Tennessee Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Tennessee 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 Tennessee figure.
No official Tennessee figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Tennessee 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 Tennessee
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 550 fence erectors on payrolls in Tennessee (May 2025), the 13th largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $21.79 an hour, 6% below the US median of $23.07.
Fence erectors make up about the same share of Tennessee jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.07).
At the US median of $3.27 per $100 of payroll (Tennessee does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.71 for every hour worked, or $1,482 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $4,446 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Tennessee pay runs from $17.50 an hour at the 10th percentile to $26.48 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.57 an hour on a new hire and $0.87 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Tennessee
- Coverage required: 5+ employees; 1 for construction
- Owners and sole proprietors: Construction owners may exempt themselves via the state registry; employees must be covered
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability lasts more than 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Civil penalties $50-$10,000 or 1.5x the avoided premium; an injury while uninsured escalates to a misdemeanor
Tennessee runs an Uninsured Employers Fund, financed by penalties, that pays workers injured by illegally uninsured employers.
Tennessee vs neighboring states
- Alabama: about $3.90 per $100 of payroll
- Georgia: about $3.46 per $100 of payroll
- Missouri: about $4.43 per $100 of payroll
- North Carolina: about $2.35 per $100 of payroll
Tennessee does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, North Carolina is the cheapest for fencing comp at about $2.35 and Missouri the most expensive at about $4.43 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.