Alaska Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Alaska loss cost for fencing workers comp, class 6400 (Fence Erection - Metal or Wood), is $2.153 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $3.23.
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.
Alaska class code for fencing
- 6400: Fence Installation and Repair - Metal, Vinyl, Wood or Prefabricated Concrete Panel Fence Installed by Hand & Drivers
- 6217 (Excavation NOC)
- 5403 (Carpentry NOC)
Fence work carries hand tool injury, post-hole digger / auger risks, lifting, and underground utility strike risks. Chain-link work uses cutting tools with finger injury exposure.
What comp costs per fence installer in Alaska
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 40 fence erectors on payrolls in Alaska (May 2025), the 35th largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $31.06 an hour, 35% above the US median of $23.07.
Fence erectors make up about the same share of Alaska jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.86).
At a typical Alaska premium of about $3.23 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $2.15 for class 6400 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.00 for every hour worked, or $2,087 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $6,260 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Alaska pay runs from $22.31 an hour at the 10th percentile to $39.09 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.72 an hour on a new hire and $1.26 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Alaska
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners with 10%+ ownership are excluded; employees must still be covered
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability lasts more than 28 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $1,000 per employee per day, stop-work orders, and a 3-year bar on public contracts
A hiring contractor in Alaska becomes liable for a subcontractor's employees if that sub lacks its own coverage.
Alaska vs neighboring states
- Washington: about $9.18 per $100 of payroll
- Oregon: about $2.95 per $100 of payroll
Alaska has no land border, so this compares it with the nearest mainland markets.
Among its neighbors, Oregon is the cheapest for fencing comp at $2.95 and Washington the most expensive at $9.18 per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Washington 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 fencing comp bill
- Fence erection rates sit above most interior trades because of post-hole augers, heavy material, and power tools. Auger training cuts the most serious claims.
- Fence crews often add decks, gates, or ornamental metal work, and those can rate in different classes. Tell your carrier what share of the work each represents.
- Seasonal crews and day labor are common in fencing. Every worker you pay counts at audit, so keep records for temporary hires.
- If you only sell and subcontract the installs, your own exposure is mostly sales and clerical, but only if every installer carries their own coverage.