Texas Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Texas loss cost for fencing workers comp, class 6400 (Fence Installation and Repair--Metal, Vinyl, Wood, or Prefabricated Concrete Panel Fence Installed by Hand), is $1.003 per $100 of payroll (effective July 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.50.
A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
Texas class code for fencing
- 6400: Fence Installation and Repair--Metal, Vinyl, Wood, or Prefabricated Concrete Panel Fence Installed by Hand
Texas uses NCCI's separate Basic Manual for Texas, which still has Texas-specific codes (for example 5536 HVAC, 5200 concrete flatwork, 5102 carpet and resilient floor covering) that NCCI is gradually replacing with multistate codes, and workers' comp is optional for most private employers (nonsubscribers must report to DWC that they have no coverage).
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 Texas
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,800 fence erectors on payrolls in Texas (May 2025), the 3rd largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $17.92 an hour, 22% below the US median of $23.07.
Fence erectors make up about the same share of Texas jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.81).
At a typical Texas premium of about $1.50 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.00 for class 6400 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.27 for every hour worked, or $559 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $1,677 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Texas pay runs from $14.63 an hour at the 10th percentile to $24.23 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.22 an hour on a new hire and $0.36 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Texas
- Coverage required: Elective for most private employers (South Dakota is also elective)
- Owners and sole proprietors: Included by default but may elect out
- State fund: Private market (Texas Mutual is the largest writer and insurer of last resort)
- Waiting period: 7 days; the waiting week is paid retroactively if off work more than 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Non-subscribers must file a notice; failure to file draws administrative penalties up to $25,000 per day
Texas is the only state where private employers can opt out entirely, trading coverage for the loss of common-law negligence defenses as a non-subscriber.
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.