New York Landscaping Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published New York loss cost for landscaping workers comp, class 0042 (Landscape Gardening - All Operations to Completion & Drivers), is $1.865 per $100 of payroll (effective October 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $2.80.
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.
New York class code for landscaping
- 0042: Landscape Gardening - All Operations to Completion & Drivers
New York is an independent bureau state: it uses 4-digit codes that look like NCCI codes, but several NCCI classes do not exist in New York (no 5551, 5537, 5478 or 5436), roofing is split by roof pitch, and carpentry is split by building type and height.
Landscaping carries equipment, lifting, heat and pesticide exposure risks. Tree pruning and trimming is a separate class (0106).
What comp costs per landscaper in New York
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 47,600 landscaping and groundskeeping workers on payrolls in New York (May 2025), the 4th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $21.56 an hour, 15% above the US median of $18.82.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up about the same share of New York jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.80).
At a typical New York premium of about $2.80 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.87 for class 0042 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.60 for every hour worked, or $1,256 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $3,767 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. New York pay runs from $16.80 an hour at the 10th percentile to $28.81 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.47 an hour on a new hire and $0.81 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in New York
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: A sole proprietor with no employees is exempt; adding one employee triggers the full requirement
- State fund: Competitive state fund (New York State Insurance Fund)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability extends beyond 14 days
- Penalty for going without: $2,000 per 10-day period (under 10 employees), $5,000 for larger, plus criminal exposure
New York uses the independent NYCIRB (not NCCI) and separately mandates statutory Disability Benefits Law coverage alongside workers comp.
New York vs neighboring states
- Connecticut: about $5.85 per $100 of payroll
- Massachusetts: about $2.29 per $100 of payroll
- New Jersey: about $8.97 per $100 of payroll
- Pennsylvania: about $3.73 per $100 of payroll
- Vermont: about $4.56 per $100 of payroll
Among its neighbors, Massachusetts is the cheapest for landscaping comp at $2.29 and New Jersey the most expensive at $8.97 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.