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Ohio utility lineman prevailing wage, county by county
A utility lineman's Davis-Bacon prevailing wage in Ohio is $58.15 an hour in every county that has one (88), for the main classification.
Main utility lineman classification in each county (Line construction: equipment operator (statewide)), Davis-Bacon wage determinations on SAM.gov, as of October 25, 2026. A contract keeps the wage determination in its bid documents. Modifications published before bid opening apply to it, though one published less than 10 days before can be left out if the agency finds there isn't time to tell bidders (29 CFR 1.6(c)). Checked October 25, 2026.
How much does a utility lineman make on prevailing wage in Ohio?
11 groups of counties with identical rates and 8 with rates of their own, highest main rate first. The table below lists which counties are in each group.
- Montgomery County group33 counties$58.15
- Lucas County group12 counties$58.15
- Delaware County group7 counties$58.15
- Knox County group7 counties$58.15
- Richland County group6 counties$58.15
- Hamilton County group3 counties$58.15
- Lake County group3 counties$58.15
- Summit County group3 counties$58.15
- Cuyahoga County group2 counties$58.15
- Lawrence County group2 counties$58.15
- Madison County group2 counties$58.15
- Belmont County1 county$58.15
- Erie County1 county$58.15
- Franklin County1 county$58.15
- Huron County1 county$58.15
- Jackson County1 county$58.15
- Union County1 county$58.15
- Washington County1 county$58.15
- Wayne County1 county$58.15
Which counties pay which rate
| Counties | Main classification | Base + fringe | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County group, 33 localities: Adams, Ashland, Auglaize, Carroll, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Darke, Fayette, Greene, Guernsey, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jefferson, Licking, Logan, Mahoning, Marion, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Morrow, Muskingum, Perry, Pike, Preble, Ross, Shelby, Stark, Trumbull, Tuscarawas | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Lucas County group, 12 localities: Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Williams, Wood | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Delaware County group, 7 localities: Champaign, Clark, Delaware, Fairfield, Harrison, Pickaway, Scioto | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Knox County group, 7 localities: Athens, Brown, Knox, Meigs, Morgan, Noble, Vinton | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Richland County group, 6 localities: Allen, Crawford, Hardin, Richland, Van Wert, Wyandot | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Hamilton County group, 3 localities: Butler, Hamilton, Warren | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Lake County group, 3 localities: Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Summit County group, 3 localities: Medina, Portage, Summit | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Cuyahoga County group, 2 localities: Cuyahoga, Lorain | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Lawrence County group, 2 localities: Gallia, Lawrence | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Madison County group, 2 localities: Madison, Monroe | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Belmont County | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Erie County | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Franklin County | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Huron County | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Jackson County | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Union County | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Washington County | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
| Wayne County | LINE CONSTRUCTION: EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (STATEWIDE) | $58.15 | $40.44 |
11 groups of counties with identical DOL rates, and 8 counties with rates of their own.
Questions about Ohio utility lineman pay
What is the utility lineman prevailing wage in Franklin County?
$58.15 an hour: a $40.44 base wage plus $17.71 in fringe benefits, under wage determination OH20260001, modification 5. Overtime and every utility lineman classification in Franklin County.
Does utility lineman prevailing wage include fringe benefits?
Yes. In Franklin County the $58.15 total is a $40.44 base wage plus $17.71 in fringe benefits, about 30% of the total. The employer owes the full amount for every hour worked.
Does utility lineman prevailing wage pay overtime in Ohio?
Davis-Bacon rates are straight time. On contracts over $100,000, the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act requires 1½ times the basic rate for hours over 40 in a workweek (40 U.S.C. 3702). The fringe is owed for every hour at its straight-time amount.
Do apprentice utility linemans get this rate?
Davis-Bacon determinations list journeyworker rates. Apprentices in a program registered with DOL or a recognized state agency can be paid the program's percentage of the rate, within its ratio; anyone else gets the full rate (29 CFR 5.5(a)(4)).
Why do some counties have the same utility lineman rate?
DOL often publishes the same utility lineman rates for several counties. Across Ohio, the 88 counties with a utility lineman rate fall into 19 distinct sets of rates, and 11 of those sets are shared by more than one county; the largest covers 33 counties (the Montgomery County group).