Nebraska Landscaping Workers Comp Rates 2026: Class Code, Cost

Landscaping workers comp in Nebraska 2026: the state's class code, rate, cost per worker from BLS wages, and neighboring states.

Nebraska Landscaping Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Nebraska does not publish its landscaping class figures online. Across the 25 states that do, the median typical premium is about $3.30 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Nebraska figure.

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

Nebraska 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 Nebraska

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 7,280 landscaping and groundskeeping workers on payrolls in Nebraska (May 2025), the 35th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $18.82 an hour, in line with the US median of $18.82.

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up about the same share of Nebraska jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.16).

At the US median of $3.30 per $100 of payroll (Nebraska does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.62 for every hour worked, or $1,292 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $3,875 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Nebraska pay runs from $14.26 an hour at the 10th percentile to $27.86 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.47 an hour on a new hire and $0.92 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Nebraska

  • Coverage required: 1 employee
  • Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded for self; may elect coverage
  • State fund: Private market (no state fund)
  • Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive only if disability continues 6 weeks
  • Penalty for going without: Fine up to $1,000 per day without coverage

Nebraska adjudicates claims through a dedicated Workers' Compensation Court, and its retroactive trigger is an unusually long six weeks.

Nebraska vs neighboring states

  • Colorado: about $3.20 per $100 of payroll
  • Iowa: about $3.82 per $100 of payroll
  • Missouri: about $6.40 per $100 of payroll

Nebraska does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, Colorado is the cheapest for landscaping comp at about $3.20 and Missouri the most expensive at about $6.40 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.

Related Nebraska Landscaping pages