Davis-Bacon rates — Knox County, Kentucky

Every active general wage determination covering this county, one section per construction type. These rates are the minimum that must be paid on a federal or federally assisted contract.

Pick the construction type that matches your contract, not the highest rate. Building, Residential, Highway and Heavy are separate determinations with different rates, and using the wrong one is a common reason a certified payroll comes back rejected. Where your trade appears under several classifications the choice between them is a judgement call — the plainest match is usually right, and the contracting officer can confirm it.

Building

KY20260042 rev 1 · 05/18/2026 · 36 classifications

Classification	Base rate	Fringe	Total
ASBESTOS WORKER/HEAT & FROST INSULATOR	30.24	18.54	48.78
BOILERMAKER	43.85	28.44	72.29
CARPENTER (EXCLUDES ACOUSTICAL CEILING INSTALLATION, DRYWALL HANGING, AND METAL STUD INSTALLATION)	32.25	18.09	50.34
ELECTRICIAN	41.15	29.35	70.50
ELEVATOR MECHANIC PAID HOLIDAYS: A. NEW YEAR'S DAY, MEMORIAL DAY, INDEPENDENCE DAY, LABOR DAY, VETERN'S DAY, THANKSGIVING DAY, THE FRIDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING, AND CHRISTMAS DAY. B. EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTES 8% OF REGULAR HOURLY RATE TO VACATION PAY CREDIT FOR EMPLOYEE WHO HAS WORKED IN BUSINESS MORE THAN 5 YEARS; 6% FOR LESS THAN 5 YEARS' SERVICE	57.41	38.44	95.85
POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: BOBCAT/SKID STEER/SKID LOADER	41.98	19.60	61.58
POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (OILER)	34.99	19.60	54.59
POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: CRANE CRANES WITH BOOM 150 FEET & OVER, INCLUDING JIB, SHALL RECEIVE $.75 ABOVE THE WAGE RATE. ALL CRANES WITH PILING LEADS WILL RECEIVE $.50 ABOVE THE WAGE, REGARDLESS OF BOOM LENGTH	41.98	19.60	61.58
POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: FORKLIFT	41.98	19.60	61.58
POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: BULLDOZER	41.98	19.60	61.58
IRONWORKER, REINFORCING ZONE 3 - (ADD $2.00 PER HOUR TO BASE RATE) 50 MILE RADIUS & OVER OF UNION HALL, 1643 GREENUP AVE, ASHLAND, KY	41.70	29.59	71.29
IRONWORKER, REINFORCING ZONE 2 - (ADD $0.40 PER HOUR TO BASE RATE) 10 TO 50 MILE RADIUS OF UNION HALL, 1643 GREENUP AVE, ASHLAND, KY	40.10	29.59	69.69
IRONWORKER, REINFORCING (ZONE 1)	39.70	29.59	69.29
LABORER: PIPELAYER	28.53	17.38	45.91
LABORER: CARPENTER TENDER	26.69	13.32	40.01
LABORER: MASON TENDER - CEMENT/CONCRETE	26.89	13.32	40.21
LABORER: MASON TENDER - BRICK	28.16	17.55	45.71
PAINTER (SPRAY ONLY)	34.29	23.95	58.24
PIPEFITTER	41.00	21.66	62.66
SPRINKLER FITTER (FIRE SPRINKLERS)	44.15	26.08	70.23
SHEET METAL WORKER (EXCLUDES HVAC DUCT INSTALLATION)	40.32	25.66	65.98
TRUCK DRIVER: DUMP TRUCK	17.07	6.25	23.32
TILE SETTER	25.77	6.10	31.87
TILE FINISHER	17.67	7.45	25.12
SHEET METAL WORKER (HVAC DUCT INSTALLATION ONLY)	25.91	8.06	33.97
ROOFER	22.31	7.41	29.72
PLUMBER	33.41	16.67	50.08
PAINTER (BRUSH AND ROLLER)	18.20	6.43	24.63
OPERATOR: GRADER/BLADE	24.33	13.00	37.33
OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE	21.11	13.00	34.11
LABORER: COMMON OR GENERAL	16.97	6.11	23.08
IRONWORKER, STRUCTURAL	22.31	15.40	37.71
CEMENT MASON/CONCRETE FINISHER	27.99	—	27.99
BRICKLAYER	24.61	11.88	36.49
IRONWORKER: ORNAMENTAL	36.73	27.05	63.78
LABORER: POWER TOOL OPERATOR	28.73	19.36	48.09

