Colorado Painting Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Colorado loss cost for painting workers comp, class 5474 (Painting or Paperhanging NOC & Shop Operations, Drivers), is $2.523 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $3.78.
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.
Colorado class code for painting
- 5474: Painting NOC & Shop Operations, Drivers
- 5037 (Painting: Metal Structures - Over Two Stories in Height & Drivers)
- 5491 (Paperhanging & Drivers)
Painting carries ladder fall risk, solvent exposure and lead paint hazards in buildings built before 1978.
What comp costs per painter in Colorado
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 3,480 painters on payrolls in Colorado (May 2025), the 23rd largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $25.47 an hour, 7% above the US median of $23.75.
Painters make up about the same share of Colorado jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.84).
At a typical Colorado premium of about $3.78 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $2.52 for class 5474 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.96 for every hour worked, or $2,003 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $6,008 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Colorado pay runs from $19.51 an hour at the 10th percentile to $37.36 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.74 an hour on a new hire and $1.41 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Colorado
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners exempt by default; may elect in
- State fund: Competitive state fund (Pinnacol Assurance), which must insure any Colorado employer
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Fines up to $250-$500 per day, plus a 50% benefit increase paid by an uninsured employer
If you are uninsured when a worker is hurt in Colorado, their benefits are increased 50% out of your own pocket.
Colorado vs neighboring states
- Wyoming: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
Colorado has the highest painting comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Wyoming needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.
What moves a painting comp bill
- Painting rates are set by height and surface: interior repaint work and exterior or industrial painting can fall into different classes in many states. Describe your mix accurately at quote time.
- Ladder and scaffold falls are the costly claims. Scaffold training and inspection logs help when you ask a carrier for safety credits.
- Painting crews lean on 1099 labor. Without a certificate of insurance on file, the auditor will add those payments to your payroll.
- Seasonal exterior work makes payroll hard to forecast. Estimate the year, not your busiest month, so the deposit and the audit stay close.