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Ventura County · Directional Drilling Laborer
Directional Drilling Laborer prevailing wage in Ventura County, California
$75.06an hour, base wage + fringe benefits · Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer)
$50.66 base wage + $24.40 fringe benefits
Ventura County uses the same directional drilling laborer rates as 11 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On California public works in Ventura County, a Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer) directional drilling laborer must be paid at least $75.06 an hour in total: $50.66 in wages plus $24.40 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $100.39 and Sunday and holiday work is $125.72.
DIR general determination SC-102-1184-1-2026-1, issued August 22, 2026. Expires June 30, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 4 directional drilling laborer rates for Ventura County, from $75.06 to $79.08 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $50.66 + $24.40
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 $75.06 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $50.66 |
| Health and welfare | $9.85 |
| Pension | $9.27 |
| Vacation and holiday (footnote a) | $3.73 |
| Training | $0.46 |
| Other payments | $1.09 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $75.06 |
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-102-1184-1-2026-1, 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 | +$3.66 | $78.72 |
| July 1, 2028 | +$3.76 | $82.48 |
| July 1, 2029 | +$4.01 | $86.49 |
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
Directional Drilling Laborer Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer) job titles
Work DIR classifies in Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer), copied as printed. The other groups and their rates are in the table below.
- Drilling Crew Laborer
Source: Group 1, page 1
Every directional drilling laborer rate in Ventura County
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Group 4 (Electronic Tracking Locator, Subsurface Imaging Laborer)$79.08
- Group 3 (Horizontal Directional Drill Operator)$77.08
- Group 2 (Vehicle Operator/Hauler)$75.23
- Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer)$75.06
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer) | $50.66 | $24.40 | $75.06 | $100.39 | SC-102-1184-1-2026-1 |
Group 2 (Vehicle Operator/Hauler)1 job in this group
| $50.83 | $24.40 | $75.23 | $100.645 | SC-102-1184-1-2026-1 |
Group 3 (Horizontal Directional Drill Operator)1 job in this group
| $52.68 | $24.40 | $77.08 | $103.42 | SC-102-1184-1-2026-1 |
Group 4 (Electronic Tracking Locator, Subsurface Imaging Laborer)2 jobs in this group
| $54.68 | $24.40 | $79.08 | $106.42 | SC-102-1184-1-2026-1 |
Davis-Bacon directional drilling laborer rate in Ventura 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).
The federal determinations for Ventura County list no directional drilling laborer classification.
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
How Ventura County compares
The main directional drilling 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
- Ventura Countybase $50.66$75.06
- Los Angeles Countybase $50.66$75.06
- Santa Barbara Countybase $50.66$75.06
- Kern Countybase $50.66$75.06
Directional Drilling Laborer 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 directional drilling laborer rates for Ventura County are the same as in 11 other counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and 3 more.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Ventura County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ventura County | Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer) | $50.66 | $75.06 | |
| Los Angeles County | Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer) | $50.66 | $75.06 | same |
| Santa Barbara County | Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer) | $50.66 | $75.06 | same |
| Kern County | Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer) | $50.66 | $75.06 | same |
| Orange County | Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer) | $50.66 | $75.06 | same |
| San Luis Obispo County | Group 1 (Drilling Crew Laborer) | $50.66 | $75.06 | same |
California directional drilling 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 Includes an amount for Supplemental Dues.
- b Rate applies to the first 4 daily overtime hours worked on Monday through Friday and the first 12 hours worked on Saturday; all other time is paid at the Sunday and holiday overtime hourly rate.
- c In the event, due to inclement weather, major equipment breakdown, or similar Act of God, it is not reasonably possible to complete forty (40) hours of work Monday through Friday, then the balance of the forty (40) hours may be worked on Saturday at the straight-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
- 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 $75.06. 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-102-1184-1-2026-1, page 1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Southern/SC-102-1184-1.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 Ventura County as CSV · Report an error