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California · Tree Maintenance Laborer · 12 counties
Tree Maintenance Laborer prevailing wage, Southern California (12 counties)
DIR sets the same tree maintenance laborer rates, row for row, in 12 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.
$38.57an hour, base wage + fringe benefits · Senior Tree Trimmer
$28.79 base wage + $9.78 fringe benefits
On California public works in each of these 12 counties, a tree maintenance laborer working as senior tree trimmer must be paid at least $38.57 an hour in total: $28.79 in wages plus $9.78 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $52.965 and Sunday and holiday work is $67.36.
DIR general determination SC-102-X-20-2026-1, issued August 22, 2026. Expires June 30, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 3 tree maintenance laborer rates for each of these counties, from $34.58 to $38.57 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $28.79 + $9.78
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 $38.57 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $28.79 |
| Health and welfare | $4.40 |
| Pension | $2.61 |
| Vacation and holiday | $2.47 |
| Other payments | $0.30 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $38.57 |
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 SC-102-X-20-2026-1, 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.
| Takes effect | Increase per hour | Total after increase |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2027 | +$1.85 | $40.42 |
| July 1, 2028 | +$1.90 | $42.32 |
| July 1, 2029 | +$1.95 | $44.27 |
| July 1, 2030 | +$2.00 | $46.27 |
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 tree maintenance laborer rate in Southern California
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Senior Tree Trimmer$38.57
- Tree Trimmer$36.37
- Groundperson$34.58
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groundperson | $25.15 | $9.43 | $34.58 | $47.155 | SC-102-X-20-2026-1 |
| Senior Tree Trimmer | $28.79 | $9.78 | $38.57 | $52.965 | SC-102-X-20-2026-1 |
| Tree Trimmer | $26.79 | $9.58 | $36.37 | $49.765 | SC-102-X-20-2026-1 |
How Southern California compares
The main tree maintenance laborer 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
- Southern Californiabase $28.79$38.57
- Ventura Countybase $28.79$38.57
- Orange Countybase $28.79$38.57
- Tulare Countybase $27.90 · Area 2$40.07
Which county is in which tree maintenance laborer group
Every California county with a tree maintenance laborer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area 1, 10 counties: Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma | Senior Tree Trimmer (Area 1) | $32.40 | $44.57 |
| Area 2, 36 counties: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, Yuba | Senior Tree Trimmer (Area 2) | $27.90 | $40.07 |
| Southern California, 12 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | Senior Tree Trimmer | $28.79 | $38.57 |
3 groups of counties with identical DIR rates, and 0 counties with rates of their own.
California tree maintenance laborer 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 There shall be at least one Senior Tree Trimmer on crews of three or more.
- b Monday thru Saturday shall constitute a workweek. Rate applies to first 4 overtime hours Monday thru Saturday, and all time worked in excess of forty (40) hours per workweek. All other time is paid at the Sunday and Holiday double-time 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
Every trade's rates, county by county: Imperial · Inyo · Kern · Los Angeles · Mono · Orange · Riverside · San Bernardino · San Diego · 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 $38.57. 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 SC-102-X-20-2026-1, page 1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Southern/SC-102-X-20.pdf
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