29 C.F.R. § 3.2

§ 3.2 Definitions. (29 CFR Part 3)

In Force
Verified 8/21/2026 · Next check 9/20/2026
effective 8/21/2026FederalAffordable Housing Programs

Operative Text

29 C.F.R. § 3.2
As used in the regulations in this part:

Affiliated person. The term “affiliated person” includes a spouse, child, parent, or other close relative of the contractor or subcontractor; a partner or officer of the contractor or subcontractor; a corporation closely connected with the contractor or subcontractor as parent, subsidiary, or otherwise, and an officer or agent of such corporation.

Agency. The term “agency” means any Federal, State, or local government agency or instrumentality, or other similar entity, that enters into a contract or provides assistance through loan, grant, loan guarantee or insurance, or otherwise, for a project subject to the Davis-Bacon labor standards, as defined in § 5.2 of this subtitle.

(1) Federal agency. The term “Federal agency” means an agency or instrumentality of the United States or the District of Columbia, as defined in this section, that enters into a contract or provides assistance through loan, grant, loan guarantee or insurance, or otherwise, to a project subject to the Davis-Bacon labor standards.

(2) [Reserved]

Building or work. The term “building or work” generally includes construction activity of all types, as distinguished from manufacturing, furnishing of materials, or servicing and maintenance work. The term includes, without limitation, buildings, structures, and improvements of all types, such as bridges, dams, solar panels, wind turbines, broadband installation, installation of electric car chargers, plants, highways, parkways, streets, subways, tunnels, sewers, mains, powerlines, pumping stations, heavy generators, railways, airports, terminals, docks, piers, wharves, ways, lighthouses, buoys, jetties, breakwaters, levees, and canals; dredging, shoring, rehabilitation and reactivation of plants, scaffolding, drilling, blasting, excavating, clearing, and landscaping. The term “building or work” also includes a portion of a building or work, or the installation (where appropriate) of equipment or components into a building or work.

(1) Building or work financed in whole or in part by loans or grants from the United States. The term “building or work financed in whole or in part by loans or grants from the United States” includes any building or work for which construction, prosecution, completion, or repair, as defined in this section, payment or part payment is made directly or indirectly from funds provided by loans or grants by a Federal agency. The term includes any building or work for which the Federal assistance granted is in the form of loan guarantees or insurance.

(2) [Reserved]

Construction, prosecution, completion, or repair. The term “construction, prosecution, completion, or repair” mean all types of work done on a particular building or work at the site thereof as specified in § 5.2 of this subtitle, including, without limitation, altering, remodeling, painting and decorating, installation on the site of the work of items fabricated offsite, covered transportation as reflected in § 5.2, demolition and/or removal as reflected in § 5.2, and the manufacturing or furnishing of materials, articles, supplies, or equipment on the site of the building or work, performed by laborers and mechanics at the site.

Employed (and wages). Every person paid by a contractor or subcontractor in any manner for their labor in the construction, prosecution, completion, or repair of a public building or public work or building or work financed in whole or in part by assistance from the United States through loan, grant, loan guarantee or insurance, or otherwise, is “employed” and receiving “wages”, regardless of any contractual relationship alleged to exist between the contractor and such person.

Public building (or public work). The term “public building (or public work)” includes a building or work the construction, prosecution, completion, or repair of which, as defined in this section, is carried on directly by authority of or with funds of a Federal agency to serve the general public regardless of whether title thereof is in a Federal agency. The construction, prosecution, completion, or repair of a portion of a building or work, or the installation (where appropriate) of equipment or components into a building or work, may still be considered a public building or work, even where the entire building or work is not owned, leased by, or to be used by the Federal agency, as long as the construction, prosecution, completion, or repair of that portion of the building or work, or the installation (where appropriate) of equipment or components into that building or work, is carried on by authority of or with funds of a Federal agency to serve the interest of the general public.

United States or the District of Columbia. The term “United States or the District of Columbia” means the United States, the District of Columbia, and all executive departments, independent establishments, administrative agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and of the District of Columbia, and any corporation for which all or substantially all of the stock of which is beneficially owned by the United States, by the District of Columbia, or any of the foregoing departments, establishments, agencies, and instrumentalities.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Section 3.2 of 29 CFR Part 3 establishes the core vocabulary used throughout the Copeland Act anti-kickback regulations. It defines who counts as an 'affiliated person' to a contractor, what qualifies as a covered 'building or work,' and who is considered 'employed' for wage purposes—broadly capturing anyone paid for labor on a covered project regardless of how the contractual relationship is labeled. These definitions determine the scope of federal prevailing-wage protections on federally funded or assisted construction projects.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on September 4, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Property owners and developers whose projects receive federal loans, grants, loan guarantees, or insurance should be aware that § 3.2 casts a wide net over what counts as covered construction activity and who counts as an employee. A compliant operator generally ensures that all workers paid for labor on a covered site—including those whose contracts might characterize them as independent contractors—are treated as 'employed' under the regulation's definition. Understanding these definitions helps operators correctly identify which contracts and workers fall under the Davis-Bacon labor standards referenced throughout Part 3.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Workers on federally funded or assisted construction projects may find that § 3.2's broad definition of 'employed' is relevant if a contractor has attempted to classify them outside standard employment to avoid wage obligations. General enforcement paths include filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, raising a violation as a defense or claim in applicable proceedings, or consulting a worker-rights or tenant-rights organization familiar with prevailing-wage law.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated September 4, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Aug 21, 2026
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Related Rules

§ 1437
Declaration of policy and public housing agency organization
§ 5.100
§ 5.100 Definitions.
§ 5.107
§ 5.107 Audit requirements for non-profit organizations.

Source Information

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