Hennepin County designates certain contracts as prevailing wage contracts. A prevailing wage contract requires the contractor to pay its employees a prevailing wage which is an hourly wage set by government. 

The employer has a choice to pay the prevailing wage as a straight hourly wage without fringe benefits or an hourly base wage rate with an hourly fringe benefit rate. Fringe benefits include health care premiums, retirement savings, paid time off, and training expenses.

For construction and building service contracts, the Hennepin County prevailing wage can be found at:

• Commercial construction – prevailing wage
• Residential construction – prevailing wage
• Highway and heavy construction – prevailing wage

Once a contract has been awarded and work begins, the contractor is required to provide certified payroll to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office of Prevailing Wage Enforcement.

In order to ensure compliance with Minnesota’s data privacy act, Hennepin County uses specific forms to collect public data thereby eliminating cumbersome redaction of private data when fulfilling data requests. See Minnesota Statutes Section 13.43, Subd. 19.

Construction and building service contracts must report weekly payroll to prevwage@hennepin.us using these forms, as applicable:

• Payroll – weekly (DOC)
• Statement of compliance (DOC)
• Statement of non-performance (DOC)
• Identification of contractors (DOC)
• Subcontractors on job site (DOCX)

The description of the prevailing wage enforcement process is not legal advice and does not cover every case or situation.

General contractor duties

How often does a certified Payroll Report have to be submitted?

A contractor that performs work under a Hennepin County construction, remodeling or repair contract must submit a certified payroll report to the contracting agency within 14 days after the employee has been paid.  The employee must be paid unconditionally and not less than once a week.

What are the responsibilities of the general contractor?

A general contractor shall collect and maintain certified payroll reports from all first and second tier subcontractors.  The general contractor shall thoroughly examine the reports submitted by each subcontractor to ensure that the certified payroll reports are accurate, complete and a true representation of the work performed.  The general contractor shall utilize the county’s subcontractor tracking form to ensure that all subcontractors have submitted certified payroll reports: subcontractor form (DOC).

How long does a certified Payroll Report need to be kept?

The general contractor must retain its certified payroll reports, along with those of its subcontractors for a period of three years after the certificate of final acceptance has been executed.

What happens if a certified Payroll Report is not submitted?

If a general contractor or a subcontractor fails to submit a certified payroll report to the contracting agency, the project engineer may withhold a portion of one or more partial estimates until the reports are received.  In addition, contractors that fail to submit certified payroll reports could be subject to a penalty pursuant with Minnesota Statutes 177.30 subdivision (b).

Once a contract has been awarded and work begins, the contractor is required to provide certified payroll to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office of Prevailing Wage Enforcement. 

In order to ensure compliance with Minnesota’s data privacy act, Hennepin County uses specific forms to collect public data thereby eliminating cumbersome redaction of private data when fulfilling data requests. See Minnesota Statutes Section 13.43, Subd. 19. For maintenance contracts, the Hennepin County prevailing wage can be found at:

• Payroll – weekly (DOC)
• Payroll - biweekly (DOC)
• Statement of compliance (DOC)
• Statement of non-performance (DOC)

The description of the prevailing wage enforcement process is not legal advice and does not cover every case or situation.

General contractor duties

How often does a certified Payroll Report have to be submitted?

A contractor that performs work under Hennepin County maintenance, janitorial, and security service contracts must submit a certified payroll report to the contracting agency within 14 days after the employee has been paid.  The employee must be paid unconditionally and not less than biweekly.

What are the responsibilities of the general contractor?

A general contractor shall collect and maintain certified payroll reports from all first and second tier subcontractors.  The general contractor shall thoroughly examine the reports submitted by each subcontractor to ensure that the certified payroll reports are accurate, complete and a true representation of the work performed.

How long does a certified Payroll Report need to be kept?

The general contractor must retain its certified payroll reports, along with those of its subcontractors for a period of three years after the certificate of final acceptance has been executed.

