> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.fieldtime.gaitools.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# DIR Prevailing Wage Compliance for Public Works Projects

> FieldTime automatically applies DIR prevailing wage rules for NorCal, SoCal, and San Diego regions, including shift differentials and weekend premiums.

California's Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) requires that workers on public works projects — including construction inspection and materials testing — be paid no less than the prevailing wage rate for their craft and locality. FieldTime automatically applies the correct shift windows, night differentials, weekend premiums, holiday multipliers, and zone pay additions based on the project's labor classification and geographic region. This means you don't have to manually track which rate applies to each hour: FieldTime does it for you every time you run an audit.

<Note>
  Prevailing wage rules are set by the California DIR and may change. FieldTime is updated when DIR publishes new wage determinations.
</Note>

## Supported Regions

FieldTime supports three DIR prevailing wage regions for construction inspection firms:

| Region code | Coverage area       |
| ----------- | ------------------- |
| `NORCAL`    | Northern California |
| `SOCAL`     | Southern California |
| `SD`        | San Diego County    |

Your project administrator assigns a region to each public works project when it is created in FieldTime. Once a region is set, all shift, premium, and holiday calculations for that project use the corresponding DIR determination automatically.

## Labor Classifications

Prevailing wage rules apply only to specific labor classification codes. FieldTime currently supports the following classifications for DIR-covered projects:

| Code  | Full title                   |
| ----- | ---------------------------- |
| `LCI` | Lead Construction Inspector  |
| `CI`  | Construction Inspector       |
| `MT`  | Material Tester (Journeyman) |
| `MT2` | Material Tester II           |
| `DRN` | Driller                      |

If a timesheet entry carries one of these classification codes on a public works project, FieldTime automatically applies prevailing wage rules. Entries for non-prevailing-wage classifications are audited only against California Labor Code §510 and §512.

## Shift Windows and Night Differentials

DIR determinations define three shifts per region. FieldTime attributes each punch to a shift based on when the shift commences, then applies the applicable differential.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="NorCal">
    | Shift                 | Start    | End     | Night differential |
    | --------------------- | -------- | ------- | ------------------ |
    | 1st shift             | 4:00 AM  | 4:30 PM | None               |
    | 2nd shift (swing)     | 4:30 PM  | 1:00 AM | **+12.5%**         |
    | 3rd shift (graveyard) | 12:30 AM | 9:00 AM | **+12.5%**         |

    **Shift-day rule:** NorCal uses a special attribution rule. A shift that commences before 1:00 AM is attributed to the prior calendar day. A shift commencing on or after 1:00 AM on Saturday is treated as Saturday work for the entire shift. This rule (§04.03.00 of the NorCal determination) is applied automatically by FieldTime.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="SoCal">
    | Shift                 | Start    | End      | Night differential |
    | --------------------- | -------- | -------- | ------------------ |
    | 1st shift             | 5:00 AM  | 4:30 PM  | None               |
    | 2nd shift (swing)     | 4:00 PM  | 12:30 AM | None               |
    | 3rd shift (graveyard) | 12:00 AM | 8:00 AM  | None               |

    SoCal does not apply a separate night differential percentage. The shift assignment is used primarily to classify the calendar day for weekend and holiday premium purposes. Shifts are attributed to the calendar day on which they start.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="San Diego">
    | Shift                 | Start    | End      | Night differential |
    | --------------------- | -------- | -------- | ------------------ |
    | 1st shift             | 5:00 AM  | 4:30 PM  | None               |
    | 2nd shift (swing)     | 4:00 PM  | 12:30 AM | None               |
    | 3rd shift (graveyard) | 12:00 AM | 8:00 AM  | None               |

    San Diego County does not apply a night differential. Like SoCal, shifts are attributed to the calendar day on which they start.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Weekend Premium Rates

Work performed on Saturdays and Sundays on prevailing wage projects earns a premium multiplier over the base rate. Rates differ by region:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="NorCal">
    | Day      | Hours         | Multiplier |
    | -------- | ------------- | ---------- |
    | Saturday | First 8 hours | **1.5×**   |
    | Saturday | After 8 hours | **2.0×**   |
    | Sunday   | All hours     | **2.0×**   |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="SoCal">
    | Day      | Hours         | Multiplier |
    | -------- | ------------- | ---------- |
    | Saturday | First 8 hours | **1.5×**   |
    | Saturday | After 8 hours | **1.5×**   |
    | Sunday   | All hours     | **1.5×**   |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="San Diego">
    | Day      | Hours         | Multiplier |
    | -------- | ------------- | ---------- |
    | Saturday | First 8 hours | **1.5×**   |
    | Saturday | After 8 hours | **1.5×**   |
    | Sunday   | All hours     | **1.5×**   |
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

When FieldTime detects weekend work on a prevailing wage project, it creates a `PW-SAT-PREMIUM` or `PW-SUN-PREMIUM` finding in the DIR Reference category. These are informational — they confirm which premium rate applies and do not block submission.

## Holiday Premium

All three regions pay **2.0×** (double-time) for work performed on DIR-recognized holidays. FieldTime checks each work date against the holiday calendar for the project's region and creates a `PW-HOLIDAY-PREMIUM` finding whenever a holiday is detected.

