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California · Sheet Metal Worker · 3 counties
Sheet Metal Worker prevailing wage, Ventura County group, California (3 counties)
DIR sets the same sheet metal worker rates, row for row, in 3 counties: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.
$97.09an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$59.54 base wage + $37.55 fringe benefits
On California public works in each of these 3 counties, a sheet metal worker must be paid at least $97.09 an hour in total: $59.54 in wages plus $37.55 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $126.86 and Sunday and holiday work is $156.63.
DIR general determination 166-273-1, issued August 22, 2026. Expires July 31, 2028. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $59.54 + $37.55
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 $97.09 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) (footnote H) | $59.54 |
| Health and welfare | $11.50 |
| Pension (footnote BO) | $22.30 |
| Training | $2.17 |
| Other payments | $1.58 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $97.09 |
Vacation and holiday is $0.00 in DIR's table. Footnote S says where that money is counted.
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 166-273-1, issued August 22, 2026; DIR's expiration date for it is July 31, 2028.
Rate history since 2024
Total hourly rate for this classification in each DIR release.
| Release | Total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2 | $90.59 | |
| 2025-1 | $90.59 | no change |
| 2025-2 | $93.84 | +$3.25 |
| 2026-1 | $93.84 | no change |
| 2026-2 | $97.09 | +$3.25 |
Davis-Bacon sheet metal worker rates in these counties
The counties share DIR's rates, but not always the same federal wage determination. 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).
| County | Federal classification | Base + fringe | WD | vs DIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County | SHEET METAL WORKER (HOLIDAYS: NEW YEAR'S DAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY, PRESIDENT'S DAY, GOOD FRIDAY, MEMORIAL DAY, INDEPDENDENCE DAY, LABOR DAY, VETERANS DAY,THANKISGIVING DAY & FRIDAY AFTER, CHRISTMAS DAY) | $91.19 | CA20260012 Mod 5 | DIR +$5.90 |
| Santa Barbara County | SHEET METAL WORKER (HOLIDAYS: NEW YEAR'S DAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY, PRESIDENT'S DAY, GOOD FRIDAY, MEMORIAL DAY, INDEPDENDENCE DAY, LABOR DAY, VETERANS DAY,THANKISGIVING DAY & FRIDAY AFTER, CHRISTMAS DAY) | $91.19 | CA20260014 Mod 7 | DIR +$5.90 |
| Ventura County | SHEET METAL WORKER (HOLIDAYS: NEW YEAR'S DAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY, PRESIDENT'S DAY, GOOD FRIDAY, MEMORIAL DAY, INDEPDENDENCE DAY, LABOR DAY, VETERANS DAY,THANKISGIVING DAY & FRIDAY AFTER, CHRISTMAS DAY) | $91.19 | CA20260015 Mod 5 | DIR +$5.90 |
How the Ventura County group compares
The main sheet metal worker 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
- Ventura County groupbase $59.54$97.09
- Los Angeles Countybase $65.31$96.98
- Santa Barbara Countybase $59.54$97.09
- Kern Countybase $54.13$84.59
Which county is in which sheet metal worker group
Every California county with a sheet metal worker 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County group, 12 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma, Trinity | Sheet Metal Worker | $81.34 | $140.34 |
| Lake County | Sheet Metal Worker | $81.34 | $140.34 |
| San Francisco County | Sheet Metal Worker | $81.34 | $140.34 |
| Santa Cruz County | Sheet Metal Worker | $66.40 | $108.84 |
| Siskiyou County group, 8 counties: Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama | Sheet Metal Worker | $58.79 | $107.01 |
| Sacramento County group, 6 counties: Colusa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo | Sheet Metal Worker | $58.79 | $107.01 |
| Amador County | Sheet Metal Worker | $58.79 | $107.01 |
| Butte County | Sheet Metal Worker | $58.79 | $107.01 |
| El Dorado County | Sheet Metal Worker | $58.79 | $107.01 |
| Yuba County | Sheet Metal Worker | $58.79 | $107.01 |
| Stanislaus County group, 3 counties: Merced, Stanislaus, Tuolumne | Sheet Metal Worker | $50.52 | $104.75 |
| Fresno County group, 3 counties: Fresno, Kings, Madera | Sheet Metal Worker | $47.93 | $102.42 |
| San Joaquin County group, 3 counties: Alpine, Calaveras, San Joaquin | Sheet Metal Worker | $52.34 | $101.17 |
| Ventura County group, 3 counties: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | Sheet Metal Worker (HVAC) | $59.54 | $97.09 |
| Orange County group, 5 counties: Inyo, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino | Sheet Metal Worker | $65.31 | $96.98 |
| Los Angeles County* | Sheet Metal Worker | $65.31 | $96.98 |
| Monterey County group, 2 counties: Monterey, San Benito | Metal Deck & Siding | $52.95 | $94.70 |
| Imperial County | Sheet Metal Worker (HVAC) | $58.73 | $91.44 |
| San Diego County | Sheet Metal Worker (HVAC) | $58.73 | $91.44 |
| Kern County | Sheet Metal Worker | $54.13 | $84.59 |
| Tulare County | Metal Deck & Siding | $44.45 | $80.00 |
| Mariposa County | Sheet Metal Worker | $17.57 | $53.26 |
9 groups of counties with identical DIR rates, and 13 counties with rates of their own. * County split between areas; its page shows the rate for each part.
California sheet metal worker 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.
- H Includes amount withheld for dues check off.
- BO Includes an amount per hour worked for cola fund.
- S Included in straight-time hourly rate.
- AV Saturdays in the same work week may be worked at straight-time if job is shut down during the normal workweek due to inclement weather.
- BP Rate applies to the first 4 daily overtime hours and the first 8 hours worked on Saturday. All other time is paid at the Sunday and holiday overtime 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.
Every trade's rates, county by county: San Luis Obispo · Santa Barbara · Ventura
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 $97.09. 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 166-273-1. DIR prints it in one file per county:
- San Luis Obispo: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/SLO.html
- Santa Barbara: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/STB.html
- Ventura: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/VEN.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 every California rate as CSV · Report an error