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Wisconsin Certified Payroll and Prevailing Wage Rules

There is no separate Wisconsin prevailing wage law to track. Federal Davis-Bacon is the only rulebook that applies on a Wisconsin job.

○ FEDERAL DAVIS-BACON ONLY

Some administrative provisions (Wis. Stat. §§ 103.49, 66.0903) technically remain on the books but govern legacy compliance and enforcement, not new wage-setting. That does not make Wisconsin paperwork-free on a federal job, it just means the only rulebook is the federal one.

Wisconsin's prevailing wage law was repealed in stages: for locally funded projects effective January 1, 2017, and for state-funded building projects effective September 23, 2017.

Wisconsin at a glance

  • No active state prevailing wage law applies to new public works projects, only the federal Davis-Bacon Act on federally funded work.
  • Some administrative provisions (Wis. Stat. §§ 103.49, 66.0903) technically remain on the books but govern legacy compliance and enforcement, not new wage-setting.
  • On a federally funded or assisted job over $2,000, the standard WH-347 and SAM.gov rates apply exactly as they would anywhere else.

Wisconsin DWD: Prevailing Wage Overview

What this means for your paperwork

There is no Wisconsin form to add to the pile. A federally funded Wisconsin project just needs the federal WH-347, filed weekly. Certified Payroll only handles the federal side: it checks the rate against the live SAM.gov wage determination and fills out the WH-347 with its Statement of Compliance. It does not file Wisconsin's own state form, so budget for that as a separate step if a different state law ever applies.

Frequently asked

Does Wisconsin have its own prevailing wage law?+

No. Wisconsin's prevailing wage law was repealed in stages: for locally funded projects effective January 1, 2017, and for state-funded building projects effective September 23, 2017.

Does Certified Payroll file Wisconsin's state certified payroll form?+

Certified Payroll files the federal WH-347 under Davis-Bacon. Since Wisconsin has no state form of its own to add, a federally funded Wisconsin project only needs the one report, and that is what it handles.

This is a general informational summary, not legal advice, and covers state-level rules only. Verify current requirements with Wisconsin's labor department or a qualified compliance advisor before relying on it.

Certified Payroll checks every rate against the live wage determination as you enter hours, then generates the completed WH-347 with its Statement of Compliance.

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