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California · Insulator (Heat & Frost / Asbestos Worker) · 11 counties
Insulator (Heat & Frost / Asbestos Worker) prevailing wage, Southern California (11 counties)
DIR sets the same insulator rates, row for row, in 11 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.
$91.30an hour, base wage + fringe benefits · Mechanic
$63.76 base wage + $27.54 fringe benefits
On California public works in each of these 11 counties, an insulator working as mechanic must be paid at least $91.30 an hour in total: $63.76 in wages plus $27.54 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $123.18 and Sunday and holiday work is $155.06.
DIR general determination SC-3-5-1-2026-1, issued August 22, 2026. Expires December 31, 2026. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 2 insulator rates for each of these counties, from $50.54 to $91.30 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $63.76 + $27.54
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 $91.30 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) (footnote a) | $63.76 |
| Health and welfare (footnote b) | $12.28 |
| Pension (footnote c) | $8.32 |
| Vacation and holiday | $4.80 |
| Training | $2.14 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $91.30 |
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 SC-3-5-1-2026-1, 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 | +$0.20 | $91.50 |
| July 5, 2027 | +$4.75 | $96.25 |
| July 3, 2028 | +$4.80 | $101.05 |
| July 2, 2029 | +$4.95 | $106.00 |
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).
Source: DIR increase PDF, DIR increase PDF
Every insulator rate in Southern California
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asbestos Worker, Heat and Frost Insulator #: Mechanic: Hazardous Material Handler Mechanic | $36.47 | $14.07 | $50.54 | $68.775 | SC-3-5-3-2026-1 |
| Mechanic | $63.76 | $27.54 | $91.30 | $123.18 | SC-3-5-1-2026-1 |
Davis-Bacon insulator rates in these counties
The counties share DIR's rates, but not always the same federal wage determination. 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).
| County | Federal classification | Base + fringe | WD | vs DIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial County | ASBESTOS WORKERS/INSULATOR (INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS, AND FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS) | $82.84 | CA20260002 Mod 4 | DIR +$8.46 |
| Inyo County | INSULATOR/ASBESTOS WORKER: INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS & FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS INYO AND KERN | $82.84 | CA20260020 Mod 5 | DIR +$8.46 |
| Kern County | INSULATOR/ASBESTOS WORKER: INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS & FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS INYO AND KERN | $82.84 | CA20260020 Mod 5 | DIR +$8.46 |
| Los Angeles County | ASBESTOS WORKERS/INSULATOR (INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS, AND FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS) | $82.84 | CA20260022 Mod 5 | DIR +$8.46 |
| Orange County | ASBESTOS WORKERS/INSULATOR (INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS, AND FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS) | $82.84 | CA20260024 Mod 4 | DIR +$8.46 |
| Riverside County | ASBESTOS WORKERS/INSULATOR (INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS, AND FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS) | $82.84 | CA20260025 Mod 4 | DIR +$8.46 |
| San Bernardino County | ASBESTOS WORKERS/INSULATOR (INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS, AND FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS) | $82.84 | CA20260026 Mod 4 | DIR +$8.46 |
| San Diego County | ASBESTOS WORKERS/INSULATOR (INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS, AND FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS) | $82.84 | CA20260001 Mod 3 | DIR +$8.46 |
| San Luis Obispo County | ASBESTOS WORKERS/INSULATOR (INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS, AND FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS) | $82.84 | CA20260012 Mod 5 | DIR +$8.46 |
| Santa Barbara County | ASBESTOS WORKERS/INSULATOR (INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS, AND FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS) | $82.84 | CA20260014 Mod 7 | DIR +$8.46 |
| Ventura County | ASBESTOS WORKERS/INSULATOR (INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECTIVE COVERINGS, COATINGS, AND FINISHES TO ALL TYPES OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS) | $82.84 | CA20260015 Mod 5 | DIR +$8.46 |
How Southern California compares
The main insulator 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
- Southern Californiabase $63.76$91.30
- Ventura Countybase $63.76$91.30
- Orange Countybase $63.76$91.30
- Tulare Countybase $98.16$125.97
Which county is in which insulator group
Every California county with a insulator rate. Counties DIR treats alike share one page; the rest have their own. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done, even if your shop is somewhere else.
| Counties | Main classification | Base wage | Total rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern California, 47 counties: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, Yuba | Mechanic (Zone 1) | $98.16 | $125.97 |
| Southern California, 11 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | Mechanic | $63.76 | $91.30 |
2 groups of counties with identical DIR rates, and 0 counties with rates of their own.
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.
- a Includes 5.5% of employee's gross wage for dues/service fee check-off plus $0.25 for supplemental dues.
- b Includes $0.01 for Occupational Health Plan.
- c Pursuant to Labor Code Sections 1773.1 and 1773.8, the amount paid for the employer payment may vary resulting in a lower taxable Basic Hourly Rate, but the Total Hourly Rates for Straight Time and Overtime may not be less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages.
- d Rate applies to the first 2 overtime hours. Applies to all daily overtime hours on maintenance and asbestos abatement projects.
- e Rate applies to all other Daily and Saturday overtime hours.
- f Rate applies to first 8 hours worked on new construction. Applies to all Saturday hours on maintenance and asbestos abatement projects.
- g $218.82 per hour for work on Labor Day. For maintenance and asbestos abatement projects, Sundays and observed holidays may be worked at the time and one-half rate.
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.
Every trade's rates, county by county: Imperial · Inyo · Kern · Los Angeles · Orange · Riverside · San Bernardino · San Diego · San Luis Obispo · Santa Barbara · Ventura
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 $91.30. 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 SC-3-5-1-2026-1, page 1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Southern/SC-003-5-1.pdf
Each figure is copied from DIR's file and checked by a second, separate reader. How we check · How to read a determination · Download every California rate as CSV · Report an error