Vermont Landscaping Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Vermont loss cost for landscaping workers comp, class 0042 (Landscape Gardening & Drivers), is $3.040 per $100 of payroll (effective April 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $4.56.
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.
Vermont 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 Vermont
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 2,700 landscaping and groundskeeping workers on payrolls in Vermont (May 2025), the 47th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $22.23 an hour, 18% above the US median of $18.82.
This trade is a bigger part of the Vermont job market than it is nationally: landscaping and groundskeeping workers hold 1.4 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical Vermont premium of about $4.56 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $3.04 for class 0042 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.01 for every hour worked, or $2,108 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $6,325 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Vermont pay runs from $17.59 an hour at the 10th percentile to $29.78 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.80 an hour on a new hire and $1.36 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Vermont
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners not required to cover themselves but may elect in; must cover any employees
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; eliminated and paid retroactively if disability extends beyond 10 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $50/day pre-notice, escalating to $150/day, plus stop-work authority
Vermont uses a two-tier escalating daily fine, jumping from $50 to $150 a day if the lapse isn't cured within five days of notice.
Vermont vs neighboring states
- Massachusetts: about $2.29 per $100 of payroll
- New York: about $2.80 per $100 of payroll
Vermont 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.