Iowa Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Iowa rate for fencing workers comp, class 6400 (Fence Erection - Metal or Wood), is $3.32 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Your experience modifier and any carrier discounts adjust it.
This is the published manual rate, so it already includes carrier expenses. Source.
Iowa 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 Iowa
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 290 fence erectors on payrolls in Iowa (May 2025), the 19th largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $25.25 an hour, 9% above the US median of $23.07.
Fence erectors make up about the same share of Iowa jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.19).
At the published Iowa rate of $3.32 per $100 of payroll for class 6400, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.84 for every hour worked, or $1,744 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $5,231 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Iowa pay runs from $21.27 an hour at the 10th percentile to $29.37 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.71 an hour on a new hire and $0.98 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Iowa
- Coverage required: 1 employee; no payroll or headcount floor
- Owners and sole proprietors: A full-time sole proprietor or partner is auto-excluded; may decline in writing or elect in
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability continues more than 14 days
- Penalty for going without: An uninsured employer loses tort immunity and can be sued for uncapped civil damages
Iowa has no small-employer exemption at all, requiring coverage from the first employee with no payroll floor.
Iowa vs neighboring states
Iowa has the lowest fencing comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges more 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.