District of Columbia Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
District of Columbia does not publish its plumbing class figures online. Across the 26 states that do, the median typical premium is about $2.25 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current District of Columbia figure.
No official District of Columbia figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
District of Columbia class code for plumbing
- 5183: Plumbing NOC & Drivers
- 5188 (Sprinkler Installation & Drivers)
Plumbing work involves back strain, cuts, burns from soldering and hot water, and work in crawl spaces and other confined spaces.
What comp costs per plumber in District of Columbia
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,010 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in District of Columbia (May 2025), the 50th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $48.57 an hour, 58% above the US median of $30.67.
This trade is a smaller part of the District of Columbia job market than it is nationally: plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters hold 0.48 times their national share of jobs there.
At the US median of $2.25 per $100 of payroll (District of Columbia does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.09 for every hour worked, or $2,273 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $4,546 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. District of Columbia pay runs from $25.15 an hour at the 10th percentile to $56.34 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.57 an hour on a new hire and $1.27 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in District of Columbia
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; may elect in
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive only if disability continues more than 14 days
The District has an unusually long 14-day threshold before the waiting period becomes retroactively payable.
What moves a plumbing comp bill
- Plumbing rates sit in the middle of the construction classes; the swing comes from your experience mod. Trench and excavation injuries are the costly claims, so trench-safety training pays back quickly.
- Some states split residential and commercial plumbing into different classes. If you do both, make sure the payroll for each is recorded so the cheaper work is not rated at the higher class.
- Apprentices carry the same class rate as journeymen, but their lower wages mean less premium per hour. Your payroll mix matters as much as the rate.
- Uninsured subs (excavators, drywall patchers) get added to your payroll at audit unless you collect certificates before they start.