Fence Builder prevailing wage, Southern California (12 counties)

DIR sets the same fence builder rates, row for row, in 12 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.

$76.19an hour, base wage + fringe benefits

$48.25 base wage + $27.94 fringe benefits

On California public works in each of these 12 counties, a fence builder must be paid at least $76.19 an hour in total: $48.25 in wages plus $27.94 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $100.315 and Sunday and holiday work is $124.44.

DIR general determination SC-23-31-20-2026-1, issued February 22, 2026 and still current in DIR's 2026-2 release. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.

DIR's expiration date for this determination was June 30, 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 benefits: $48.25 + $27.94

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 $76.19 or more.

Basic hourly rate (taxable wage)	$48.25
Health and welfare	$9.50
Pension	$6.25
Vacation and holiday	$7.21
Training	$0.72
Other payments (footnote a)	$4.26
Total straight-time hourly rate	$76.19

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-23-31-20-2026-1, issued February 22, 2026.

How Southern California compares

The main fence builder 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 $48.25$76.19
Ventura Countybase $48.25$76.19
Orange Countybase $48.25$76.19
Kern Countybase $48.25$76.19

Which county is in which fence builder group

Every California county with a fence builder 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
Southern California, 12 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura	Fence Builder	$48.25	$76.19

1 group of counties with identical DIR rates, and 0 counties with rates of their own.

California fence builder 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 Includes an amount for Annuity.
b Rate applies to the first 4 overtime hours. All other time is paid at the Sunday and Holiday overtime hourly rate.
c Saturdays in the same work week may be worked at straight-time for the first 8 hours if the job is shut down during the normal work week due to inclement weather, or reasons beyond the control of the employer.

DIR's other marks: # means an apprenticeable craft, * means in effect until superseded, ** means the next rate is already set.

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 $76.19. 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-23-31-20-2026-1, page 1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Southern/SC-023-31-20.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