, 2028 | +$1.25 | $109.16 |
The double asterisk after DIR's expiration date means the next rate is already set. If the work runs past that date you have to pay the new rate, and DIR says to build it into contracts signed now (DIR FAQ, Q8).
Rate history since 2024
Total hourly rate for this classification in each DIR release. The chart above draws the same figures with the increases that follow.
| Release | Total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2 | $93.46 | |
| 2025-1 | $96.01 | +$2.55 |
| 2025-2 | $97.26 | +$1.25 |
| 2026-1 | $99.81 | +$2.55 |
| 2026-2 | $101.11 | +$1.30 |
Every plumber or pipefitter rate in Alpine County
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Plumber, Steamfitter, Refrigeration Fitter (HVAC)part of county$101.11
- Plumber, Pipefitterpart of county$86.82
- Fire Sprinkler Fitter (Protection and Control Systems, Overhead and Underground)$85.39
- Light Commercial Plumberpart of county$72.36
- Underground Utility Pipefitter$54.96
- Underground Utility Assistant Journeyman$40.76
- Pipe Tradesmanpart of county$36.30
- Light Commercial Plumber - Helperpart of county$35.28
- Plumber, Pipefitter Helperpart of county$35.28
- Underground Utility Tradesman$34.65
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber: Fire Sprinkler Fitter (Protection and Control Systems, Overhead and Underground) | $55.23 | $30.16 | $85.39 | $113.01 | 204-669-1 |
| Plumber: Light Commercial Plumber Portion of county lying in the Tahoe Basin area | $46.42 | $25.94 | $72.36 | $95.57 | 204-350-1(Light) |
| Plumber: Light Commercial Plumber - Helper Portion of county lying in the Tahoe Basin area | $26.11 | $9.17 | $35.28 | $48.34 | 204-350-1(Light) |
| Pipe Tradesman Portion of county lying outside the Tahoe Basin watershed | $23.70 | $12.60 | $36.30 | $48.15 | 204-X-3 |
| Plumber: Plumber, Pipefitter Portion of county lying in the Tahoe Basin area | $58.59 | $28.23 | $86.82 | $116.12 | 204-350-1(1) |
| Plumber: Plumber, Pipefitter Helper Portion of county lying in the Tahoe Basin area | $26.11 | $9.17 | $35.28 | $48.34 | 204-350-1(1) |
| Plumber, Steamfitter, Refrigeration Fitter (HVAC) Portion of county lying outside the Tahoe Basin watershed | $59.25 | $41.86 | $101.11 | $130.74 | 204-X-3 |
| Plumber: Underground Utility Assistant Journeyman | $21.81 | $18.95 | $40.76 | $53.04 | 204-355-1 |
| Plumber: Underground Utility Pipefitter | $36.01 | $18.95 | $54.96 | $74.34 | 204-355-1 |
| Plumber: Underground Utility Tradesman | $18.95 | $15.70 | $34.65 | $45.50 | 204-355-1 |
Davis-Bacon plumber or pipefitter rate in Alpine County
Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a California awarding body runs a federally funded or assisted project, DIR's rates must be paid where they are higher than the Davis-Bacon rates (DIR public works FAQ).
