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California · Dredger · 19 counties
Dredger prevailing wage, California Area 1 (19 counties)
DIR sets the same dredge worker rates, row for row, in 19 counties: Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Kings, Marin, Merced, Napa, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.
$106.67an hour, total · Group 1
$62.61 wage + $44.06 employer payments
On California public works in each of these 19 counties, a Group 1 dredge worker must be paid at least $106.67 an hour in total: $62.61 in wages plus $44.06 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $137.975 and Sunday and holiday work is $169.28. DIR puts 3 job titles in Group 1, chief engineer and leverman/operator among them.
DIR general determination NC-63-3-12-2025-1, issued August 22, 2025 and still current in DIR's 2026-2 release. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 4 dredge worker rates for each of these counties, from $97.29 to $106.67 an hour. See all of them.
DIR's expiration date for this determination was July 31, 2026. DIR hasn't issued a replacement, so this rate still applies, which is what the single asterisk on DIR's table means. A project keeps the rates in effect on its bid advertisement date for the life of the job.
Base wage and fringe: $62.61 + $44.06
The basic hourly rate is the taxable wage. The other lines, usually called fringe benefits, 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 $106.67 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $62.61 |
| Health and welfare | $13.38 |
| Pension (footnote b) | $23.10 |
| Vacation and holiday (footnote c) | $6.43 |
| Training | $0.73 |
| Other payments | $0.42 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $106.67 |
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
Davis-Bacon dredge worker 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| Butte County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Contra Costa County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| Kings County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| Marin County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Merced County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| Napa County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Sacramento County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| San Benito County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| San Francisco County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| San Joaquin County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| San Mateo County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| Santa Clara County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| Santa Cruz County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| Solano County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Stanislaus County | No federal row for this trade | |||
| Sutter County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Yolo County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Yuba County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
Dredger Group 1 job titles
Work DIR classifies in Group 1, copied as printed. The other groups and their rates are in the table below.
- Chief Engineer
- Day Mate (Captain)
- Leverman/Operator
Source: Group 1, page 5
Every dredge worker rate in California Area 1
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Group 1$106.67
- Group 2$101.71
- Group 3$100.59
- Group 4$97.29
| Classification | Total | Base | Employer payments | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1Area 1 | $106.67 | $62.61 | $44.06 | $137.975 | NC-63-3-12-2025-1 |
Group 2Area 12 jobs in this group
| $101.71 | $57.65 | $44.06 | $130.535 | NC-63-3-12-2025-1 |
Group 3Area 17 jobs in this group
| $100.59 | $56.53 | $44.06 | $128.855 | NC-63-3-12-2025-1 |
Group 4Area 15 jobs in this group
| $97.29 | $53.23 | $44.06 | $123.905 | NC-63-3-12-2025-1 |
How California Area 1 compares
The main dredge worker 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
Wage and employer payments, nearby
- California Area 1base $62.61 · Area 1$106.67
- Santa Cruz Countybase $62.61 · Area 1$106.67
- Alameda Countybase $62.61 · Area 1$106.67
- San Luis Obispo Countybase $68.90$115.70
Which county is in which dredge worker group
Every California county with a dredge worker 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 | Total | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California, 12 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | Leverman | $115.70 | $68.90 |
| Modoc County | Group 1 (Area 2) | $108.67 | $64.61 |
| Area 1, 19 counties: Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Kings, Marin, Merced, Napa, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Alpine County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Amador County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Calaveras County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Colusa County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Del Norte County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| El Dorado County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Fresno County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Glenn County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Humboldt County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Lake County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Lassen County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Madera County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Mariposa County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Mendocino County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Monterey County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Nevada County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Placer County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Plumas County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Shasta County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Sierra County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Siskiyou County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Sonoma County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Tehama County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Trinity County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Tulare County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
| Tuolumne County* | Group 1 (Area 1) | $106.67 | $62.61 |
2 groups of counties with identical DIR rates, and 27 counties with rates of their own. * County split between areas; its page shows the rate for each part.
California dredge worker 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.
- a For classifications within each group, see Page 5.
- b Includes an amount for Annuity Trust Fund.
- c Includes an amount for Supplemental Dues.
- d Rate applies to the first 4 daily overtime hours Monday thru Friday and the first 12 hours on Saturday. All other time worked is paid at the Sunday and Holiday overtime rate.
- e Saturday in the same workweek may be worked at straight-time if a job is shut down during the normal workweek due to inclement weather.
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: Alameda · Butte · Contra Costa · Kings · Marin · Merced · Napa · Sacramento · San Benito · San Francisco · San Joaquin · San Mateo · Santa Clara · Santa Cruz · Solano · Stanislaus · Sutter · Yolo · Yuba
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 $106.67. 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 NC-63-3-12-2025-1, page 1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Northern/NC-063-3-12.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