Kentucky Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Kentucky 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 Kentucky figure.
No official Kentucky figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Kentucky 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 Kentucky
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 13,280 construction laborers on payrolls in Kentucky (May 2025), the 29th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $21.98 an hour, 3% below the US median of $22.66.
Construction laborers make up about the same share of Kentucky jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.94).
At the US median of $3.27 per $100 of payroll (Kentucky does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.72 for every hour worked, or $1,495 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $4,485 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Kentucky pay runs from $16.23 an hour at the 10th percentile to $28.94 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.53 an hour on a new hire and $0.95 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Kentucky
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; may elect in; officers may elect out
- State fund: Competitive state fund (Kentucky Employers' Mutual, KEMI)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive if disability lasts 14+ days
- Penalty for going without: $100-$1,000 fine per employee, per day without coverage
Kentucky's uninsured-employer fine is assessed per employee, per day, so exposure compounds quickly.
Kentucky vs neighboring states
- Indiana: about $1.72 per $100 of payroll
- Missouri: about $4.43 per $100 of payroll
- Ohio: about $1.47 per $100 of payroll
- West Virginia: about $1.41 per $100 of payroll
Kentucky does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, West Virginia is the cheapest for fencing comp at about $1.41 and Missouri the most expensive at about $4.43 per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Ohio 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.