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Washington · Diver & Tender · 5 counties
Diver & Tender prevailing wage, Clark County group, Washington (5 counties)
L&I sets the same commercial diver rates, row for row, in 5 counties: Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania and Wahkiakum. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.
$87.92an hour, total · Diver Tender
$66.32 wage + $21.60 fringe benefits
On Washington public works in each of these 5 counties, a commercial diver working as diver tender must be paid at least $87.92 an hour in total: $66.32 in wages plus $21.60 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.
L&I lists 11 commercial commercial diver rates for each of these counties, from $82.35 to $133.43 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe: $66.32 + $21.60
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) | $66.32 |
| Health and welfare | $9.56 |
| Pension | $11.04 |
| Training | $0.80 |
| Other benefits | $0.20 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $87.92 |
Set from: collective bargaining agreement, (Southwest WA) - Washington, Oregon and Alaska Cascadia Regional Master Agreement Between the Western States Association Of Union Contractors And the Western States Regional Council Of Carpenters Covering The States Of Alaska, Washington & 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).
Holidays
L&I holiday code 15J:
Holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day (9). Any holiday which falls on a Sunday shall be observed as a holiday on the following Monday. If any of the listed holidays falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be a regular work day.
When this rate changes
- 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.
Every commercial diver rate in the Clark County group
As L&I lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Dive Supervisor$133.43
- Bell/Vehicle or Submersible Operator Not Under Pressure$131.93
- Diver Diving$131.93
- Dive Master$101.29
- Divers Including Stand-By Diver$96.29
- Manifold Operator$92.92
- Manifold Operator Mixed Gas$90.92
- Diver Tender$87.92
- ROV Operator$87.92
- Assistant Tender$82.35
- ROV Tender/Technician$82.35
| Classification | Total | Base | Fringes | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant Tender | $82.35 | $60.75 | $21.60 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Bell/Vehicle or Submersible Operator Not Under Pressure | $131.93 | $110.33 | $21.60 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Dive Master | $101.29 | $79.69 | $21.60 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Dive Supervisor | $133.43 | $111.83 | $21.60 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Diver Diving | $131.93 | $110.33 | $21.60 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Diver Tender | $87.92 | $66.32 | $21.60 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Divers Including Stand-By Diver | $96.29 | $74.69 | $21.60 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Manifold Operator | $92.92 | $71.32 | $21.60 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Manifold Operator Mixed Gas | $90.92 | $90.92 | $0.00 | Aug 31, 2024 |
| ROV Operator | $87.92 | $66.32 | $21.60 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| ROV Tender/Technician | $82.35 | $60.75 | $21.60 | Sep 2, 2026 |
How the Clark County group compares
The main commercial diver 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
Wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Clark County groupbase $66.32$87.92
- Cowlitz Countybase $66.32$87.92
- Skamania Countybase $66.32$87.92
- Lewis Countybase $128.44$149.22
Which county is in which commercial diver group
Every Washington county with a commercial diver rate. Counties L&I treats alike share one page; the rest have their own. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done.
| Counties | Main classification | Total | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| King County group, 20 counties: Chelan, Clallam, Douglas, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Whatcom, Yakima | Diver | $149.22 | $128.44 |
| Spokane County group, 14 counties: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman | Diver | $137.01 | $119.23 |
| Clark County group, 5 counties: Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania, Wahkiakum | Diver Tender | $87.92 | $66.32 |
3 groups of counties with identical L&I rates, and 0 counties with rates of their own.
Washington commercial diver prevailing wage by county, with a map
Notes on this rate
L&I's notes, in L&I's words. Some add premiums for hazardous work, special shifts or certifications.
- 9I Employees may be required to perform any combination of work within the Diving team/crew, (except for Dive Supervisor) provided they are paid at the highest rate pay that they received during their shift. In addition to the hourly wage and fringe benefits, the following depth and enclosure premiums shall be paid. The premiums are to be calculated for the maximum depth and distance into an enclosure that a diver reaches in a day. The premiums are to be paid one time for the day and are not used in calculating overtime pay. Depth premiums apply to depths of fifty feet or more. Over 50' to 100' - $2.00 per foot for each foot over 50 feet. Over 101' to 150' - $3.00 per foot for each foot over 101 feet. Over 151' to 220' - $4.00 per foot for each foot over 220 feet. Over 221' - $5.00 per foot for each foot over 221 feet. Enclosure premiums apply when divers enter enclosures (such as pipes or tunnels) where there is no vertical ascent and is measured by the distance travelled from the entrance. 25’ to 300’ - $1.00 per foot from entrance. 300’ to 600’ - $1.50 per foot beginning at 300’. Over 600’ - $2.00 per foot beginning at 600’
More from L&I on this rate
- Scope of work, WAC 296-127-01316: which tasks this trade covers. L&I says the right classification “depends upon determinations published by L&I” (L&I).
- L&I's prevailing wage lookup, for any county, trade and bid date
- Apprentices: registered apprentices are paid L&I's apprentice rate for the trade. Anyone without a registered agreement counts as a journey-level worker (RCW 39.12.021).
Every trade's rates, county by county: Clark · Cowlitz · Klickitat · Skamania · Wahkiakum
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 $87.92. 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, Divers & Tenders (DIVE), published August 3, 2026, effective September 2, 2026: secure.lni.wa.gov/wagelookup/. L&I keeps a wage record for each county; for the row this page leads with:
- Clark County: L&I wage record 149840
- Cowlitz County: L&I wage record 149840
- Klickitat County: L&I wage record 149840
- Skamania County: L&I wage record 149840
- Wahkiakum County: L&I wage record 149840
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 every Washington rate as CSV · Report an error