New Jersey Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published New Jersey rate for fencing workers comp, class 6400 (Fence Erection - Metal), is $6.35 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.
New Jersey class code for fencing
- 6400: Fence Erection - Metal
New Jersey is an independent bureau state that uses NCCI-style 4-digit codes but with its own phraseologies and several state-specific assignments, e.g. HVAC under 3724, concrete flatwork under 5200, and no 5537, 5478 or 5221.
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 New Jersey
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 910 fence erectors on payrolls in New Jersey (May 2025), the 8th largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $27.26 an hour, 18% above the US median of $23.07.
This trade is a bigger part of the New Jersey job market than it is nationally: fence erectors hold 1.4 times their national share of jobs there.
At the published New Jersey rate of $6.35 per $100 of payroll for class 6400, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.73 for every hour worked, or $3,601 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $10,802 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. New Jersey pay runs from $22.76 an hour at the 10th percentile to $33.66 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $1.45 an hour on a new hire and $2.14 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in New Jersey
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Automatically excluded on a policy; may elect coverage via a Notice of Election
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability extends beyond 7 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $5,000 per 10-day period; knowing failure is a fourth-degree crime (up to $10,000 and 18 months)
New Jersey sets rates through its own independent bureau (NJCRIB) rather than NCCI, and caps temporary disability at 400 weeks.
New Jersey vs neighboring states
- Delaware: about $3.60 per $100 of payroll
- New York: about $5.07 per $100 of payroll
- Pennsylvania: about $3.99 per $100 of payroll
New Jersey has the highest fencing comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less 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.