### NorCal Holidays (8 total)

| Holiday                | Rule                                                 |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| New Year's Day         | January 1 (Sat → Fri observed; Sun → Mon observed)   |
| President's Day        | 3rd Monday in February                               |
| Memorial Day           | Last Monday in May                                   |
| Independence Day       | July 4 (Sat → Fri observed; Sun → Mon observed)      |
| Labor Day              | 1st Monday in September                              |
| Thanksgiving Day       | 4th Thursday in November                             |
| Day After Thanksgiving | Friday following 4th Thursday in November            |
| Christmas Day          | December 25 (Sat → Fri observed; Sun → Mon observed) |

### SoCal Holidays (11 total)

| Holiday                                   | Rule                                                 |
| ----------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| New Year's Day                            | January 1 (Sat → Fri observed; Sun → Mon observed)   |
| President's Day                           | 3rd Monday in February                               |
| Memorial Day                              | Last Monday in May                                   |
| 1st Saturday after 1st Friday in June     | Special Saturday per ID 23-63-2                      |
| Independence Day                          | July 4 (Sun → Mon observed only)                     |
| Labor Day                                 | 1st Monday in September                              |
| Veterans' Day                             | November 11 (Sun → Mon observed only)                |
| Thanksgiving Day                          | 4th Thursday in November                             |
| Day After Thanksgiving                    | Friday following 4th Thursday in November            |
| 1st Saturday after 1st Friday in December | Special Saturday per ID 23-63-2                      |
| Christmas Day                             | December 25 (Sat → Fri observed; Sun → Mon observed) |

### San Diego Holidays (11 total)

| Holiday                                   | Rule                                                 |
| ----------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| New Year's Day                            | January 1 (Sat → Fri observed; Sun → Mon observed)   |
| President's Day                           | 3rd Monday in February                               |
| Memorial Day                              | Last Monday in May                                   |
| 1st Saturday after 1st Friday in June     | Special Saturday per ID 23-63-3                      |
| Independence Day                          | July 4 (Sun → Mon observed only)                     |
| Labor Day                                 | 1st Monday in September                              |
| Veteran's Day                             | November 11 (Sun → Mon observed only)                |
| Thanksgiving Day                          | 4th Thursday in November                             |
| Day After Thanksgiving                    | Friday following 4th Thursday in November            |
| 1st Saturday after 1st Friday in December | Special Saturday per ID 23-63-3                      |
| Christmas Day                             | December 25 (Sat → Fri observed; Sun → Mon observed) |

FieldTime computes both the actual holiday date and the observed date each year. If either the actual or the observed date falls on a day you worked, the holiday premium applies.

## Zone Pay

Certain San Diego County work locations carry an additional hourly supplement on top of the base prevailing wage rate. FieldTime applies zone pay automatically when a project is tagged with the applicable zone:

| Zone              | Region           | Additional pay      |
| ----------------- | ---------------- | ------------------- |
| Camp Pendleton    | San Diego (`SD`) | **+\$10.00 / hour** |
| Eastern SD County | San Diego (`SD`) | **+\$1.00 / hour**  |

Zone pay findings appear under the rule code `PW-ZONE-PAY`. If you believe a project's zone assignment is incorrect, contact your project administrator to update the project settings.

## DIR Rate Determination Reference

Each prevailing wage timesheet entry is linked to a specific DIR wage determination by period code and effective date. FieldTime creates an informational `DIR-DETERMINATION-REF` finding (severity: INFO) on every prevailing wage timesheet to document which determination governed the rates for that pay period. This finding requires no action and is stored in the audit trail for compliance reporting.

## How FieldTime Applies Prevailing Wage Rules

<Steps>
  <Step title="Project setup">
    Your administrator creates a project in FieldTime and assigns it a region (`NORCAL`, `SOCAL`, or `SD`) and a labor classification code (`LCI`, `CI`, `MT`, `MT2`, or `DRN`). This is done once per project and does not require any action from you.
  </Step>

  <Step title="You clock in">
    When you punch in on a prevailing wage project, FieldTime records the clock-in time and the project's region and classification. The shift window is determined by your start time.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Audit runs">
    When you click **Run Audit** on your timesheet, FieldTime checks each punch for: the applicable shift window and night differential, whether the day is a Saturday, Sunday, or DIR holiday, and whether the project location qualifies for zone pay. It then generates findings in the DIR Reference category to document each premium.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review findings">
    Prevailing wage findings are primarily informational (`INFO` severity). Review them to confirm the correct premiums are applied. If you spot a discrepancy — for example, a Saturday punch that wasn't recognized as such — check that your punch times are correct, then re-run the audit.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit">
    Once all blocking findings are resolved, submit your timesheet normally. Prevailing wage premium data flows to payroll with your timesheet for rate application.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Prevailing Wage Rule Codes

| Rule code               | What it flags                                                                    |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `PW-SAT-PREMIUM`        | Saturday premium rate applied (1.5× for all regions; 2× after 8 hours in NorCal) |
| `PW-SUN-PREMIUM`        | Sunday premium rate applied (2× for NorCal; 1.5× for SoCal and San Diego)        |
| `PW-HOLIDAY-PREMIUM`    | Holiday double-time rate applied (2×)                                            |
| `PW-NIGHT-DIFF`         | Night shift differential applied (+12.5% for NorCal)                             |
| `PW-RATE-APPENDIX`      | Base rate appendix reference for the governing determination                     |
| `PW-SHIFT-OVERRIDE`     | Shift attribution was manually overridden by an administrator                    |
| `PW-ZONE-PAY`           | Zone pay supplement applied (Camp Pendleton +$10/hr; Eastern SD +$1/hr)          |
| `DIR-DETERMINATION-REF` | Informational link to the governing DIR wage determination                       |