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Tunnel Worker prevailing wage, Northern California (46 counties)
DIR sets the same tunnel worker rates, row for row, in 46 counties: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.
$86.16an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$53.39 base wage + $32.77 fringe benefits
On California public works in each of these 46 counties, a tunnel worker must be paid at least $86.16 an hour in total: $53.39 in wages plus $32.77 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $112.855 and Sunday and holiday work is $139.55.
DIR general determination NC-23-102-11-2026-1, issued August 22, 2026. Expires June 30, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 6 tunnel worker rates for each of these counties, from $85.17 to $86.64 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $53.39 + $32.77
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 $86.16 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $53.39 |
| Health and welfare | $12.00 |
| Pension | $15.46 |
| Vacation and holiday (footnote c) | $4.00 |
| Training | $0.98 |
| Other payments | $0.33 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $86.16 |
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 NC-23-102-11-2026-1, issued August 22, 2026; DIR's expiration date for it is June 30, 2027.
Every tunnel worker rate in Northern California
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Diamond driller, groundman, gunite or shotcrete nozzleman$86.64
- Rodman, shaft work and raise (below actual or excavated ground level)$86.41
- Bit grinder, blaster, driller, powderman-heading, cherry pickerman- where car is lifted, concrete finisher in tunnel, concrete/screed man, grout pumpman and potman, gunite and shotcrete gunman and potman, headerman, high pressure nozzleman, miner-tunnel, including top and bottom man on shaft and raise work, nipper, nozzleman on slick line, sandblaster-potman (work assignment interchangeable)$86.16
- Steel form raiser and setter, timberman, retimberman (wood or steel or substitute materials), tugger, cabletender, certified welder, chucktender, powderman-primer house$86.16
- Vibratorman, pavement breaker, bull gang-mucker, trackman, concrete crew including rodding and spreading$85.71
- Dumpman (any method), grout crew, reboundman, swamper/brakeman, watchman$85.17
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bit grinder, blaster, driller, powderman-heading, cherry pickerman- where car is lifted, concrete finisher in tunnel, concrete/screed man, grout pumpman and potman, gunite and shotcrete gunman and potman, headerman, high pressure nozzleman, miner-tunnel, including top and bottom man on shaft and raise work, nipper, nozzleman on slick line, sandblaster-potman (work assignment interchangeable) | $53.39 | $32.77 | $86.16 | $112.855 | NC-23-102-11-2026-1 |
| Diamond driller, groundman, gunite or shotcrete nozzleman | $53.87 | $32.77 | $86.64 | $113.575 | NC-23-102-11-2026-1 |
| Dumpman (any method), grout crew, reboundman, swamper/brakeman, watchman | $52.40 | $32.77 | $85.17 | $111.37 | NC-23-102-11-2026-1 |
| Rodman, shaft work and raise (below actual or excavated ground level) | $53.64 | $32.77 | $86.41 | $113.23 | NC-23-102-11-2026-1 |
| Steel form raiser and setter, timberman, retimberman (wood or steel or substitute materials), tugger, cabletender, certified welder, chucktender, powderman-primer house | $53.39 | $32.77 | $86.16 | $112.855 | NC-23-102-11-2026-1 |
| Vibratorman, pavement breaker, bull gang-mucker, trackman, concrete crew including rodding and spreading | $52.94 | $32.77 | $85.71 | $112.18 | NC-23-102-11-2026-1 |
Davis-Bacon tunnel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Alpine County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Amador County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Butte County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Calaveras County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Colusa County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Contra Costa County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Del Norte County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| El Dorado County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Fresno County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Glenn County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Humboldt County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Kings County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Lake County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Lassen County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Madera County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Marin County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Mariposa County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Mendocino County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Merced County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Modoc County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Monterey County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Napa County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Nevada County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Placer County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Plumas County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Sacramento County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| San Benito County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| San Francisco County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| San Joaquin County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| San Mateo County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Santa Clara County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Santa Cruz County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Shasta County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Sierra County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Siskiyou County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Solano County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Sonoma County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Stanislaus County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Sutter County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Tehama County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Trinity County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Tulare County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Tuolumne County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Yolo County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
| Yuba County | Federal rates listed on the county page; no one-to-one match | |||
How Northern California compares
The main tunnel 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
- Northern Californiabase $53.39$86.16
- Santa Cruz Countybase $53.39$86.16
- Alameda Countybase $53.39$86.16
- San Mateo Countybase $53.39$86.16
Which county is in which tunnel worker group
Every California county with a tunnel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern California, 46 counties: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, Yuba | Bit grinder, blaster, driller, powderman-heading, cherry pickerman- where car is lifted, concrete finisher in tunnel, concrete/screed man, grout pumpman and potman, gunite and shotcrete gunman and potman, headerman, high pressure nozzleman, miner-tunnel, including top and bottom man on shaft and raise work, nipper, nozzleman on slick line, sandblaster-potman (work assignment interchangeable) | $53.39 | $86.16 |
| Southern California, 11 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | Group I | $56.45 | $86.16 |
| San Diego County | Group I | $56.45 | $86.16 |
2 groups of counties with identical DIR rates, and 1 county with rates of its own.
California tunnel 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.
- a 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. Excludes Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties.
- b All work performed on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays shall be paid for at double (2x) the regular time hourly rate, except maintenance work, in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco.
- c Includes an amount for supplemental dues.
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: Alameda · Alpine · Amador · Butte · Calaveras · Colusa · Contra Costa · Del Norte · El Dorado · Fresno · Glenn · Humboldt · Kings · Lake · Lassen · Madera · Marin · Mariposa · Mendocino · Merced · Modoc · Monterey · Napa · Nevada · Placer · Plumas · Sacramento · San Benito · San Francisco · San Joaquin · San Mateo · Santa Clara · Santa Cruz · Shasta · Sierra · Siskiyou · Solano · Sonoma · Stanislaus · Sutter · Tehama · Trinity · Tulare · Tuolumne · Yolo · Yuba
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 $86.16. 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 NC-23-102-11-2026-1, page 1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Northern/NC-023-102-11.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