Illinois Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Illinois does not publish its fencing class figures online. Across the 26 states that do, the median typical premium is about $3.27 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Illinois figure.
No official Illinois figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Illinois 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 Illinois
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 690 fence erectors on payrolls in Illinois (May 2025), the 9th largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $24.38 an hour, 6% above the US median of $23.07.
This trade is a smaller part of the Illinois job market than it is nationally: fence erectors hold 0.72 times their national share of jobs there.
At the US median of $3.27 per $100 of payroll (Illinois does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.80 for every hour worked, or $1,658 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $4,975 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Illinois pay runs from $18.39 an hour at the 10th percentile to $39.09 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.60 an hour on a new hire and $1.28 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Illinois
- Coverage required: 1 employee; construction is classed as extra-hazardous
- Owners and sole proprietors: In construction, owners and officers cannot opt out and must be covered
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 work days; retroactive if off 14+ days
- Penalty for going without: Willful failure: up to $500/day (minimum $10,000) and Class 4 felony exposure
Because construction is classed as extra-hazardous, Illinois removes the owner/officer opt-out that most states allow.
Illinois vs neighboring states
- Indiana: about $1.72 per $100 of payroll
- Iowa: about $3.32 per $100 of payroll
- Missouri: about $4.43 per $100 of payroll
- Wisconsin: about $5.09 per $100 of payroll
Illinois does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, Indiana is the cheapest for fencing comp at about $1.72 and Wisconsin the most expensive at about $5.09 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.