What a wage determination is
The Davis-Bacon Act requires contractors on covered federal construction to pay laborers and mechanics at least the wages and fringe benefits the Secretary of Labor determines to be prevailing in the area (40 U.S.C. 3142). Those rates are published as wage determinations, usually called WDs.
A general wage determination covers:
- A state and set of counties, sometimes split into zones or areas
- One or more types of construction: building, residential, heavy or highway
- A list of classifications (trades) with a basic hourly rate and a fringe benefit rate for each
- A number and modification, such as CA20260014, Modification 7, with a publication date
Each WD number has the state abbreviation, the year and a sequence number. When DOL updates the rates, it publishes a new modification of the same WD. Our guide to reading a wage determination explains the rest of the document.
The four construction types
DOL issues separate determinations for four types of construction, defined in All Agency Memorandum 130:
| Type | Typical projects |
|---|---|
| Building | Sheltered enclosures with walk-in access: schools, offices, hospitals, and apartment buildings over 4 stories |
| Residential | Single-family homes and apartment buildings up to 4 stories |
| Highway | Roads, streets, highways, runways and similar paving work |
| Heavy | The catch-all: water and sewer lines, dams, utilities and other projects that aren't building, residential or highway |
A project with substantial work of more than one type can use more than one determination. DOL's benchmark for adding a second type is work over 20% of the project cost or $2.5 million (Fact Sheet #66D).
Where to find one
- Your contract or bid documents. The contracting agency incorporates the applicable WD and modification. That is the one you must pay, even if a newer one exists online.
- SAM.gov. Every Davis-Bacon general wage determination is published on SAM.gov, searchable by state, county and construction type. It replaced the old WDOL.gov site.
- Our rate pages. Davis-Bacon wage rates by state show the same rates in a readable table, with each WD's number, modification, date and a link back to SAM.gov, plus what changed in the latest modification.
Which revision applies
WDs change during the year, so timing matters. Under 29 CFR 1.6(c)(2):
- Sealed bids: a modification issued at least 10 days before bid opening applies. One issued fewer than 10 days before also applies, unless the agency finds there isn't reasonable time to notify bidders and notes that in the contract file.
- After bid opening: later modifications don't apply if the contract is awarded within 90 days of bid opening. If award takes longer, modifications issued before award apply, unless DOL extends the 90 days.
- Other contracts: for contracts not awarded by sealed bid, the WD in effect when the contract is awarded applies (or when construction starts, if there is no award).
- Once awarded: the WD in the contract generally stays for the life of the contract. Exceptions include options and extensions, significant added scope, and yearly updates on some long-term or indefinite-delivery contracts.
Bid on the rate in the bid documents, but check SAM.gov for modifications published shortly before bid opening. A late modification can still apply.
When your trade isn't listed
If you need a classification that isn't on the WD, ask the contracting officer for a conformance (29 CFR 5.5(a)(1)(iii)). On direct federal contracts, the request uses Standard Form 1444 (48 CFR 22.406-3). The agency sends it to the Wage and Hour Division, which generally acts within 30 days. A conformed rate must be used in the area, not be work done by a listed classification, and bear a reasonable relationship to the listed rates. Once approved, it applies from the first day the work was done.
Executive order notes
Wage determinations print notes about federal contractor minimum wages and paid sick leave. Executive Order 14026, which set a higher contractor minimum wage, was revoked on March 14, 2025 by Executive Order 14236, and current WDs no longer carry its note. They may carry the Executive Order 13658 note, which applies to contracts awarded between January 1, 2015 and January 29, 2022 and not renewed or extended since, and the Executive Order 13706 paid sick leave note. Read the notes on your own WD.