Home / Washington / Whatcom County / Electrical Utility Lineman
Whatcom County · Electrical Utility Lineman
Electrical Utility Lineman prevailing wage in Whatcom County, Washington
$98.45an hour, total · Journey Level Lineperson
$70.75 wage + $27.70 fringe benefits
Whatcom County uses the same utility lineman rates as 38 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On Washington public works in Whatcom County, a utility lineman working as journey level lineperson must be paid at least $98.45 an hour in total: $70.75 in wages plus $27.70 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 9 commercial utility lineman rates for Whatcom County, from $61.75 to $107.31 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe: $70.75 + $27.70
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) | $70.75 |
| Health and welfare | $7.50 |
| Pension | $18.12 |
| Training | $0.88 |
| Other benefits | $1.20 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $98.45 |
Set from: collective bargaining agreement, 2024–2029 Agreement Between The Northwest Line Constructors Chapter Of the National Electrical Contractors Association and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (AFL-CIO) Local 77. 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).
Davis-Bacon utility lineman rate in Whatcom 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 federal determination for this county has no matching classification. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base + fringe | Base | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highway | CABLE SPLICER (ISLAND, SAN JUAN, SNOHOMISH, SKAGIT AND WHATCOM COUNTIES)ELEC0191-003 | $61.96 | $44.23 | WA20260001 Mod 4 |
| Heavy | LINE CONSTRUCTION: LINE PERSONELEC0077-002 | $88.71 | $64.17 | WA20260134 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 5A:
Holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day (7).
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 utility lineman rate in Whatcom County
As L&I lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Cable Splicer$107.31
- Certified Line Welder$98.45
- Heavy Line Equipment Operator$98.45
- Journey Level Lineperson$98.45
- Pole Sprayer$98.45
- Line Equipment Operator$84.94
- Powderperson$72.81
- Groundperson$61.75
- Meter Installer$61.75
| Classification | Total | Base | Fringes | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable Splicer | $107.31 | $79.24 | $28.07 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Certified Line Welder | $98.45 | $70.75 | $27.70 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Groundperson | $61.75 | $42.45 | $19.30 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Heavy Line Equipment Operator | $98.45 | $70.75 | $27.70 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Journey Level Lineperson | $98.45 | $70.75 | $27.70 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Line Equipment Operator | $84.94 | $60.85 | $24.09 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Meter Installer | $61.75 | $42.45 | $19.30 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Pole Sprayer | $98.45 | $70.75 | $27.70 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Powderperson | $72.81 | $53.06 | $19.75 | Sep 2, 2026 |
How Whatcom County compares
The main utility lineman 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
- Whatcom Countybase $70.75$98.45
- Skagit Countybase $70.75$98.45
- Snohomish Countybase $70.75$98.45
- San Juan Countybase $70.75$98.45
Electrical Utility Lineman 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 utility lineman rates for Whatcom County are the same as in 38 other counties: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz and 30 more.
| County | Classification | Total | Base | vs Whatcom County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whatcom County | Journey Level Lineperson | $98.45 | $70.75 | |
| Skagit County | Journey Level Lineperson | $98.45 | $70.75 | same |
| Snohomish County | Journey Level Lineperson | $98.45 | $70.75 | same |
| San Juan County | Journey Level Lineperson | $98.45 | $70.75 | same |
| Island County | Journey Level Lineperson | $98.45 | $70.75 | same |
| Chelan County | Journey Level Lineperson | $98.45 | $70.75 | same |
| Okanogan County | Journey Level Lineperson | $98.45 | $70.75 | same |
Washington utility lineman prevailing wage by county, with a map
More from L&I on this rate
- Scope of work, WAC 296-127-01320: 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).
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 $98.45. 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, Whatcom County, Electricians - Powerline Construction (ELEP), L&I wage record 149817, 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 Whatcom County as CSV · Report an error