Idaho Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Idaho rate for fencing workers comp, class 6400 (Fence Erection - Metal or Wood), is $3.00 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.
Idaho 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 Idaho
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 10,850 construction laborers on payrolls in Idaho (May 2025), the 33rd largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $22.57 an hour, in line with the US median of $22.66.
This trade is a bigger part of the Idaho job market than it is nationally: construction laborers hold 1.8 times their national share of jobs there.
At the published Idaho rate of $3.00 per $100 of payroll for class 6400, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.68 for every hour worked, or $1,408 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $4,225 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Idaho pay runs from $17.58 an hour at the 10th percentile to $30.38 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.53 an hour on a new hire and $0.91 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Idaho
- Coverage required: 1 employee; no waivers permitted
- Owners and sole proprietors: A sole proprietor with no employees is exempt; employees must be covered
- State fund: Competitive state fund (Idaho State Insurance Fund)
- Waiting period: 5 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 14 days
Idaho coverage is strictly compulsory with no waivers, so an employee cannot sign away their right to workers comp.
Idaho vs neighboring states
- Oregon: about $2.95 per $100 of payroll
- Washington: about $9.18 per $100 of payroll
- Wyoming: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
Among its neighbors, Wyoming is the cheapest for fencing comp at $2.39 and Washington the most expensive at $9.18 per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Washington or 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.