Virginia HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Virginia does not publish its HVAC class figures online. Across the 26 states that do, the median typical premium is about $2.74 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Virginia figure.

No official Virginia figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.

Virginia class code for HVAC

5537: Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Systems - Installation, Service and Repair & Drivers
5535 (Sheet Metal Work - Installation & Drivers)
5183 (Plumbing NOC & Drivers)

HVAC technicians work in attics and on roofs and handle electrical circuits and refrigerants.

What comp costs per hvac technician in Virginia

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 14,690 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in Virginia (May 2025), the 7th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $28.72 an hour, 2% below the US median of $29.33.

This trade is a bigger part of the Virginia job market than it is nationally: heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers hold 1.4 times their national share of jobs there.

At the US median of $2.74 per $100 of payroll (Virginia does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.79 for every hour worked, or $1,637 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $3,274 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Virginia pay runs from $19.12 an hour at the 10th percentile to $40.11 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.52 an hour on a new hire and $1.10 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Virginia

Coverage required: 3+ employees (subcontractor employees count toward the total)
Owners and sole proprietors: No waivers for sole proprietors; officers and working LLC managers count as employees
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if incapacity exceeds 21 days
Penalty for going without: Up to $250 per day (capped at $50,000), business-closure orders, and possible criminal prosecution

Virginia counts a contractor's subcontractor employees toward the three-employee threshold, so using subs frequently triggers the mandate.

Virginia vs neighboring states

North Carolina: about $2.34 per $100 of payroll
West Virginia: about $1.41 per $100 of payroll

Virginia does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, West Virginia is the cheapest for HVAC comp at about $1.41 and North Carolina the most expensive at about $2.34 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 HVAC comp bill

Service techs and install crews usually share one class, so the rate is driven by your claim history: back strains from lifting condensers and falls from ladders and roofs are the typical losses.
If you also do sheet-metal fabrication or duct work outside buildings, ask how your bureau classifies it. Some of that work rates differently from installation and service.
Dispatchers, office staff, and outside salespeople can be rated as clerical or sales when their duties keep them out of the field. Keep their timesheets separate.
Company vehicles put a lot of miles on service crews. A driving policy and clean MVRs help on the auto side and with comp, because vehicle accidents on the job are comp claims.