Certified payroll for fire protection subs (C-16) in California
What certified payroll actually looks like in the fire protection trade on California public works, plus live registration activity for the classification.
Data updated 2026-07-01
The fire protection trade's certified payroll reality
Sprinkler fitter determinations stand apart from general pipefitting, with their own rates and their own strong apprenticeship pipeline, and fire protection work is almost by definition public-adjacent: schools, universities, civic buildings, transit. That makes C-16 subs some of the most portal-exposed contractors in the state, routinely juggling LCPtracker or a district system alongside the direct DIR filing. Inspection, testing, and maintenance contracts deserve particular care: recurring ITM work under a public contract can carry prevailing wage obligations that a service crew accustomed to private work has never had to paper. If a public ITM agreement is in your book, confirm its status before the first invoice, not after a records request.
Whatever the craft mix, the mechanics are the same statewide: rates come from the project county's published determination (DIR lookup), the eCPR goes directly to DIR on non-exempt projects, and the federal WH-347 rides along weekly where federal funds apply. The full picture is in the complete guide.
Where fire protection public works is registering right now
From DIR's public PWC-100 registrations matched to CSLB license records: C-16-classified contractors newly listed on public works projects, by home county and by awarding body.
By contractor county
- San Bernardino County: 5
- Los Angeles County: 4
- Orange County: 4
- San Diego County: 3
- Stanislaus County: 2
- Contra Costa County: 2
By awarding body
- Port of Long Beach: 2 listings
- Pomona Unified School District: 2 listings
- CAL FIRE BSO: 2 listings
- Redlands Unified School District: 2 listings
- Fresno County Superintendent of Schools: 1 listings
- Stanislaus County Office of Education: 1 listings