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Prevailing Wage Laws by State
Last updated November 2026. Twenty-nine states and Washington, DC have their own prevailing wage laws that set minimum wages and fringe benefits on state and locally funded public construction. The other 21 states have no state law, but the federal Davis-Bacon Act still applies to federally funded construction projects over $2,000 in every state.
United States
Click a state to zoom in, then use the arrows to browse all 50 states and DC. Click the state again to return to the full map. States appearing dark blue on the map have their own prevailing wage laws that apply to state and local projects. The other states defer to the U.S. federal Davis-Bacon Act which sets prevailing wage standards for federally funded construction projects.
Zoomed in, open the info panel for state details.
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State
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State-specific prevailing wage laws
State defers to federal Davis-Bacon Act
The information on eBacon's interactive prevailing wage map is provided for general informational purposes only. The accuracy or availability of the information is subject to periodic updates. Overtime (OT) and double time (DT) requirements may be subject to other rules which vary by state, or subject to contract funding. Information published here must be verified by relevant government agencies.
California Prevailing Wage Law
State law
State law, over $1,000
State law. Prevailing wage applies to public works projects over $1,000.
Details
| Statute | California Labor Code §§ 1720–1861 (Public Works Chapter).Source: DIR Public Works Manual. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
|---|---|
| Dollar thresholds | Three tiers: over $1,000 (prevailing wage); $25,000 or less for construction, alteration, demolition, installation or repair, or $15,000 or less for maintenance, is exempt from project registration, contractor registration and eCPR (Labor Code § 1725.5(f)); $30,000 or more triggers apprentice requirements for all contractors and subs on the project.Source: Labor Code § 1725.5 (Justia, 2025 code); CPUC SURGE webinar Q&A (Apr 16, 2025); DIR DAS public works page. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Administering agency | Department of Industrial Relations (DIR): the Director's Research Unit sets rates, the Labor Commissioner (DLSE) enforces, DAS handles apprentices. Contractors register annually: $400, $800 or $1,200 for one, two or three fiscal years.Source: DIR contractor registration. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Where to get wage rates | DIR general prevailing wage determinations, issued Feb 22 and Aug 22 and effective ten days later. Current set: 2026-2, effective Sept 1, 2026.Source: DIR determinations index 2026-2. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Wages vs. fringes | Total package; fringes are optional (can be paid as cash). Fringe credit already had to be annualized; AB 889 (Ch. 626, Stats. 2025, amending Labor Code § 1773.1) wrote the rule into the statute from Jan 1, 2026: if employer payments are higher on public works than on private work, the credit must be annualized: payments divided by all hours worked, public and private, over a consistent 12-month period, figured per worker. Exempt: defined contribution plans with immediate participation and vesting within 500 hours, payments the employer must also make on future private work, rates required by a project labor agreement, and California Apprenticeship Council contributions. Prior DIR exemptions from annualization are revoked. The employer must prove the credit on request.Source: AB 889 chaptered text (Ch. 626, Stats. 2025), LegiScan; AB 889 bill page, California Legislative Information. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Pay frequency | At least twice each calendar month on regular paydays set in advance (Labor Code § 204). Wages for the 1st to 15th are due by the 26th; wages for the 16th to month-end by the 10th of the next month. Weekly or biweekly payrolls must be paid within 7 calendar days after the pay period ends.Source: DIR Labor Commissioner FAQ: paydays and pay periods; Labor Code § 204 (Justia, 2025 code); DOL state payday requirements. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Overtime and double time | 1.5x the basic rate for hours over 8 a day and 40 a week on public works (Labor Code § 1815). Double-time and holiday rates come from each craft's wage determination.Source: Labor Code § 1815 (Justia, 2025 code); Labor Code § 1815, public.law mirror; AB 889 text (refers to determination OT and holiday rates). Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Certified payroll forms | DIR Form A-1-131 or equivalent, plus eCPR submission. eBacon supports both, plus DAS 140, DAS 142, CAC training fund and Statement of Non-Performance.Source: CPUC SURGE webinar Q&A (A-1-131 record requirements); DIR Certified Payroll Reporting FAQ (Statement of Non-Performance). Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Electronic filing portal | DIR eCPR, now part of DIR's modernized public works platform (went live summer 2024). Submit at least monthly, or more often if the contract says so (Labor Code § 1771.4(a)(3)). DIR paused penalties for contractors unable to register or file because of system issues from June 22, 2024 through June 22, 2025; the requirements stayed in force during the pause.Source: DIR Certified Payroll Reporting FAQ; DIR Public Works Website Services (new platform); CPUC SURGE webinar Q&A quoting DIR pause notice. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| EEO and workforce reports | No state prevailing wage EEO report. On Caltrans federal-aid contracts, primes and subs over $10,000 file the annual FHWA-1391 workforce report (race and gender by job category) for the last full work week of July, due to the district in mid-August. Contracts also carry the state nondiscrimination clause (Gov. Code § 12990).Source: Caltrans Construction Manual § 8-2, Equal Employment Opportunity; Caltrans FHWA-1391 instructions memo (June 25, 2025). Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Apprentice ratio rules | Minimum 1 apprentice hour per 5 journeyman hours on $30,000+ contracts. DAS 140 (contract award info) for each craft; DAS 142 to request dispatch; training fund contributions per the wage determination, due the 15th of the following month with a CAC-2 if paid to the California Apprenticeship Council.Source: DIR DAS public works page; DAS summary of requirements. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Local laws | Charter cities can set their own rules for locally funded work, but under Labor Code § 1782 (SB 7, 2013) a charter city that lets contractors skip state prevailing wage loses state construction funding unless its own ordinance is at least as strict. San Francisco: Administrative Code § 6.22(e) requires prevailing wages and certified payrolls (through LCPtracker) on city public works, enforced by the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement.Source: Cal. Labor Code § 1782 (Justia); SB 7 (2013) chaptered text (LegiScan); San Francisco OLSE pre-construction packet (Non-Ch. 6 prevailing wage). Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Recent changes | AB 889 (writes the existing fringe annualization rule into Labor Code § 1773.1), Jan 1, 2026. AB 538 (awarding bodies must obtain certified payrolls for public requests; contractors have 10 days), Jan 1, 2026. eCPR enforcement resumed June 23, 2025. Not law: AB 963 was vetoed Oct 13, 2025.Source: AB 538 status (LegiScan); AB 963 veto (LegiScan). Last checked October 22, 2026. |
The information on eBacon's interactive prevailing wage map is provided for general informational purposes only. The accuracy or availability of the information is subject to periodic updates. Overtime (OT) and double time (DT) requirements may be subject to other rules which vary by state, or subject to contract funding. Information published here must be verified by relevant government agencies.
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- Which states have prevailing wage laws?
- Which states don’t have a prevailing wage law?
Which states have prevailing wage laws?
Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming, and Washington, DC. Thresholds, covered projects, and reporting rules vary by state, so open any state on the map for its details.
Which states don’t have a prevailing wage law?
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. No state law doesn’t mean no paperwork, though: federal Davis-Bacon rules still apply to federally funded jobs in all of them.
eBacon assigns the right state or federal wage determination to each job, calculates wages and fringe by trade classification, and generates the WH-347 or the state’s certified payroll form in one click. See how eBacon handles prevailing wage payroll →
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