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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-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.
Massachusetts Prevailing Wage Law
State law
State law: all public construction, no dollar threshold
State law. Covers public construction by the Commonwealth, counties, towns, authorities and districts, including additions, alterations and repairs (maintenance that alters a public work counts). Separate sections also cover non-construction public works like trash hauling, snow removal, school bus drivers, office moving, and cleaning of state office space.
Details
| Statute | M.G.L. c. 149, §§ 26 to 27H (construction §§ 26 to 27D; payroll § 27B; penalties § 27C; non-construction § 27F; office moving § 27G; cleaning § 27H). Also M.G.L. c. 121B, § 29 (housing authorities) and c. 71, § 7A (school buses).Source: DLS Topical Outline. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
|---|---|
| Dollar thresholds | None. Rates must be obtained for every public construction project regardless of contract value or whether it's bid.Source: DLS guide for awarding authorities. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Administering agency | Department of Labor Standards (DLS) issues rate sheets and applicability rulings, (617) 626-6953. Attorney General's Fair Labor Division enforces, (617) 727-3465. Agency websiteSource: AG/DLS contractor guide. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Where to get wage rates | Project-specific rate sheets from DLS, requested by the awarding authority, based on collective bargaining agreements. A sheet is good for 90 days from issue; once awarded it applies to the contract, with all scheduled increases paid on their dates. Projects running past one year need an annual update, effective on the contract anniversary (requested at least two weeks before). Contractors can pull "example" sheets for bidding only.Source: AG/DLS contractor guide; DLS Topical Outline (Annual Updates; Duration of Wage Schedule). Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Wages vs. fringes | Total rate includes employer contributions to health and welfare, pension (401(k) counts) and supplemental unemployment plans; only those may be deducted. Vacation, holiday and sick pay can't be credited. Credit must be annualized over all hours the employee works in the plan year. Cash fringe isn't a deduction and goes into the overtime regular rate. Self-funded health plans count if U.S. DOL approved them. Plan administrative costs can't be deducted.Source: DLS Topical Outline (Deductions). Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Pay frequency | Not set by the prevailing wage law. General rule (M.G.L. c. 149, § 148): hourly workers paid weekly or every two weeks, within 6 days after the pay period ends (7 days if they work 7 days a week). Discharged workers are paid in full that day; those who quit, by the next regular payday.Source: M.G.L. c. 149, § 148 (malegislature.gov); DOL state payday requirements; DLS Topical Outline. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Overtime and double time | The prevailing wage law has no overtime rule; state overtime law (c. 151, § 1A) applies, 1.5x over 40 hours in a fixed workweek. Overtime is figured on the base rate (total rate minus allowable deductions actually contributed). Weeks mixing public and private work use a weighted-average regular rate. No double-time rule in the law.Source: DLS Topical Outline (Overtime Pay/Blended Rate). Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Certified payroll forms | DLS Weekly Certified Payroll Report Form and Weekly Statement of Compliance (models; equivalents accepted). Every contractor and sub submits weekly to the awarding authority by mail or email and keeps them 3 years. Each report must show name, address, classification, hours and wages, plus a copy of each apprentice's ID card. Home addresses stay required even though Davis- Bacon dropped them. Failure to submit: fines up to $10,000 per occurrence. Don't send payrolls to DLS.Source: DLS Topical Outline (Payroll Reports; Weekly; Certified); AG/DLS contractor guide. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Electronic filing portal | No state portal. Payrolls go to the awarding authority by first-class mail or email (since June 24, 2014).Source: DLS Topical Outline. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| EEO and workforce reports | Nothing in the prevailing wage sources. Federal EO 11246 changes apply to federal jobs.Source: Federal Register 2026-17114. Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Apprentice ratio rules | Apprentices must be registered with DLS's Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS) and carry their apprentice ID card on site; a copy goes with each weekly payroll. They're paid the apprentice rate printed on the rate sheet (dollar rates, not percentages, since March 18, 2010). Apprentices not registered with DAS get the journeyworker rate. Each rate sheet lists the apprentice-to-journeyworker ratio by trade (examples: glaziers 1:1, plumbers and pipefitters 1:3, carpenters and laborers 1:5). The ratios come from DAS: under 454 CMR 26.04(1)(b)(7), ratios for construction occupations are those the Department determines and documents on its prevailing wage determinations for M.G.L. c. 149 projects, and DAS standards say apprentice ratios can't exceed those posted on the rate sheets (authority: M.G.L. c. 23, §§ 11E–11L).Source: DLS rate sheet instructions (Worcester bid copy, 2022); AG/DLS contractor guide; DLS Topical Outline; 454 CMR 26.04 (Justia); DAS Standards (mass.gov). Last checked October 22, 2026. |
| Recent changes | Oct 28, 2025 DLS opinion: custom modular housing built off-site for a specific public project (Clarendon Hill, Somerville) is covered. Dec 10, 2024 opinion on fire alarm repair and maintenance classifications. Not law: H 2120 and S 1288 (fire protection inspection, testing and repair under § 27D) were reported favorably and sit in House Ways and Means (since Feb 11, 2026) and Senate Ways and Means (since Dec 18, 2025). H 2126 (apprenticeship program contributions as a creditable benefit) was folded into H 5032, which passed the House 154-1 on Jan 28, 2026 and is in Senate Ways and Means; it would also phase in apprentice-hour minimums (5% rising to 15%) on public works over $10 million.Source: DLS Topical Outline; H 2120 bill history (malegislature.gov); S 1288 bill history (malegislature.gov); H 2126 bill history (malegislature.gov); H 5032 bill history (malegislature.gov); H 5032 text (malegislature.gov). 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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