What happens if a certified Payroll Report is not submitted?

If a general contractor or a subcontractor fails to submit a certified payroll report to the contracting agency, the project engineer may withhold a portion of one or more partial estimates until the reports are received.  In addition, contractors that fail to submit certified payroll reports could be subject to a penalty pursuant with Minnesota Statutes 177.30 subdivision (b).

View the Hennepin County prevailing wage for 2014 janitorial contracts (PDF).

Once a contract has been awarded and work begins, the contractor is required to provide certified payroll to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office of Prevailing Wage Enforcement. 

In order to ensure compliance with Minnesota’s data privacy act, Hennepin County uses specific forms to collect public data thereby eliminating cumbersome redaction of private data when fulfilling data requests. See Minnesota Statutes Section 13.43, Subd. 19. 

Janitorial and security service contracts must report biweekly payroll to prevwage@hennepin.us using these forms: 

• Payroll biweekly (DOC)
• Statement of compliance (DOC)
• Statement of non-performance (DOC)

The description of the prevailing wage enforcement process is not legal advice and does not cover every case or situation.

General contractor duties

How often does a certified Payroll Report have to be submitted?

A contractor that performs work under Hennepin County maintenance, janitorial, and security service contracts must submit a certified payroll report to the contracting agency within 14 days after the employee has been paid.  The employee must be paid unconditionally and not less than biweekly.

What are the responsibilities of the general contractor?

A general contractor shall collect and maintain certified payroll reports from all first and second tier subcontractors.  The general contractor shall thoroughly examine the reports submitted by each subcontractor to ensure that the certified payroll reports are accurate, complete and a true representation of the work performed.

How long does a certified Payroll Report need to be kept?

The general contractor must retain its certified payroll reports, along with those of its subcontractors for a period of three years after the certificate of final acceptance has been executed.

What happens if a certified Payroll Report is not submitted?

If a general contractor or a subcontractor fails to submit a certified payroll report to the contracting agency, the project engineer may withhold a portion of one or more partial estimates until the reports are received.  In addition, contractors that fail to submit certified payroll reports could be subject to a penalty pursuant with Minnesota Statutes 177.30 subdivision (b).

For security services contracts, view the Hennepin County prevailing wage for 2014 (PDF) and 2015 (PDF).

Once a contract has been awarded and work begins, the contractor is required to provide certified payroll to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office of Prevailing Wage Enforcement. 

In order to ensure compliance with Minnesota’s data privacy act, Hennepin County uses specific forms to collect public data thereby eliminating cumbersome redaction of private data when fulfilling data requests. See Minnesota Statutes Section 13.43, Subd. 19:

• Payroll – weekly
• Payroll -- biweekly (DOC)
• Statement of compliance (DOC)
• Statement of non-performance (DOC)

The description of the prevailing wage enforcement process is not legal advice and does not cover every case or situation.

General contractor duties

How often does a certified Payroll Report have to be submitted?

A contractor that performs work under Hennepin County maintenance, janitorial, and security service contracts must submit a certified payroll report to the contracting agency within 14 days after the employee has been paid.  The employee must be paid unconditionally and not less than biweekly.

What are the responsibilities of the general contractor?

A general contractor shall collect and maintain certified payroll reports from all first and second tier subcontractors.  The general contractor shall thoroughly examine the reports submitted by each subcontractor to ensure that the certified payroll reports are accurate, complete and a true representation of the work performed.

How long does a certified Payroll Report need to be kept?

The general contractor must retain its certified payroll reports, along with those of its subcontractors for a period of three years after the certificate of final acceptance has been executed.

What happens if a certified Payroll Report is not submitted?

If a general contractor or a subcontractor fails to submit a certified payroll report to the contracting agency, the project engineer may withhold a portion of one or more partial estimates until the reports are received.  In addition, contractors that fail to submit certified payroll reports could be subject to a penalty pursuant with Minnesota Statutes 177.30 subdivision (b).