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Kern County · Plumber / Pipefitter
Plumber / Pipefitter prevailing wage in Kern County, California
$94.22an hour, total · Plumber, Industrial and General Pipefitter
$64.83 wage + $29.39 employer payments
On California public works in Kern County, a plumber or pipefitter working as plumber, industrial and general pipefitter must be paid at least $94.22 an hour in total: $64.83 in wages plus $29.39 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $125.61 and Sunday and holiday work is $155.23.
DIR general determination 204-X-6(1), issued August 22, 2026. Expires August 31, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 6 plumber or pipefitter rates for Kern County, from $27.54 to $94.22 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe: $64.83 + $29.39
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 $94.22 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) (footnote AO) | $64.83 |
| Health and welfare | $10.11 |
| Pension (footnote AP) | $14.40 |
| Training | $3.15 |
| Other payments (footnote AR) | $1.73 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $94.22 |
Vacation and holiday is $0.00 in DIR's table. Footnote AQ says where that money is counted.
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
Davis-Bacon plumber or pipefitter 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.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base + fringe | Base | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building, Highway, Heavy | PLUMBER (LANDSCAPE/IRRIGATION FITTER)PLUM0345-001 | $70.95 | $44.75 | CA20260020 Mod 5 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | PLUMBER (SEWER & STORM DRAIN WORK)PLUM0345-001 | $72.42 | $48.84 | CA20260020 Mod 5 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | SPRINKLER FITTERSFCA0669-007 | $80.59 | $50.79 | CA20260020 Mod 5 |
| Residential | PLUMBER: SEWER & STORM DRAIN WORK KERN COUNTYPLUM0345-002 | $72.42 | $48.84 | CA20260009 Mod 1 |
| Residential | PLUMBER: LANDSCAPE/IRRIGATION FITTER KERN COUNTYPLUM0345-002 | $70.95 | $44.75 | CA20260009 Mod 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| September 1, 2027 | +$4.03 | $98.25 |
| September 1, 2028 | +$4.03 | $102.28 |
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 | $87.69 | |
| 2025-1 | $87.69 | no change |
| 2025-2 | $90.19 | +$2.50 |
| 2026-1 | $90.19 | no change |
| 2026-2 | $94.22 | +$4.03 |
Every plumber or pipefitter rate in Kern County
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Plumber, Industrial and General Pipefitter$94.22
- Refrigeration Fitter Service/Repair$94.22
- Fire Sprinkler Fitter (Protection and Control Systems, Overhead and Underground)$83.98
- Fire Sprinkler Fitter (Protection and Control Systems, Overhead and Underground)$82.74
- Landscape/Irrigation Fitter$76.40
- Landscape/Irrigation Tradesman$27.54
| Classification | Total | Base | Employer payments | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber: Fire Sprinkler Fitter (Protection and Control Systems, Overhead and Underground) | $82.74 | $52.72 | $30.02 | $109.10 | 204-669-1 |
| Plumber: Fire Sprinkler Fitter (Protection and Control Systems, Overhead and Underground) | $83.98 | $53.88 | $30.10 | $110.92 | 204-669-1 |
| Landscape/Irrigation Fitter | $76.40 | $47.85 | $28.55 | $100.33 | 204-X-6(1) |
| Landscape/Irrigation Tradesman | $27.54 | $21.98 | $5.56 | $38.53 | 204-X-6(1) |
| Plumber, Industrial and General Pipefitter | $94.22 | $64.83 | $29.39 | $125.61 | 204-X-6(1) |
| Refrigeration Fitter Service/Repair | $94.22 | $64.83 | $29.39 | $125.61 | 204-X-6(1) |
How Kern County compares
The main plumber or pipefitter 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
- Kern Countybase $64.83$94.22
- Tulare Countybase $55.50$101.11
- Ventura Countybase $64.83$94.22
- Los Angeles Countybase $64.83$94.22
Plumber / Pipefitter 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.
| County | Classification | Total | Base | vs Kern County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulare County | Plumber, Steamfitter, Refrigeration Fitter (HVAC) | $101.11 | $55.50 | +$6.89 |
| Kings County | Plumber, Steamfitter, Refrigeration Fitter (HVAC) | $101.11 | $55.50 | +$6.89 |
| Kern County | Plumber, Industrial and General Pipefitter | $94.22 | $64.83 | |
| Ventura County | Plumber, Industrial and General Pipefitter | $94.22 | $64.83 | same |
| Los Angeles County | Plumber, Industrial and General Pipefitter | $94.22 | $64.83 | same |
| Santa Barbara County | Plumber, Industrial and General Pipefitter | $94.22 | $64.83 | same |
| San Luis Obispo County | Plumber, Industrial and General Pipefitter | $94.22 | $64.83 | same |
California plumber or pipefitter 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.
- AO Includes an amount withheld for administrative dues which is not factored into overtime and an amount for vacation which is factored at 1.5 times for all overtime.
- AP Includes amount for national pension and retiree's x-mas fund.
- AQ Amount included in basic hourly rate and factored at 1.5 times for all overtime.
- AR Includes an amount for the p.i.p.e. Labor management cooperation committee and the contractor education & development fund.
- D Rate applies to the first 2 daily overtime hours and the first 10 hours on Saturday; all other time is paid at the Sunday and holiday overtime hourly 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.
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 $94.22. 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 204-X-6(1): www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/KER.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 Kern County as CSV · Report an error