Carpenter prevailing wage in Kern County, California

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-23-31-2-2026-2, issued August 22, 2026; DIR's expiration date for it is June 30, 2027.

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.

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

Every carpenter rate in Kern County

As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.

Davis-Bacon carpenter rate in Kern 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 this page leads with a classification the federal determinations don't list one to one. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.

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 Kern County compares

The main carpenter rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.

Carpenter 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 carpenter rates for Kern County are the same as in 10 other counties: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo and 2 more.

California carpenter 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 amounts for Vacation and Supplemental Dues. For Millwright only, Vacation is factored at the applicable overtime multiplier.
• b Includes an amount for Annuity.
• c All overtime worked Mon - Fri shall be paid at 1 1/2 times the straight time rate for the first four (4) hours and double (2x) the straight time for work performed after twelve (12) hours.
• d First eight (8) hours worked paid at 1 1/2 times the straight time rate, all hours after that paid at double (2x) the straight time rate. Saturdays in the same work week may be worked at straight-time rates if a job is shut down during the normal work week due to inclement weather, major mechanical breakdown or lack of materials beyond the control of the Employer.
• e When performing welding work requiring certification, classification will receive an additional $1.00 per hour.
• f A Carpenter who performs work of forming in the construction of open cut sewers or storm drains shall receive a premium of thirteen cents ($0.13) per hour in addition to his Carpenter's scale. This premium shall apply only on an operation in which horizontal lagging is used in conjunction with Steel H-Beams driven or placed in pre-drilled holes, for that portion of a lagged trench against which concrete is poured, namely, as a substitute for back forms, which work is performed by pile drivers.

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