Mountain View Minimum Wage 2026 ($19.70) & Worker Rights

The Mountain View minimum wage is $19.70 an hour in 2026, effective January 1, 2026. It applies to adult and minor employees who work at least two hours a week in Mountain View for an employer that has a facility in the city or is subject to its business license tax. That is $2.80 an hour more than California’s $16.90 minimum wage, the highest city rate in Santa Clara County and one of the highest in California.

The difference is large. A full-time worker paid the state rate instead of Mountain View’s rate is short about $112 a week, or more than $5,800 over a year, before penalties. Compare Mountain View with other cities in our California minimum wage by city guide.

Below we explain who Mountain View’s ordinance covers, how the rate changes each year, the City’s rules on tips and the training (learner’s) period, the City’s wage theft rules for businesses and construction projects, which state laws still apply, and how to report a violation.

Mountain View minimum wage 2026: $19.70 an hour

Mountain View’s City-Wide Minimum Wage is in Chapter 42, Article II of the City Code. The City Council amended it in November 2015 to reach $15.00 by 2018, and since January 1, 2019 the rate has been adjusted every January 1 based on the regional Consumer Price Index.

Effective date	Mountain View rate	Increase
Jan. 1, 2023	$18.15	+6.0%
Jan. 1, 2024	$18.75	+3.3%
Jan. 1, 2025	$19.20	+2.4%
Jan. 1, 2026	$19.70	+2.6%

For comparison, California’s minimum wage is $16.90 in 2026 and rises to $17.40 on January 1, 2027. Mountain View’s rate is well above both, so the city rate applies to work in Mountain View.

By the numbers$19.70

Who is covered by the Mountain View minimum wage

You are covered if you perform at least two hours of work in a calendar week in Mountain View for a covered employer. The rate applies to each hour worked within the city’s boundaries, and the City’s FAQ confirms:

• Full-time and part-time workers are covered if they meet the two-hour test.
• Non-residents are covered for the hours they work in Mountain View.
• Minors must be paid the same rate as adults.
• Immigration status does not affect your rights.
• Government agencies, including school districts, are exempt only for work related to their governmental functions. Non-governmental activities they run must pay the city rate.

Employers must post the City’s official notice, document all hours worked and keep records for four years, and give each new hire the employer’s name, address and phone number in writing.

---

Tips, benefits and the learner’s period

Your employer may not use your tips or fringe benefits (such as health insurance, vacation or sick leave) as a credit toward the Mountain View minimum wage.

The City has also addressed the state “learner’s period,” which lets employers pay new employees with no similar experience 85% of the minimum wage for their first 160 hours. The City’s position is that employers must always pay the highest applicable minimum. Because 85% of $19.70 is $16.74, which is below the state minimum of $16.90, a learner in Mountain View must be paid at least $16.90 an hour during those first 160 hours, and the full city rate after that.

What happens to the Mountain View minimum wage in 2027

The City updates the rate each fall for the next calendar year. When we checked the City’s minimum wage page in early October 2026, it showed the 2026 rate and had not yet posted a 2027 figure. Check the City’s page for the official 2027 rate before January.

---

Wage theft rules for businesses and construction projects

Mountain View’s Chapter 42 goes beyond the minimum wage:

• Business license affidavit (Article IV): business operators with employees must submit a sworn statement with each business license application or renewal about whether they have been found in violation of federal, state or local wage and hour laws.
• Responsible Construction Ordinance (Article III): for private projects with at least 15,000 square feet of new construction that are not already subject to prevailing wage, the owner must acknowledge that the contractor and subcontractors must comply with the Labor Code and pay any wage theft judgments. A worker who holds an unpaid wage theft judgment against a contractor or subcontractor on a covered project can file a complaint with the City Manager, and the City can withhold the project’s certificate of occupancy until the judgment is cured.

These rules give construction workers in particular extra leverage to collect judgments that have gone unpaid.

By the numbers$2.80

Sector wages, sick leave and scheduling

California requires $20.00 an hour for most workers at limited-service restaurants in national chains with more than 60 establishments, which is higher than Mountain View’s rate. Covered health care workers earn between $19.28 and $25.00 an hour as of July 1, 2026 under SB 525, depending on the facility. You are owed whichever rate is highest.

We did not find a Mountain View paid sick leave, predictive scheduling, hotel worker or right-of-recall ordinance in the City Code, so California law applies. Under Labor Code 246 you earn at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked and may use at least 40 hours or five days a year. See our guide to California paid sick leave rights. Laid-off workers can check the Mountain View layoffs page and our Santa Clara County layoffs tracker.

---

How to report a Mountain View minimum wage violation

1. Gather records. Pay stubs, schedules and your own notes of hours worked in the city. Our wage and hour calculator can help estimate what you are owed.
2. Contact the City. The Mountain View City Manager’s Office takes questions and complaints at 500 Castro St., (650) 903-6301, or MinWage@mountainview.gov. The City will investigate and can require access to payroll records. The City of San Jose’s Office of Equality Assurance also lists Mountain View among the cities it is contracted to enforce for.
3. File a state claim if needed. The California Labor Commissioner’s San Jose office is at 224 Airport Parkway, Suite 300, (408) 277-1266. Discrimination complaints go to the Civil Rights Department, generally within three years.
4. Consider a lawsuit. The ordinance lets workers sue for back wages, a civil penalty of $50 per day for each day the violation continued, reinstatement, injunctive relief and attorney fees.

Wage claims under California law generally must be brought within three years (four in some cases). Retaliation for asserting your rights is illegal.

💡 Example: Marco works 30 hours a week at a Mountain View restaurant that is not part of a large chain and is paid $16.90. Mountain View required $19.70 in 2026, so he is short $2.80 an hour: $84.00 a week ($2.80 × 30), or $1,260.00 over 15 weeks, before penalties and interest. (Hypothetical.)

Underpayment is often part of a bigger pattern of wage and hour violations. We represent workers throughout California, including Mountain View; our closest office is in Fresno.

---

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Mountain View in 2026?

$19.70 an hour, effective January 1, 2026, up from $19.20 in 2025.

Is Mountain View’s minimum wage the highest in the Bay Area?

Not quite. It is the highest city rate in Santa Clara County, but Emeryville’s rate is higher. Our minimum wage by city guide lists current rates.

Does the Mountain View minimum wage apply to minors and part-time workers?

Yes. The City says adult and minor employees who work at least two hours a week in Mountain View must be paid at least $19.70.

Can my employer count tips toward the Mountain View minimum wage?

No. Tips and fringe benefits cannot be credited toward the City minimum wage.

Who do I contact about unpaid minimum wage in Mountain View?

The City Manager’s Office at (650) 903-6301 or MinWage@mountainview.gov, or the California Labor Commissioner’s San Jose office at (408) 277-1266.

---