We don't put a federal figure next to DIR's here, because the federal determination lists more than one rate for this trade here. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base wage | Total rate | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building, Highway, Heavy | PLUMBER/PIPEFITTER: ALL OTHER WORK (PLUM0343-001 | $71.60 | $109.98 | CA20260007 Mod 5 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | PLUMBER/PIPEFITTER: LIGHT COMMERCIAL (DEFINITION OF LIGHT COMMERCIAL: WORK SHALL INCLUDE STRIP SHOPPING CENTERS, OFFICE BUILDINGS, SCHOOLS, AND OTHER …PLUM0343-001 | $30.85 | $51.25 | CA20260007 Mod 5 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | PLUMBER (AMADOR (SOUTH OF SAN JOAQUIN RIVER) AND ALPINE COUNTIES)PLUM0442-003 | $58.45 | $97.19 | CA20260007 Mod 5 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | PLUMBER/PIPEFITTER: JOURNEYMAN (AMADOR (NORTH OF SAN JOAQUIN RIVER), EL DORADO (EXCLUDING LAKE TAHOE AREA), NEVADA (EXCLUDING LAKE TAHOE AREA); PLACER …PLUM0447-001 | $67.37 | $97.37 | CA20260007 Mod 5 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | PLUMBER/PIPEFITTER: LIGHT COMMERCIAL WORK (AMADOR (NORTH OF SAN JOAQUIN RIVER), EL DORADO (EXCLUDING LAKE TAHOE AREA), NEVADA (EXCLUDING LAKE TAHOE AREA); …PLUM0447-001 | $55.58 | $79.60 | CA20260007 Mod 5 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | SPRINKLER FITTER (ALPINE, BUTTE, COLUSA, EL DORADO, GLENN, LASSEN, MODOC, NEVADA, PLACER, PLUMAS, SACRAMENTO, SHASTA, SIERRA, SISKIYOU, SUTTER, TEHAMA, …SFCA0669-003 | $52.06 | $81.92 | CA20260007 Mod 5 |
| Residential | PLUMBERSUCA2013-003 | $23.06 | $34.87 | CA20260029 Mod 2 |
Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. California Davis-Bacon changes
How Alpine County compares
The main plumber or pipefitter rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.
Every county in California
Base wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Alpine Countybase $59.25$101.11
- Tuolumne Countybase $59.25$101.11
- El Dorado Countybase $70.37$101.72
- Amador Countybase $70.37$101.72
Plumber / Pipefitter rates in nearby counties
Current DIR rates. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done, even if your shop is somewhere else.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Alpine County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Dorado County | Plumber, Steamfitter | $70.37 | $101.72 | +$0.61 |
| Amador County | Plumber, Steamfitter | $70.37 | $101.72 | +$0.61 |
| Placer County | Plumber, Steamfitter | $70.37 | $101.72 | +$0.61 |
| Alpine County | Plumber, Steamfitter, Refrigeration Fitter (HVAC) | $59.25 | $101.11 | |
| Tuolumne County | Plumber, Steamfitter, Refrigeration Fitter (HVAC) | $59.25 | $101.11 | same |
| Calaveras County | Plumber, Steamfitter, Refrigeration Fitter (HVAC) | $59.25 | $101.11 | same |
| Mono County | Plumber, Industrial and General Pipefitter | $64.83 | $94.22 | −$6.89 |
California plumber or pipefitter prevailing wage by county, with a map
Footnotes on this rate
DIR's footnotes, in DIR's words. Several change the rate itself: zone pay, a percentage added to the total, or which overtime hours get which rate.
- F Included in straight-time hourly rate.
- E Rate applies to the first 2 daily overtime hours and the first 10 hours on Saturday; all other time is paid at the Sunday and holiday overtime hourly rate.
- AL Portion of county lying outside the Tahoe Basin watershed.
DIR's other marks: # means an apprenticeable craft, * means in effect until superseded, ** means the next rate is already set.
More from DIR on this rate
- Holidays (DIR PDF)
- Scope of work: which tasks this rate covers
- Travel and subsistence
- Apprentice rates: DIR publishes these separately, by program. Look them up on DIR.
Are you being paid this rate?
Add your hourly wage to what your employer pays into health, pension and other plans for you, and compare it with $101.11. Plan payments only count if the money goes into the plan; your pay stub won't show them, but plan statements will. The training amount goes to the California Apprenticeship Council or an apprenticeship program, not to you. Check a week of pay.
Contractors on most public works jobs file certified payroll with the state, and anyone can look it up in DIR's CPR public search. If your total comes up short, you can file a public works complaint with the California Labor Commissioner.
Source
California Department of Industrial Relations, general prevailing wage determination 204-X-3: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/ALP.html
Each figure is copied from DIR's file and checked by a second, separate reader. How we check · How to read a determination · Download Alpine County as CSV · Report an error