Wisconsin Landscaping Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Wisconsin rate for landscaping workers comp, class 0042 (Landscape Gardening & Drivers), is $4.88 per $100 of payroll (effective October 1, 2026). Your experience modifier and any carrier discounts adjust it.
This is the published manual rate, so it already includes carrier expenses. Source.
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 18,970 landscaping and groundskeeping workers on payrolls in Wisconsin (May 2025), the 18th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $19.82 an hour, 5% above the US median of $18.82.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up about the same share of Wisconsin jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.05).
At the published Wisconsin rate of $4.88 per $100 of payroll for class 0042, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.97 for every hour worked, or $2,012 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $6,035 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Wisconsin pay runs from $14.34 an hour at the 10th percentile to $28.05 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.70 an hour on a new hire and $1.37 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Wisconsin
- Coverage required: 3+ employees, or 1 employee paid $500+ in a calendar quarter
- Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners excluded; may elect in; some closely-held officers excluded
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 7 days
- Penalty for going without: Twice the premium unpaid or $750 (whichever is greater); a short lapse runs $100 per uninsured day
Wisconsin passed the first constitutional workers comp law in the nation in 1911.
Wisconsin vs neighboring states
Wisconsin 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.