Half Moon Bay minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Half Moon Bay is $17.91 an hour in 2026, $1.01 above the California rate of $16.90. It rises to $18.51 on January 1, 2027. Half Moon Bay approved its ordinance on February 4, 2020, and the wage began at $15.00 on January 1, 2021. It rises each January 1 with San Francisco-area consumer prices and makes no exception for small businesses or nonprofits.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $17.91 an hour, since January 1, 202613 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $18.51 on January 1, 2027 (announced)12 |
| Tipped employees | $17.91, the full minimum wage before tips32 |
| Full-time pay | $716 a week, $37,253 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of Half Moon Bay, City Manager's Office, (650) 435-8261 |
What to know about the Half Moon Bay minimum wage
The City Council approved Half Moon Bay's minimum wage ordinance on February 4, 2020, and the first city rate, $15.00, applied from January 1, 2021.1 Since then the rate has risen every January 1 with the San Francisco-area CPI-U. The largest step came on January 1, 2023, when the wage rose $0.89 to $16.45. The increase for January 1, 2027 is $0.60, according to the city's official notice.2
The ordinance leaves little room for exceptions. It covers small businesses and nonprofits, minors and temporary workers, and anyone who works two or more hours a week in the city, wherever the employer is based.3 The one reduced rate is for learners, who may be paid 85% of the city minimum for their first 160 hours. Neither tips nor benefits such as health insurance can be credited toward the wage.
The City enforces the ordinance itself: according to the city's minimum wage page, the City investigates complaints, which go to the City Manager's Office at (650) 435-8261 or [email protected].1
All 2026 rates
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Citywide rate | All employers, including small businesses and nonprofits$18.51 from January 1, 202712 | $17.9113 |
| Learners, first 160 hours | Learners as defined in Industrial Welfare Commission Order No. 4-2001 may be paid at least 85% of the city rate during their first 160 hours of employment, then the full rate. | See rule3 |
Compared with California
When a local minimum wage, the state minimum wage and the federal minimum wage differ, the employer must pay the highest one that applies to the work. For most covered work in Half Moon Bay, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Half Moon Bay | $18.51 on January 1, 2027 | $17.91 |
| California (state) | $17.40 on January 1, 2027 | $16.90 |
| Federal | None scheduled | $7.25 |
California also sets higher statewide minimums for some jobs, which apply in Half Moon Bay when they exceed the local rate: Fast food restaurant employees ($20.00); Health care: large systems, dialysis clinics and large-county facilities ($25.00); Health care: community, rural and intermittent clinics ($22.00); Health care: other covered facilities ($23.00); Health care: safety net hospitals and small-county facilities ($19.28). See the California page for the rules.
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Not allowed: tips are on top of the full minimum wage |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $17.91 an hour32 |
Tips cannot be counted toward the Half Moon Bay minimum, and neither can benefits such as health insurance or paid leave.
How the rate changes
Each January 1 the rate rises with the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), and the city publishes the new rate and posting notice by November 1 of the year before.
Rate history
Who is covered
Anyone who works two or more hours a week in Half Moon Bay is covered, including minors and temporary and part-time workers, wherever the employer is based. Small businesses and nonprofits are not exempt, and a lower wage is allowed only under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement.
- Employers must post the official city notice where workers can easily read it; failing to post can lead to penalties.
- The City investigates minimum wage complaints; questions and complaints go to the City Manager's Office at (650) 435-8261 or [email protected].
- Workers can also sue in civil court, and retaliation is prohibited.
Other local rates in California
- Emeryville$20.34
- West Hollywood$20.25
- Mountain View$19.70
- Berkeley$19.61
- San Francisco$19.61
- Sunnyvale$19.50
- Richmond$19.18
- Belmont$18.95
- El Cerrito$18.82
- Cupertino$18.70
- Los Altos$18.70
- Palo Alto$18.70
- Santa Clara$18.70
- Redwood City$18.65
- San Mateo$18.60
- Pasadena$18.57
- Milpitas$18.50
- Los Angeles County (unincorporated areas)$18.47
- Santa Monica$18.47
- Sonoma$18.47
- San Jose$18.45
- Los Angeles$18.42
- Petaluma$18.31
- Santa Rosa$18.21
- South San Francisco$18.15
- Fremont$18.05
- San Mateo County (unincorporated areas)$17.95
- Malibu$17.91
- East Palo Alto$17.90
- Burlingame$17.86
- Foster City$17.85
- Hayward$17.79
- Alameda$17.76
- San Carlos$17.75
- San Diego$17.75
- Novato$17.73
- Menlo Park$17.55
- Daly City$17.50
- Oakland$17.34
Everywhere else in California, the state rate applies.
Get help or file a claim
If you are paid less than the minimum wage that applies to your job, you can file a wage claim with the agency below. Federal law prohibits firing or otherwise retaliating against a worker for complaining about federal minimum wage rights.
| Agency | City of Half Moon Bay, City Manager's Office |
|---|---|
| Phone | (650) 435-8261 |
| The law | City of Half Moon Bay Minimum Wage Ordinance (approved February 4, 2020; in effect January 1, 2021) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Half Moon Bay, Minimum Wage (rate table 2022-2027) Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2 City of Half Moon Bay, Minimum Wage Notice, effective January 1, 2027 ($18.51) Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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