Heavy

KY20260058 rev 1 · 05/18/2026 · 19 classifications

Classification	Base rate	Fringe	Total
CARPENTER (FORM WORK ONLY)	33.89	24.06	57.95
LINE CONSTRUCTION: LINEMAN	43.84	18.80	62.64
LINE CONSTRUCTION: GROUNDMAN	25.77	14.10	39.87
LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR	39.15	17.58	56.73
POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR GROUP 4 OILER OPERATORS ON CRANES WITH BOOMS 150 FEET AND OVER (INCLUDING JIB) SHALL RECEIVE $1.00 ABOVE GROUP 1 RATE; 250 FEET AND OVER INCLUDING JIB SHALL RECEIVE $1.50 ABOVE CLASS 1 RATE. COMBINATION RATE: ALL CRANE OPERATORS OPERATING CRANES, WHERE THE LENGTH OF THE BOOM IN COMBINATION WITH THE LENGTH OF THE PILING LEADS EQUAL OR EXCEEDS 150 FEET, SHALL RECEIVE $1.00 ABOVE THE GROUP 1 RATE. EMPLOYEES ASSIGNED TO WORK BELOW GROUND LEVEL ARE TO BE PAID 10% ABOVE BASIC WAGE RATE. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO OPEN CUT WORK	38.37	9.50	47.87
POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR GROUP 2 BOBCAT/SKID STEER/SKID LOADER; FORKLIFT OPERATORS ON CRANES WITH BOOMS 150 FEET AND OVER (INCLUDING JIB) SHALL RECEIVE $1.00 ABOVE GROUP 1 RATE; 250 FEET AND OVER INCLUDING JIB SHALL RECEIVE $1.50 ABOVE CLASS 1 RATE. COMBINATION RATE: ALL CRANE OPERATORS OPERATING CRANES, WHERE THE LENGTH OF THE BOOM IN COMBINATION WITH THE LENGTH OF THE PILING LEADS EQUAL OR EXCEEDS 150 FEET, SHALL RECEIVE $1.00 ABOVE THE GROUP 1 RATE. EMPLOYEES ASSIGNED TO WORK BELOW GROUND LEVEL ARE TO BE PAID 10% ABOVE BASIC WAGE RATE. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO OPEN CUT WORK	38.69	9.50	48.19
POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR GROUP 1 CRANE; DRILL; GRADER/BLADE; MECHANIC; SCRAPER OPERATORS ON CRANES WITH BOOMS 150 FEET AND OVER (INCLUDING JIB) SHALL RECEIVE $1.00 ABOVE GROUP 1 RATE; 250 FEET AND OVER INCLUDING JIB SHALL RECEIVE $1.50 ABOVE CLASS 1 RATE. COMBINATION RATE: ALL CRANE OPERATORS OPERATING CRANES, WHERE THE LENGTH OF THE BOOM IN COMBINATION WITH THE LENGTH OF THE PILING LEADS EQUAL OR EXCEEDS 150 FEET, SHALL RECEIVE $1.00 ABOVE THE GROUP 1 RATE. EMPLOYEES ASSIGNED TO WORK BELOW GROUND LEVEL ARE TO BE PAID 10% ABOVE BASIC WAGE RATE. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO OPEN CUT WORK	41.55	9.50	51.05
IRONWORKER (PROJECTS UNDER $20,000,000.00)	35.63	26.49	62.12
IRONWORKER (PROJECTS OVER $20,000,000.00)	37.47	26.49	63.96
LABORER: CONCRETE WORKER	26.87	19.66	46.53
LABORER: CONCRETE SAW (HAND HELD/WALK BEHIND)	27.12	19.66	46.78
OPERATOR: LOADER	30.35	—	30.35
OPERATOR: BULLDOZER	21.72	7.45	29.17
OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE	23.60	12.65	36.25
LABORER: PIPELAYER	20.13	8.63	28.76
LABORER: FLAGGER	18.31	8.89	27.20
LABORER: COMMON OR GENERAL	20.60	9.39	29.99
ELECTRICIAN	32.35	2.18	34.53
CEMENT MASON/CONCRETE FINISHER	21.60	10.35	31.95

Filing the WH-347 that these rates feed into? I build certified payroll tools, and I will prepare your first weekly filing from your payroll register free, with worker names removed — partly to be useful, partly because real registers are the only way to test the thing properly. hamza.aiemployee@gmail.com. No sign-up on this site, and nothing here is tracked.