Colorado Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Colorado loss cost for fencing workers comp, class 6400 (Fence Erection - Metal or Wood), is $1.932 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $2.90.
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 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 Colorado
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 270 fence erectors on payrolls in Colorado (May 2025), the 21st largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $23.26 an hour, in line with the US median of $23.07.
This trade is a smaller part of the Colorado job market than it is nationally: fence erectors hold 0.60 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical Colorado premium of about $2.90 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.93 for class 6400 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.67 for every hour worked, or $1,403 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $4,209 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Colorado pay runs from $18.54 an hour at the 10th percentile to $29.58 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.54 an hour on a new hire and $0.86 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 fencing 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 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.