Wisconsin Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Wisconsin rate for fencing workers comp, class 6400 (Fence Erection Installation and Repair - Metal, Vinyl, Wood, or Prefabricated Concrete Panel Fence Installed by Hand), is $5.09 per $100 of payroll (effective October 1, 2026). Your experience modifier and any carrier discounts adjust it.
This is the published manual rate, so it already includes carrier expenses. Source.
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 200 fence erectors on payrolls in Wisconsin (May 2025), the 25th largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $24.72 an hour, 7% above the US median of $23.07.
This trade is a smaller part of the Wisconsin job market than it is nationally: fence erectors hold 0.42 times their national share of jobs there.
At the published Wisconsin rate of $5.09 per $100 of payroll for class 6400, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.26 for every hour worked, or $2,617 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $7,851 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Wisconsin pay runs from $18.85 an hour at the 10th percentile to $42.00 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.96 an hour on a new hire and $2.14 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Wisconsin
- Coverage required: 3+ employees, or 1 employee paid $500+ in a calendar quarter
- Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners excluded; may elect in; some closely-held officers excluded
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 7 days
- Penalty for going without: Twice the premium unpaid or $750 (whichever is greater); a short lapse runs $100 per uninsured day
Wisconsin passed the first constitutional workers comp law in the nation in 1911.
Wisconsin vs neighboring states
Wisconsin 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.