Prevailing wage in Alabama

Who and what this applies to

Labor standards for Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) Community Development Block Grant construction, as described in the agency’s currently published Chapter 12 manual. This is program coverage, not a statewide assertion that no other wage requirement exists.

Thresholds and scope

The manual applies Davis-Bacon labor standards when construction exceeding $2,000 is financed wholly or partly with CDBG funds. It identifies exceptions for residential property with fewer than eight units and force-account work by local-government employees.

The rules

• Workers on covered CDBG construction must receive at least the applicable prevailing wages for similar work in the area. Match the project to the governing wage determination and the program’s labor-standards coverage. Source
• The program manual requires weekly worker payment and weekly payroll submissions; wage deductions must be permissible. Source
• 42 U.S.C. section 5310(b) exempts volunteers who meet the statute’s compensation and employment conditions. Apply that exception to the individual’s actual role. Source

Primary sources

• ADECA, Basically CDBG Chapter 12: Labor Standards, sections 12.1–12.2
• 42 U.S.C. §5310(a)–(b): CDBG wages and exceptions
• ADECA, current Basically CDBG manual index

Sources reviewed 2026-09-30. This guide covers the projects and rules stated above.

Back to Alabama contractor law · Prevailing Wage topic guide.