WeeklyCertified / State rules / Certified Payroll in Oregon: The WH-38 and BOLI's Rules
Certified Payroll in Oregon: The WH-38 and BOLI's Rules
What are the certified payroll rules in Oregon?
Oregon requires certified payroll on public works over $50,000 under the state PWR law. Payroll is prepared weekly on form WH-38 (or an equivalent carrying all its information plus its certified statement) and submitted monthly to the project's public agency by the fifth business day. A federal WH-347 alone does not satisfy Oregon's requirement.
Oregon's system centers on the WH-38 and the public agency running your project rather than a statewide portal. The Bureau of Labor and Industries is explicit that the federal WH-347 by itself is not enough: Oregon wants its own certified statement attached.
The rules at a glance
| State law | Oregon Prevailing Wage Rate Law, ORS 279C.800 to 279C.870 |
| Threshold | Public works projects over $50,000 |
| Form / format | Form WH-38, or a substitute containing all WH-38 information with the WH-38 certified statement attached |
| Where it goes | Filed with the public agency associated with the project (not BOLI) (link) |
| How often | Prepared weekly, submitted monthly by the fifth business day of the following month |
| Records kept | 3 years from completion of work |
| Who administers it | Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) |
Does the federal WH-347 work in Oregon?
No. Per BOLI, the federal WH-347 alone does not satisfy Oregon's requirements; submissions need the WH-38 content plus its certification statement. WH-347 still applies to federally funded projects.
Penalties
Civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation and placement on the ineligible list, barring public works contracts for up to three years.
Federal jobs in Oregon still mean WH-347
State rules govern state-funded work. The moment a project is federally funded or assisted, the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts apply and the weekly WH-347 with its Statement of Compliance is the filing, regardless of what Oregon requires on its own jobs. Many contractors run both systems side by side on different projects, which is exactly why knowing which regime a given contract sits under is week-zero work (see the first-job checklist).
The free WeeklyCertified generator prepares the federal form with your wage determination's rates pulled live and the fringe and overtime math done to the cent.
Questions
Does the federal WH-347 satisfy Oregon requirements?
No. Per BOLI, the federal WH-347 alone does not satisfy Oregon's requirements; submissions need the WH-38 content plus its certification statement. WH-347 still applies to federally funded projects.
How often is certified payroll due in Oregon?
Prepared weekly, submitted monthly by the fifth business day of the following month. Records: kept 3 years from completion of work.
Who enforces prevailing wage in Oregon?
Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). Civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation and placement on the ineligible list, barring public works contracts for up to three years.