Georgia Fencing Workers Comp Rates 2026: Class Code, Cost

Fencing workers comp in Georgia 2026: the state's class code, rate, cost per worker from BLS wages, and neighboring states.

Georgia Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)

The published Georgia loss cost for fencing workers comp, class 6400 (Fence Erection - Metal or Wood), is $2.310 per $100 of payroll (effective March 1, 2025). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $3.46.

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.

Georgia 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 Georgia

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 500 fence erectors on payrolls in Georgia (May 2025), the 15th largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $17.78 an hour, 23% below the US median of $23.07.

This trade is a smaller part of the Georgia job market than it is nationally: fence erectors hold 0.65 times their national share of jobs there.

At a typical Georgia premium of about $3.46 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $2.31 for class 6400 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.62 for every hour worked, or $1,280 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $3,839 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Georgia pay runs from $12.24 an hour at the 10th percentile to $26.71 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.42 an hour on a new hire and $0.92 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Georgia

  • Coverage required: 3+ employees (lowered from 5 on Jan 1, 2026)
  • Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners excluded by default; officers count toward the threshold even if exempt
  • State fund: Private market (no state fund)
  • Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive if disability lasts 21+ days
  • Penalty for going without: Willful failure is a misdemeanor ($1,000-$10,000 fine) plus civil penalties of $500-$5,000

Georgia lowered its threshold from five to three employees effective January 1, 2026, pulling many small contractors newly into the mandate.

Georgia vs neighboring states

Among its neighbors, North Carolina is the cheapest for fencing comp at $2.35 and Alabama the most expensive at $3.90 per $100 of payroll.

If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.

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.

Related Georgia Fencing pages