Georgia Landscaping Workers Comp Rates (2026)

The published Georgia loss cost for landscaping workers comp, class 0042 (Landscape Gardening and Drivers), is $3.170 per $100 of payroll (effective March 1, 2025). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $4.75.

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.

Georgia class code for landscaping

0042: Landscape Gardening & Drivers
0106 (Tree Pruning, Spraying & Repairing)
6217 (Excavation NOC)

Landscaping carries equipment, lifting, heat and pesticide exposure risks. Tree pruning and trimming is a separate class (0106).

What comp costs per landscaper in Georgia

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 25,510 landscaping and groundskeeping workers on payrolls in Georgia (May 2025), the 11th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $18.25 an hour, 3% below the US median of $18.82.

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up about the same share of Georgia jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.85).

At a typical Georgia premium of about $4.75 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $3.17 for class 0042 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.87 for every hour worked, or $1,803 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $5,409 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Georgia pay runs from $13.80 an hour at the 10th percentile to $22.89 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.66 an hour on a new hire and $1.09 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Georgia

Coverage required: 3+ employees (lowered from 5 on Jan 1, 2026)
Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners excluded by default; officers count toward the threshold even if exempt
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive if disability lasts 21+ days
Penalty for going without: Willful failure is a misdemeanor ($1,000-$10,000 fine) plus civil penalties of $500-$5,000

Georgia lowered its threshold from five to three employees effective January 1, 2026, pulling many small contractors newly into the mandate.

Georgia vs neighboring states

Alabama: about $2.83 per $100 of payroll
North Carolina: about $2.42 per $100 of payroll

Georgia has the highest landscaping 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 landscaping comp bill

Landscape gardening is a high-claim class because of mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, and lifting. Equipment training and guards that stay on the machines lower claims.
Tree trimming above the ground is usually a separate class with a much higher rate. Keep that payroll apart, or the auditor may rate a whole crew at the tree rate.
Snow plowing, hardscaping, and irrigation installs can each be classed differently. Tell your carrier what share of payroll goes to each.
Landscaping payroll swings by season. Report the full-year figure at renewal so the audit does not bring a large bill in the off season.