A Davis-Bacon wage determination is a list of minimum hourly rates for one construction type in one geographic area, issued by the U.S. Department of Labor. To read it you need four things off the page: the decision number and its modification date, the construction type, the counties it covers, and the classification line that matches the work — each classification line gives a base hourly rate and a separate fringe benefit rate, and the worker is owed both.
What a wage determination actually is
A wage determination is not a wage table for a trade. It is a document scoped to one construction type in one area, listing the minimum base hourly rate and fringe benefit rate for each labor classification that the Department of Labor found prevailing there. Two determinations covering the same county can carry completely different rates for the same trade if one is for Building work and the other for Highway work.
General wage determinations are published on SAM.gov, have no expiration date, and are revised periodically — each revision gets a modification number. Project wage determinations are issued for a specific project on request from the contracting agency and are valid for 180 days.
The header: decision number, modification, and dates
The top of the document carries a decision number in the form of a two-letter state code, a four-digit year and a sequence number — for example AL20260173. Below it is the modification number and the publication date of that modification.
The modification date is the date that matters for compliance. When a determination is revised, the revision applies to contracts awarded after it takes effect; it does not retroactively change the rates on a contract already awarded under an earlier modification.
What to record from the header
- Decision number (e.g. AL20260173) — identifies the determination.
- Modification number — which revision you are working from.
- Publication or modification date — the date the rates took effect.
- Construction type — Building, Residential, Highway or Heavy.
- Counties listed — the geographic scope, which is often a group of counties, not one.
Construction type: the most common mis-read
Davis-Bacon splits construction into four types, and a project can involve more than one. Applying a Highway rate to Building work on the same site is one of the most frequent classification errors found in investigations.
| Type | Typical scope |
|---|---|
| Building | Sheltered enclosures with walk-in access — schools, offices, hospitals, and the utilities and equipment inside them. |
| Residential | Single-family houses and apartment buildings of no more than four stories. |
| Highway | Roads, streets, highways, runways, parking areas and alleys not incidental to building construction. |
| Heavy | The catch-all: dams, sewers, water treatment, dredging, pipelines and other work that is not building, residential or highway. |
Reading a classification line
Each classification line gives a classification name, a base hourly rate under "Rates", and a fringe benefit amount under "Fringes". The total prevailing wage obligation is the two added together.
Classification names come from the determination, not from your job titles. "Laborer: Common or General", "OPERATOR: Bulldozer" and "Carpenter (Form Work Only)" are all distinct lines with distinct rates. The rate that applies is driven by the work actually performed in a given hour, not by what the worker is called on the org chart.
| Field | Means |
|---|---|
| Classification | The type of work. Match it to the task, not the job title. |
| Rates | Minimum base hourly cash wage. |
| Fringes | Additional hourly amount owed on top, payable as benefits, cash, or a mix. |
| Total | Base + fringe. This is the number to compare against what you are actually paying. |
The identifier codes: SU, UAVG, and union rates
Each classification carries a rate identifier that tells you how the rate was derived, and it is the part most readers skip. It matters because it tells you whether the rate will move.
- A union identifier (for example CARP0123-004) means the rate was taken from a collective bargaining agreement. When that agreement is renegotiated, the rate updates automatically without a new determination being published.
- SU means a survey rate — derived from a DOL wage survey rather than a CBA, because no single rate prevailed among union rates. These change only when a new survey is published.
- UAVG means a weighted average of union rates, used where union rates prevailed but no single one did.
When the classification you need is not on the determination
If the work you need to perform is not covered by any classification on the determination, you cannot simply pick the closest line or invent a rate. You request an additional classification through the conformance process, using Standard Form 1444 submitted through the contracting officer.
A practical reading order
Work through a determination in this order and you will not miss the thing that changes the number.
- Confirm the decision number and modification match what your contract incorporates.
- Confirm the construction type matches the work.
- Confirm your county is in the list of covered counties.
- Find the classification that matches the work actually performed.
- Read the base rate and the fringe rate as two separate obligations.
- Note the rate identifier so you know whether the rate can move mid-project.
- Check whether a state or local determination also applies and is higher.
Frequently asked questions
Which rate applies if a worker does two different trades in one day?
The rate follows the work. A worker who spends part of the day on carpentry and part on laborer work is owed each classification's rate for the hours actually spent in it, and the payroll must show the split. If the time is not accurately recorded and separated, the higher rate applies to all of the hours.
Does a wage determination expire?
General wage determinations do not expire; they are revised periodically and each revision carries a modification number and date. Project wage determinations issued for a specific project are valid for 180 days.
What if a newer modification is published after we bid?
The determination and modification in effect at bid opening generally governs the contract. A revision published afterwards does not retroactively change the rates on an already-awarded contract. The contracting agency is the authority on which modification your contract incorporates.
Where do I find the wage determination for my project?
Federal determinations are published on SAM.gov. WageFinder indexes them by county and classification so you can find the applicable line without paging through the full PDF, and every wage detail page links back to the source determination on SAM.gov.
Sources
- SAM.gov wage determinations
- DOL Wage and Hour Division — Davis-Bacon and Related Acts
- 29 CFR Part 1 — Procedures for predetermination of wage rates
WageFinder publishes wage data and plain-English explanations. This is not legal advice, and it does not replace the wage determination on your contract or guidance from the contracting agency.
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