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Cowlitz County · Insulator (Heat & Frost / Asbestos Worker)

Insulator (Heat & Frost / Asbestos Worker) prevailing wage in Cowlitz County, Washington

$87.79an hour, base wage + fringe benefits · Mechanic

$62.02 base wage + $25.77 fringe benefits

Cowlitz County uses the same insulator rates as 4 other counties. See all of them on one page.

On Washington public works in Cowlitz County, an insulator working as mechanic must be paid at least $87.79 an hour in total: $62.02 in wages plus $25.77 in fringe benefits for health, pension, vacation, training and other plans. L&I's rate took effect August 31, 2025.

L&I published this rate on August 1, 2025 and it took effect August 31, 2025. L&I hasn't changed it since, so it is still current in period 2026-2. Checked against L&I's wage lookup on October 24, 2026.

Base wage and fringe benefits: $62.02 + $25.77

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)	$62.02
Health and welfare	$15.54
Pension	$7.92
Training	$1.20
Other benefits	$1.11
Total straight-time hourly rate	$87.79

Set from: collective bargaining agreement, Master Agreement 2022-2026 Western Insulation Contractors Assoc. of Oregon & Washington Inc. Portland, Oregon & International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators & Allied Workers Local Union No. 36 Portland, Oregon. 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 1F:

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.

The first two (2) hours after eight (8) regular hours Monday through Friday and the first ten (10) hours on Saturday shall be paid at one and one-half times the hourly rate of wage. All other overtime hours worked, except Labor day, shall be paid at double the hourly rate of wage. All hours worked on Labor day shall be paid at three times the hourly rate of wage.

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 1, 2025 and took effect August 31, 2025.

Davis-Bacon insulator 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.

For building work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is HEAT & FROST INSULATOR (INCLUDES DUCT, PIPE AND MECHANICAL SYSTEMS) at $53.71 ($39.50 base + $14.21 fringe), from WA20260105 modification 1, published May 18, 2026, rate SUWA2018-005. Against L&I's $87.79: L&I's rate is $34.08 an hour higher.

Construction	Federal classification	Base wage	Total rate	WD
Building	HEAT & FROST INSULATOR (INCLUDES DUCT, PIPE AND MECHANICAL SYSTEMS)SUWA2018-005	$39.50	$53.71	WA20260105 Mod 1

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 5N:

Holidays: New Year's Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day (9).

How Cowlitz County compares

The main insulator 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 $87.791420

$68.80Adams$100.83Chelan

CowlitzNearby: Clark $87.79, Lewis $100.83, Wahkiakum $87.79Each column is a group of counties with about the same main rate; its height is how many. 20 counties pay more than Cowlitz, 4 the same, 14 less.

Base wage and fringe benefits, nearby

Cowlitz Countybase $62.02$87.79
Clark Countybase $62.02$87.79
Lewis Countybase $81.42$100.83
Wahkiakum Countybase $62.02$87.79

Insulator (Heat & Frost / Asbestos Worker) 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 insulator 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	$81.42	$100.83	+$13.04
Thurston County	Journey Level	$81.42	$100.83	+$13.04
Pacific County	Journey Level	$81.42	$100.83	+$13.04
Cowlitz County	Mechanic	$62.02	$87.79
Clark County	Mechanic	$62.02	$87.79	same
Wahkiakum County	Mechanic	$62.02	$87.79	same
Skamania County	Mechanic	$62.02	$87.79	same

Washington insulator 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 $87.79. 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, Heat & Frost Insulators And Asbestos Workers (HEAF), L&I wage record 148623, published August 1, 2025, effective August 31, 2025: 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