Minnesota Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Minnesota 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 Minnesota figure.

No official Minnesota figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.

Minnesota 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 Minnesota

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 28,530 construction laborers on payrolls in Minnesota (May 2025), the 11th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $28.97 an hour, 28% above the US median of $22.66.

This trade is a bigger part of the Minnesota job market than it is nationally: construction laborers hold 1.4 times their national share of jobs there.

At the US median of $3.27 per $100 of payroll (Minnesota does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.95 for every hour worked, or $1,970 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $5,911 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Minnesota pay runs from $20.65 an hour at the 10th percentile to $46.23 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.68 an hour on a new hire and $1.51 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Minnesota

Coverage required: 1 employee; no hours or wage floor
Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors, partners, and certain closely-held owners excluded; may elect in
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 3 days; paid back only if disability continues 10+ days
Penalty for going without: Up to $1,000 per employee per uninsured week; willful failure is a gross misdemeanor

Minnesota's Special Compensation Fund pays injured workers of uninsured employers directly, then recovers from the employer; coverage must also be reported when getting or renewing a state license.

Minnesota vs neighboring states

Iowa: about $3.32 per $100 of payroll
North Dakota: about $1.53 per $100 of payroll
Wisconsin: about $5.09 per $100 of payroll

Minnesota does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, North Dakota is the cheapest for fencing comp at about $1.53 and Wisconsin the most expensive at about $5.09 per $100 of payroll.

Working across the line into North Dakota 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.