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Orange County · Plaster Tender
Plaster Tender prevailing wage in Orange County, California
$80.95an hour, total
$51.32 wage + $29.63 employer payments
Orange County uses the same plaster tender rates as 11 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On California public works in Orange County, a plaster tender must be paid at least $80.95 an hour in total: $51.32 in wages plus $29.63 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $106.61 and Sunday and holiday work is $132.27.
DIR general determination 102-X-16, issued August 22, 2026. Expires August 3, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 2 plaster tender rates for Orange County, from $78.40 to $80.95 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe: $51.32 + $29.63
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 $80.95 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $51.32 |
| Health and welfare | $9.85 |
| Pension | $12.32 |
| Vacation and holiday (footnote AM) | $5.30 |
| Training | $1.20 |
| Other payments | $0.96 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $80.95 |
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
Davis-Bacon plaster tender rate in Orange 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 the federal determinations split this trade into groups that don't line up with DIR's. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base + fringe | Base | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building, Highway, Heavy | LABORER: PLASTER TENDER WORK ON A SWING STAGE SCAFFOLD: $1.00 PER HOUR ADDITIONALLABO1414-001 | $74.69 | $48.72 | CA20260024 Mod 4 |
| Residential | LABORERS: PLASTER TENDER (1 TO 3 STORIES) WORK ON A SWING STAGE SCAFFOLD: $1.00 PER HOUR ADDITIONAL. WORK AT MILITARY BASES - $3.00 ADDITIONAL PER HOUR: …LABO1414-002 | $62.79 | $39.47 | CA20260017 Mod 5 |
| Residential | LABORERS: PLASTER TENDER (4 STORIES) WORK ON A SWING STAGE SCAFFOLD: $1.00 PER HOUR ADDITIONAL. WORK AT MILITARY BASES - $3.00 ADDITIONAL PER HOUR: CORONADO …LABO1414-002 | $62.79 | $39.47 | CA20260017 Mod 5 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| August 4, 2027 | +$3.50 | $84.45 |
| August 2, 2028 | +$4.25 | $88.70 |
| August 1, 2029 | +$4.50 | $93.20 |
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 | $74.30 | |
| 2025-1 | $74.30 | no change |
| 2025-2 | $77.70 | +$3.40 |
| 2026-1 | $77.70 | no change |
| 2026-2 | $80.95 | +$3.25 |
Every plaster tender rate in Orange County
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
How Orange County compares
The main plaster tender 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
- Orange Countybase $51.32$80.95
- Los Angeles Countybase $51.32$80.95
- San Diego Countybase $51.32$80.95
- Tulare Countybase $44.52$78.13
Plaster Tender 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 plaster tender rates for Orange County are the same as in 11 other counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and 3 more. The closest county with a different rate is Tulare County, at $78.13.
| County | Classification | Total | Base | vs Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County | Plaster Tender | $80.95 | $51.32 | |
| Los Angeles County | Plaster Tender | $80.95 | $51.32 | same |
| San Diego County | Plaster Tender | $80.95 | $51.32 | same |
| Ventura County | Plaster Tender | $80.95 | $51.32 | same |
| Riverside County | Plaster Tender | $80.95 | $51.32 | same |
| San Bernardino County | Plaster Tender | $80.95 | $51.32 | same |
| Kern County | Plaster Tender | $80.95 | $51.32 | same |
California plaster tender 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.
- AM Includes an amount per hour worked or paid for supplemental dues.
- AN All work performed after twelve (12) hours in a day shall be paid at the Sunday/holiday rate.
- AO Rate applies to the first eight hours on Saturday. All other time is paid at the Sunday and holiday overtime rate. Saturday work may be paid at the straight time rate if the job is shut down during the normal work week due to inclement weather.
- AL The ratio of plaster tenders to plasterers shall be as follows: there shall be a plaster tender on the jobsite whenever there is a plasterer performing work on the jobsite, except on small patch work where only one plasterer is performing work. For inside brown coatings there shall be 2 plaster tenders for up to every 3 plasterers. For inside finish coatings there shall be 1 plaster tender for up to every 3 plasterers. On outside finish and brown coatings and for all other work, there shall be 1 plaster tender for up to every 2 plasterers.
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 $80.95. 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 102-X-16: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/ORA.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 Orange County as CSV · Report an error