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Imperial County · Field Surveyor
Field Surveyor prevailing wage in Imperial County, California
$110.38an hour, total · Chief of Party
$68.91 wage + $41.47 employer payments
Imperial County uses the same field surveyor rates as 12 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On California public works in Imperial County, a field surveyor working as chief of party must be paid at least $110.38 an hour in total: $68.91 in wages plus $41.47 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $144.84 and Sunday and holiday work is $179.29.
DIR general determination 063-12-3, issued August 22, 2026. Expires June 30, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 3 field surveyor rates for Imperial County, from $101.93 to $110.38 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe: $68.91 + $41.47
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 $110.38 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $68.91 |
| Health and welfare | $17.45 |
| Pension | $17.90 |
| Vacation and holiday (footnote G) | $4.67 |
| Training | $1.30 |
| Other payments | $0.15 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $110.38 |
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
Davis-Bacon field surveyor rate in Imperial 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).
The federal determinations for Imperial County list no field surveyor classification.
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
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 |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2027 | +$4.50 | $114.88 |
| July 1, 2028 | +$4.50 | $119.38 |
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 under Scheduled increases above draws the same figures with the increases that follow.
| Release | Total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2 | $95.38 | |
| 2025-1 | $99.38 | +$4.00 |
| 2025-2 | $99.38 | no change |
| 2026-1 | $105.38 | +$6.00 |
| 2026-2 | $110.38 | +$5.00 |
Every field surveyor rate in Imperial County
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Chief of Party$110.38
- Instrumentman$102.56
- Chainman/Rodman$101.93
How Imperial County compares
The main field surveyor 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
- Imperial Countybase $68.91$110.38
- Riverside Countybase $68.91$110.38
- San Diego Countybase $68.91$110.38
- Tulare Countybase $64.75$100.58
Field Surveyor 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.
DIR's field surveyor rates for Imperial County are the same as in 12 other counties: Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and 4 more. The closest county with a different rate is Tulare County, at $100.58.
| County | Classification | Total | Base | vs Imperial County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial County | Chief of Party | $110.38 | $68.91 | |
| Riverside County | Chief of Party | $110.38 | $68.91 | same |
| San Diego County | Chief of Party | $110.38 | $68.91 | same |
| San Bernardino County | Chief of Party | $110.38 | $68.91 | same |
| Orange County | Chief of Party | $110.38 | $68.91 | same |
| Los Angeles County | Chief of Party | $110.38 | $68.91 | same |
| Ventura County | Chief of Party | $110.38 | $68.91 | same |
California field surveyor 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.
- G Includes an amount per hour worked for supplemental dues.
- U Rate applies to the first 4 daily overtime hours and the first 12 hours worked on Saturday; all other time is paid at the Sunday and holiday overtime hourly rate.
- T Dictionary of occupational titles, fourth edition, 1977, u.s. Department of labor.
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 $110.38. 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 063-12-3: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/IMP.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 Imperial County as CSV · Report an error