Colorado Certified Payroll Software

Yes, since 2021, though it is narrower than California's or New York's. Under C.R.S. 24-92-201 et seq. (added by SB19-196), a contractor awarded a public project of $500,000 or more by a Colorado state agency, and every subcontractor under it, must pay the prevailing wage and pay wages weekly. Rates are set by the Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration, not taken from a federal Davis-Bacon determination, and certified payroll goes to the contracting agency monthly. Three carve-outs matter: projects receiving federal funding (Davis-Bacon governs instead), contracts awarded by CDOT, and work for political subdivisions such as cities, counties, school districts and special districts, which are not state agencies. That is why Denver, other locals, and CDOT set prevailing wage on their own jobs. Separately, the Keep Jobs in Colorado Act (CRS 8-17-101) applies its 80% Colorado-resident rule to public works generally.

CRS 8-17-101. Requires at least 80% of each type of worker on any Colorado public works job to be a Colorado resident. Applies to projects funded with state, county, school district, or municipal money. You document residency and report to the contracting agency. You can get a waiver only if you can't find qualified workers in Colorado.

CDLE, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, handles Keep Jobs in Colorado through its Division of Labor Standards and Statistics. On federal-aid work, the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division enforces Davis-Bacon. CDOT, Denver, and other agencies also do their own project-level monitoring.

Yes. Any federal or federal-aid construction in Colorado over $2,000 falls under Davis-Bacon. Federal buildings, military bases, VA facilities, HUD housing, and CDOT projects with federal highway funds, all of it. Weekly WH-347 to the contracting agency.

CDOT requires certified payroll on federal-aid highway, bridge, and transit jobs under Davis-Bacon. Every contractor and sub submits weekly reports with classifications, hours, wages, and fringes. CDOT uses an electronic certified payroll system and checks submissions for classification accuracy and fringe compliance.

Under CRS 8-17-101, at least 80% of workers in each type of labor on a Colorado public works project must be Colorado residents. Residency gets proven with a CO driver's license, voter registration, or similar docs. You track residency each reporting period and can request a waiver if you can't find qualified CO workers for a given trade.

Keep Jobs in Colorado violations can cost you fines, up to 3-year debarment from public works, and contract cancellation. Federal-aid Davis-Bacon violations add back wages, liquidated damages, held contract funds, and up to 3-year federal debarment. False certified payroll can also get you criminal prosecution.

We build WH-347 certified payroll for federal Davis-Bacon and CDOT federal-aid work. Import the Davis-Bacon determination for your Colorado county and craft and pay is checked against it before you certify; Lydia, our AI assistant, explains each flag. Colorado has no state certified payroll form that we produce, and we do not track Keep Jobs in Colorado residency.