South Dakota Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
South Dakota 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 South Dakota figure.
No official South Dakota figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
South Dakota 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 South Dakota
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 170 fence erectors on payrolls in South Dakota (May 2025), the 28th largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $23.26 an hour, in line with the US median of $23.07.
This trade is a bigger part of the South Dakota job market than it is nationally: fence erectors hold 2.3 times their national share of jobs there.
At the US median of $3.27 per $100 of payroll (South Dakota does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.76 for every hour worked, or $1,582 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $4,746 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. South Dakota pay runs from $16.93 an hour at the 10th percentile to $29.96 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.55 an hour on a new hire and $0.98 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in South Dakota
- Coverage required: Not mandatory at any headcount (elective for all employers)
- Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded; may elect coverage
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 7 consecutive days; benefits then compute from the injury date
- Penalty for going without: No statutory fine, but an uninsured employer loses exclusive remedy and faces unlimited civil liability
South Dakota is one of only two states (with Texas) where workers comp is not legally mandatory.
South Dakota vs neighboring states
- Iowa: about $3.32 per $100 of payroll
- North Dakota: about $1.53 per $100 of payroll
- Wyoming: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
South Dakota 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 Iowa the most expensive at about $3.32 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.