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Cowlitz County · Asbestos & Lead Abatement Laborer

Asbestos & Lead Abatement Laborer prevailing wage in Cowlitz County, Washington

$65.48an hour, base wage + fringe benefits

$47.26 base wage + $18.22 fringe benefits

Cowlitz County uses the same asbestos and lead abatement laborer rates as 4 other counties. See all of them on one page.

On Washington public works in Cowlitz County, an asbestos and lead abatement laborer must be paid at least $65.48 an hour in total: $47.26 in wages plus $18.22 in fringe benefits for health, pension, vacation, training and other plans. L&I's rate took effect September 2, 2026.

L&I published this rate on August 3, 2026 and it took effect September 2, 2026. Checked against L&I's wage lookup on October 24, 2026.

Base wage and fringe benefits: $47.26 + $18.22

The wage is the taxable hourly rate. The other lines are what Washington law calls "usual benefits": contributions to health, pension, vacation and holiday, apprenticeship and similar plans. A contractor that doesn't provide a benefit pays its value as wages instead (RCW 39.12.010).

Base wage (taxable)	$47.26
Health and welfare	$8.80
Pension	$6.80
Vacation and holiday	$1.19
Training	$1.10
Other benefits	$0.33
Total straight-time hourly rate	$65.48

Set from: collective bargaining agreement, 2024-2027 Laborers Heavy/Highway, Building and Utility Master Labor Agreement Covering SW Washington Between Oregon-Columbia Chapter The Associated General Contractors of America and The Washington & Northern Idaho District Council of Laborers. Where a county has a collective bargaining agreement, L&I adopts its wage and benefits; with more than one, the higher rate prevails. Otherwise L&I uses wage surveys (RCW 39.12.015).

Overtime

L&I overtime code 11Z:

Overtime Calculations are based on the hourly rate actually paid to the worker. On public works projects, the hourly rate must be not less than the prevailing rate of wage minus the hourly rate of the cost of fringe benefits actually provided for the worker.

ALL HOURS WORKED IN EXCESS OF EIGHT (8) HOURS PER DAY OR FORTY (40) HOURS PER WEEK SHALL BE PAID AT ONE AND ONE-HALF TIMES THE HOURLY RATE OF WAGE.

All hours worked on Saturdays (except makeup days if work is lost due to inclement weather conditions) shall be paid at one and one-half times the hourly rate of wage. All hours worked on Sundays and holidays shall be paid at double the hourly rate of wage.

SPECIAL SHIFT: A special shift may be established at any time, at the option of the Employer, on any job or project.

Washington has no single overtime rule for prevailing wage. Each rate carries its own L&I code, copied here as published.

Labor cost calculator: a crew's straight-time wage and fringe cost over the job dates.

When does this rate change?

Rates lock at the bid date. A project uses “the rates that are in effect on the date when bids by prime contractors are due”, and they stay for the life of the contract. If the contract isn't awarded within six months of the bid date, the award-date rates apply. Contracts without bids use the date they're signed (WAC 296-127-011).
L&I publishes on the first business day of February and August, and rates take effect 30 days later. Corrections can be published at any time and also take effect 30 days later (WAC 296-127-011(1); L&I publications and corrections). L&I's next set is due February 1, 2027, effective March 3, 2027.
L&I doesn't republish every rate each period. A rate stays until L&I changes it, so each one has its own date. This one was published August 3, 2026 and took effect September 2, 2026.

Davis-Bacon asbestos and lead abatement laborer rate in Cowlitz County

Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a contract requires both the state rate and the Davis-Bacon rate, paying the higher of the two meets both. The contract documents say which apply.

We don't put a federal figure next to L&I's here, because the two schedules' classifications don't line up one to one. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.

