Night nurses in California
Licensed night nurses, California.
What license a nurse needs in California, what nurses here ask, and the rules that apply when you hire one. Browse for free and see every rate before you pay anything.
The short answer
A night nurse caring for your baby in California needs a California RN or LVN license. Our rate guide puts licensed night nurses in California at about $41 to $88 an hour. Browse them for free, unlock up to 3 for $250, and pay your nurse directly, plus one flat $1,500 placement fee to us, less one $250 credit.
California licensing
What license a nurse needs here.
California is not part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate license from another state does not cover it. A nurse caring for your baby in California needs a California RN or LVN (licensed vocational nurse, what California calls an LPN) license.
Nurses here are licensed by the California Board of Registered Nursing for RNs and the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians for LVNs.
Look up any nurse's license with the California Board of Registered Nursing or on Nursys before you hire. Every unlock of a nurse through us includes license verification.
No one is listed in California yet
We add caregivers place by place, and nobody in California is listed right now. Our nurse can still look for you, using nurses licensed in California.
- Send a free request and our nurse picks for you.
- A nurse in California? Apply to be listed. You keep 100% of your rate.
California rates
What nurses ask, area by area.
| Area | Hourly | Per 10-hour night |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $62 to $88 | $620 to $880 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $60 to $85 | $600 to $850 |
| Napa, CA | $59 to $84 | $590 to $840 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $58 to $82 | $580 to $820 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $56 to $80 | $560 to $800 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $56 to $80 | $560 to $800 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $56 to $79 | $560 to $790 |
| Salinas, CA | $55 to $78 | $550 to $780 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $54 to $78 | $540 to $780 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $54 to $77 | $540 to $770 |
| Vallejo, CA | $54 to $77 | $540 to $770 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $53 to $76 | $530 to $760 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $52 to $75 | $520 to $750 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $52 to $74 | $520 to $740 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $51 to $72 | $510 to $720 |
| Yuba City, CA | $50 to $71 | $500 to $710 |
| Modesto, CA | $50 to $71 | $500 to $710 |
| Fresno, CA | $48 to $68 | $480 to $680 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $47 to $67 | $470 to $670 |
| Chico, CA | $47 to $67 | $470 to $670 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $46 to $66 | $460 to $660 |
| Redding, CA | $46 to $66 | $460 to $660 |
| Visalia, CA | $45 to $65 | $450 to $650 |
| Merced, CA | $44 to $63 | $440 to $630 |
| El Centro, CA | $41 to $59 | $410 to $590 |
| Small towns and rural areas (US average) | $35 to $50 | $350 to $500 |
Estimates from our rate guide: US overnight newborn care rates adjusted for each area's prices (BEA Regional Price Parities), with a premium for an RN or LVN license. Newborn care specialists usually ask about a quarter less. Your nurse's own rate is what counts.
Paid leave
California Paid Family Leave, for new parents.
| 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Bonding leave | Up to 8 weeks |
| Most it pays a week | $1,765, for claims starting in 2026 |
| Share of your pay | About 70% to 90% of your wages, a higher share for lower earners |
| Your job | Not protected by this program. The California Family Rights Act or the federal FMLA may protect it |
| Waiting period | None |
| When to take it | Within a year of the birth |
From the program's own site, checked October 2026. Leave pays you, not your nurse, but many families book night care for the weeks after it ends. Check your own benefit.
Questions families ask
How much does a night nurse cost in California?
Nurses set their own rates. Our rate guide puts licensed night nurses in California at about $41 to $88 an hour, depending on the area, with San Francisco at the top. Through Night Nurse you pay your nurse directly, plus one flat $1,500 placement fee for a licensed nurse.
Can a nurse with a multistate license work in California?
No. California is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a nurse caring for your baby in California needs a California RN or LVN license.
Do I owe my night nurse overtime in California?
Possibly. You hire your nurse directly, so your family is the employer. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, a household employee who does not live in your home, paid by the hour, is owed time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek. State law adds more (California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, 2013). If your nurse spends most of the night feeding and supervising your baby, California likely treats them as a personal attendant, owed time and a half after 9 hours in a day or 45 in a week, so a 10-hour night includes an hour of overtime. Other household employees are owed it after 8 hours a day or 40 a week, with double time after 12 hours. Ask a tax or legal adviser how this applies to your plan.
Does California pay parents for leave after a birth?
Yes. California Paid Family Leave has paid benefits since 2004 and covers up to 8 weeks of leave to bond with a new baby, for parents who qualify. It does not pay for a night nurse, but it shapes how many nights most families book.
Sources
- California Board of Registered Nursing
- Nurse Licensure Compact, current member states
- Nursys QuickConfirm, look up a nurse's license
- California Paid Family Leave
- California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights
- U.S. Department of Labor, domestic service employment under the FLSA
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metro area
Night nurses in California.
Browse nurses licensed to work in California for free: photo, credentials and rate, with no name.
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