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Public Works Desk

California prevailing wage: state law and Davis-Bacon rates

By the Public Works Desk Team · Last verified · How we check every number · Corrections

Source: California DIR — Prevailing Wage Requirements (retrieved 2026-11-13)

California has its own prevailing wage law. The Director of the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) sets the rates

by type of work and location,

separate from the federal Davis-Bacon WDs.

On a federally funded California job, both apply, which in practice means paying the higher of the two for each trade.

  • State source quoted below
  • 28 active Davis-Bacon WDs in CA
  • SAM.gov count 2026-11-13
An equipment operator and a laborer in hard hats and orange vests review a sheet of paper on a Los Angeles County library job, with a parked mini excavator and palm trees behind them.

California at a glance

State lawYes — Labor Code, Public Works chapter
Who sets the ratesDirector of Industrial Relations (DIR)
Federal and state togetherBoth can apply on federally funded work

What the official source says

“All workers employed on public works projects must be paid the prevailing wage determined by the

Director of the Department of Industrial Relations,

according to the type of work and location of the project.”

California DIR — Prevailing Wage Requirements · retrieved 2026-11-13

Federal Davis-Bacon WDs in California

On federal or federally funded construction, the Davis-Bacon WD in the contract applies on top of any state rule.

Active WDs in California by construction type (SAM.gov, 2026-11-13):

Active Davis-Bacon WDs by construction type
TypeWDsBar
Building15
Heavy14
Highway14
Residential12
Limits. The state rule is quoted from the sources below. The count of 28 active Davis-Bacon WDs in California is from SAM.gov, retrieved 2026-11-13. County pages cover building WDs we have parsed, not every construction type. The wage determination in the contract is the one that binds.

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