Colorado Electrical Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Colorado loss cost for electrical workers comp, class 5190 (Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings & Drivers), is $1.188 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.78.
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 electrical
- 5190: Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings
- 7538 (Electric Light or Power Line Construction & Drivers)
Electrical work carries shock, arc flash and fall hazards. Outside power line construction is a separate class, 7538.
What comp costs per electrician in Colorado
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 17,010 electricians on payrolls in Colorado (May 2025), the 17th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $29.92 an hour, 2% below the US median of $30.38.
Electricians make up about the same share of Colorado jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.22).
At a typical Colorado premium of about $1.78 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.19 for class 5190 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.53 for every hour worked, or $1,108 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,216 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Colorado pay runs from $21.88 an hour at the 10th percentile to $45.27 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.39 an hour on a new hire and $0.81 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 lowest electrical comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges more 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 electrical comp bill
- Electrical is one of the cheaper construction classes, so overstated payroll often costs more than the rate itself. Estimate payroll honestly at renewal and true it up at audit.
- Ladder falls and shocks are the typical claims. Lockout and tagout procedures that are actually followed are what keep the experience mod under 1.0.
- Low-voltage, alarm, and solar work can carry different class codes in some states. Ask your agent before you add those lines to the business.
- Office staff and estimators who stay out of the field can usually be rated as clerical. Keep their hours off the field timesheets.