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Tulare County · Painter
Painter prevailing wage in Tulare County, California
$64.14an hour, total
$39.65 wage + $24.49 employer payments
Tulare County uses the same painter rates as 3 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On California public works in Tulare County, a painter must be paid at least $64.14 an hour in total: $39.65 in wages plus $24.49 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $83.97 and Sunday and holiday work is $103.79.
DIR general determination 200-294-1, issued August 22, 2026. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 4 painter rates for Tulare County, from $64.14 to $93.03 an hour. See all of them.
DIR's expiration date for this determination was August 31, 2026. DIR hasn't issued a replacement, so this rate still applies, which is what the single asterisk on DIR's table means. A project keeps the rates in effect on its bid advertisement date for the life of the job.
Base wage and fringe: $39.65 + $24.49
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 $64.14 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) (footnote Z) | $39.65 |
| Health and welfare | $12.25 |
| Pension (footnote O) | $11.09 |
| Training | $0.67 |
| Other payments | $0.48 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $64.14 |
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
Davis-Bacon painter rate in Tulare 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).
For building work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is PAINTER at $9.87 ($9.87 base + $0.00 fringe), from CA20260016 modification 4, published September 3, 2026, rate SUCA1984-001. Against DIR's $64.14: DIR's rate is $54.27 an hour higher. On a job covered by both, the higher rate applies.
For highway and heavy work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is PAINTER at $59.26 ($36.57 base + $22.69 fringe), from CA20260021 modification 2, published May 18, 2026, rate PAIN0294-003. Against DIR's $64.14: DIR's rate is $4.88 an hour higher. On a job covered by both, the higher rate applies. Note: federal row flagged: footnote_dollar_amount.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base + fringe | Base | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building | PAINTERSUCA1984-001 | $9.87 | $9.87 | CA20260016 Mod 4 |
| Highway, Heavy | PAINTERPAIN0294-003 | $59.26 | $36.57 | CA20260021 Mod 2 |
| Residential | PAINTER, INCLUDING LEAD ABATEMENT: (2) ALL OTHER WORK KERN COUNTYPAIN0036-017 | $52.58 | $34.08 | 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
Rate history since 2024
Total hourly rate for this classification in each DIR release.
| Release | Total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2 | $57.69 | |
| 2025-1 | $60.44 | +$2.75 |
| 2025-2 | $60.44 | no change |
| 2026-1 | $63.64 | +$3.20 |
| 2026-2 | $64.14 | +$0.50 |
Every painter rate in Tulare County
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Taper$93.03
- Bridge Painter$66.64
- Industrial Painter$66.14
- Painter$64.14
How Tulare County compares
The main painter 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
- Tulare Countybase $39.65$64.14
- Kings Countybase $39.65$64.14
- Kern Countybase $50.07$71.47
- Fresno Countybase $39.65$64.14
Painter 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 painter rates for Tulare County are the same as in 3 other counties: Fresno, Kings, Madera.
| County | Classification | Total | Base | vs Tulare County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County | Industrial Painter | $71.47 | $50.07 | +$7.33 |
| Inyo County | Industrial Painter | $71.47 | $50.07 | +$7.33 |
| San Luis Obispo County | Industrial Painter | $71.47 | $50.07 | +$7.33 |
| Tulare County | Painter | $64.14 | $39.65 | |
| Kings County | Painter | $64.14 | $39.65 | same |
| Fresno County | Painter | $64.14 | $39.65 | same |
| Madera County | Painter | $64.14 | $39.65 | same |
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.
- Z Includes amount withheld for dues check off.
- O Includes an amount per hour worked for annuity trust fund.
- AA 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.
- AB Sunday is paid at Saturday overtime hourly rate.
- Y Employees shall receive premium pay for the following work: wallcovering ($1.00 per hour), spray work ($1.00 per hour) remedial patching ($1.25 per hour) and abrasive blasting/lead abatement ($1.50 per hour). Employees working over 30 feet (excluding work from a lift 60 feet and lower) shall receive one dollar ($1.00) per hour above the basic hourly rate in addition to any other premium pay.
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 $64.14. 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 200-294-1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/TUL.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 Tulare County as CSV · Report an error