At a Glance
Quick Answer
Alaska has an active prevailing wage law (Little Davis-Bacon Act (Alaska Statutes Title 36)). Administered by Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Certified payroll is required. Federal Davis-Bacon applies to all federal projects.
Alaska's Little Davis-Bacon Act applies to public construction contracts exceeding $25,000 awarded by the state or any political subdivision. The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wage rates (Pamphlet 600) twice per year.
Context
Prevailing Wage & Bidding in Alaska
Alaska enforces a state prevailing wage standard through its Little Davis-Bacon Act under Title 36, administered by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Coverage attaches to public construction contracts exceeding $25,000 awarded by the state or any political subdivision, including county, municipal, and school-district projects. When you bid covered work, you must price labor to the official rates published in Pamphlet 600, which the Department updates twice a year. Because rates can change mid-project, build a contingency for wage adjustments on longer schedules rather than locking your labor cost to a single snapshot.
Both state and federal requirements can apply to the same Alaska project when federal funds are involved, and the rule is to follow whichever standard is more stringent, classification by classification. Certified payroll is required, so factor the administrative cost of weekly reporting, accurate trade classification, and fringe-benefit accounting into your overhead. Misclassifying a worker into a lower-paid trade is one of the most common and most expensive estimating mistakes on these jobs.
The compliance stakes are high. Contractors who violate the Act can be debarred from public contracts for up to three years, and underpaid workers can recover back wages plus penalties. A debarment can shut you out of the public market entirely, so the conservative bid prices labor at the correct Pamphlet 600 rate from the start and treats certified payroll as a core deliverable, not an afterthought. Confirm the current rate schedule and the exact classifications your scope requires before you commit to a number.
Details
Coverage Details
State Law Details
- Law
- Little Davis-Bacon Act (Alaska Statutes Title 36)
- Agency
- Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development
- Thresholds
- Public construction contracts exceeding $25,000
- Certified Payroll
- Required
Federal Davis-Bacon Coverage
The federal Davis-Bacon Act applies to all federally funded or federally assisted construction contracts over $2,000 in Alaska. This includes projects funded by federal agencies, FHWA highway projects, HUD housing, and projects receiving federal grants.
Reference
Key Facts
Applies to public construction contracts exceeding $25,000
Prevailing wage rates published twice per year in Pamphlet 600
Both state and federal requirements may apply — contractors must follow the more stringent
Debarment of up to 3 years for violations
Covers state, county, municipal, and school district projects
Enforcement
Penalties
Contractors who violate the Act may be debarred from public contracts for up to three years. Workers may recover unpaid wages plus penalties.
Resources
Related Tools & Templates
Turn wage rules into bid-ready alerts
Use ConstructionBids.ai to track matching public projects, save bid searches, and move wage-sensitive scopes into your estimating workflow.
FAQ
Questions Contractors Ask
Does Alaska have a prevailing wage law?
Yes. Alaska has an active state prevailing wage law: Little Davis-Bacon Act (Alaska Statutes Title 36). Alaska's Little Davis-Bacon Act applies to public construction contracts exceeding $25,000 awarded by the state or any political subdivision. The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wage rates (Pamphlet 600) twice per year.
Does Davis-Bacon apply in Alaska?
Yes. The federal Davis-Bacon Act applies to all federally funded construction projects over $2,000 in Alaska, regardless of state law. Contractors must pay the prevailing wage rate determined by the DOL for the project location.
Is certified payroll required in Alaska?
Yes. Alaska requires certified payroll on state prevailing wage projects. Additionally, certified payroll is always required on federal Davis-Bacon projects using form WH-347.
What are the penalties for prevailing wage violations in Alaska?
Contractors who violate the Act may be debarred from public contracts for up to three years. Workers may recover unpaid wages plus penalties.
What is the prevailing wage threshold in Alaska?
Alaska's Little Davis-Bacon Act covers public construction contracts exceeding $25,000 awarded by the state or any political subdivision, including county, municipal, and school-district projects. Below that figure, state prevailing wage rates do not apply, though federal Davis-Bacon may still govern federally funded work.
Where do I find Alaska prevailing wage rates for bidding?
Rates are published in Pamphlet 600 by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, updated roughly twice a year. Use the schedule in effect for your classifications, and plan for wage adjustments on long-duration projects when a new pamphlet is issued mid-job.
What happens if a contractor violates Alaska's prevailing wage law?
Violators can be debarred from public contracts for up to three years, and underpaid workers may recover back wages plus penalties. Because debarment can lock you out of the public market, accurate classification and timely certified payroll matter as much as the wage rate itself.