Construction	Federal classification	Base wage	Total rate	WD
Highway	LABORER: GROUP 2, AREA A-1 - ASBESTOS ABATEMENT WORKER; BRUSH HOG FEEDER; CARPENTER TENDER; CEMENT HANDLER; CLEAN-UP LABORER; CONCRETE CREWMAN (TO INCLUDE …LABO0238-004	$37.13	$54.03	WA20260001 Mod 4
Highway	LABORER: GROUP 2, AREA A-2 - ASBESTOS ABATEMENT WORKER; BRUSH HOG FEEDER; CARPENTER TENDER; CEMENT HANDLER; CLEAN-UP LABORER; CONCRETE CREWMAN (TO INCLUDE …LABO0238-004	$40.13	$57.03	WA20260001 Mod 4
Highway	LABORER: ZONE 1: GROUP 3 GENERAL LABORER; AIR, GAS, OR ELECTRIC VIBRATING SCREED; ASBESTOS ABATEMENT LABORER; BALLAST REGULATOR MACHINE; BRUSH CUTTER; BRUSH …LABO0252-010	$50.38	$67.34	WA20260001 Mod 4
Highway	LABORER: GROUP 5 ASBESTOS REMOVAL; BIT GRINDER; DRILL DOCTOR; DRILL OPERATORS, AIR TRACKS, CAT DRILLS, WAGON DRILLS, RUBBER-MOUNTED DRILLS, AND OTHER SIMILAR …LABO0335-022	$45.54	$61.14	WA20260001 Mod 4

Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. Washington Davis-Bacon changes

Holidays

L&I holiday code 6Z:

Holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day (7). Any holiday which falls on a Sunday shall be observed as a holiday on the following Monday. Any holiday which falls on a Saturday shall be observed as a holiday on the preceding Friday.

How Cowlitz County compares

The main asbestos and lead abatement laborer rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.

Every county in Washington

Cowlitz $65.4811815

$57.75Asotin$71.10Clallam

CowlitzNearby: Clark $65.48, Lewis $71.10, Wahkiakum $65.48Each column is a group of counties with about the same main rate; its height is how many. 15 counties pay more than Cowlitz, 4 the same, 19 less.

Base wage and fringe benefits, nearby

Cowlitz Countybase $47.26$65.48
Clark Countybase $47.26$65.48
Lewis Countybase $52.92$71.10
Wahkiakum Countybase $47.26$65.48

Asbestos & Lead Abatement Laborer rates in nearby counties

Current L&I rates. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done. The statute defines “locality” as “the largest city in the county wherein the physical work is being performed”, and L&I publishes rates county by county (RCW 39.12.010).

L&I's asbestos and lead abatement laborer rates for Cowlitz County are the same as in 4 other counties: Clark, Klickitat, Skamania, Wahkiakum.

County	Classification	Base wage	Total rate	vs Cowlitz County
Lewis County	Journey Level	$52.92	$71.10	+$5.62
Thurston County	Journey Level	$52.92	$71.10	+$5.62
Pacific County	Journey Level	$52.92	$71.10	+$5.62
Cowlitz County	Journey Level	$47.26	$65.48
Clark County	Journey Level	$47.26	$65.48	same
Wahkiakum County	Journey Level	$47.26	$65.48	same
Skamania County	Journey Level	$47.26	$65.48	same

Washington asbestos and lead abatement laborer prevailing wage by county, with a map

Are you being paid this rate?

Add your wage to what your employer pays into health, pension and other plans for you, and compare it with $65.48. Each contractor files an L&I-approved Statement of Intent to Pay Prevailing Wages before it's paid, and an Affidavit of Wages Paid when the job is accepted (RCW 39.12.040). On contracts over $10,000 the approved intent and L&I's contact details are posted on the job site (RCW 39.12.020).

Source

Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, prevailing wage lookup, Cowlitz County, Asbestos Abatement Workers (ASBA), L&I wage record 149960, published August 3, 2026, effective September 2, 2026: secure.lni.wa.gov/wagelookup/

Each figure comes from L&I's lookup and is checked against L&I's CSV export and a second, separate query. How we check · Download Cowlitz County as CSV · Report an error