Colorado Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Colorado loss cost for drywall workers comp, class 5445 (Wallboard, Sheetrock, Drywall, Plasterboard or Cement Board Installation - Within Buildings & Drivers), is $2.722 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $4.08.
A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
Colorado class code for drywall
- 5445: Wallboard Installation - Within Buildings & Drivers
- 5480 (Plastering NOC & Drivers)
- 5491 (Paperhanging & Drivers)
Drywall work carries lifting injuries from heavy sheets, dust exposure, and ladder and scaffold falls on high walls and ceilings.
What comp costs per drywall installer in Colorado
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,560 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in Colorado (May 2025), the 13th largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $29.70 an hour, 5% above the US median of $28.33.
Drywall and ceiling tile installers make up about the same share of Colorado jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.01).
At a typical Colorado premium of about $4.08 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $2.72 for class 5445 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.21 for every hour worked, or $2,520 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $7,561 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Colorado pay runs from $21.40 an hour at the 10th percentile to $38.20 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.87 an hour on a new hire and $1.56 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Colorado
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners exempt by default; may elect in
- State fund: Competitive state fund (Pinnacol Assurance), which must insure any Colorado employer
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Fines up to $250-$500 per day, plus a 50% benefit increase paid by an uninsured employer
If you are uninsured when a worker is hurt in Colorado, their benefits are increased 50% out of your own pocket.
Colorado vs neighboring states
- Wyoming: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
Colorado has the highest drywall comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Wyoming needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.
What moves a drywall comp bill
- Drywall hangers and tapers usually share one class. Stilt and scaffold falls and lifting injuries are the claims to manage.
- Piece-rate pay is common in drywall. Comp is still charged on the full amount paid, so piece-rate crews do not lower premium.
- Drywall subs without their own coverage are the largest audit risk in this trade. Collect certificates before the first board goes up.
- If you also frame or do acoustic ceilings, those can be separate classes. Record payroll for each kind of work.