Montana Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Montana 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 Montana figure.
No official Montana figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Montana 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 Montana
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 680 fence erectors on payrolls in Montana (May 2025), the 10th largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $26.79 an hour, 16% above the US median of $23.07.
This trade is a bigger part of the Montana job market than it is nationally: fence erectors hold 8.4 times their national share of jobs there.
At the US median of $3.27 per $100 of payroll (Montana does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.88 for every hour worked, or $1,822 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $5,466 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Montana pay runs from $18.98 an hour at the 10th percentile to $32.79 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.62 an hour on a new hire and $1.07 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Montana
- Coverage required: 1 employee; out-of-state policies are not accepted for construction work
- Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; construction independent contractors need an Exemption Certificate (ICEC)
- State fund: Competitive state fund (Montana State Fund)
- Waiting period: 4 days (or 32 work hours); retroactive if disability lasts more than 21 days
- Penalty for going without: Double the premium owed (minimum $200), up to $1,000 plus $100 per day, escalating to $50,000
Montana does not accept out-of-state workers comp policies for construction work performed in the state.
Montana vs neighboring states
- Idaho: about $3.00 per $100 of payroll
- North Dakota: about $1.53 per $100 of payroll
- Wyoming: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
Montana 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 Idaho the most expensive at about $3.00 per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into North Dakota 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.