Nevada Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Nevada 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 Nevada figure.
No official Nevada figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Nevada 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 Nevada
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 5,370 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in Nevada (May 2025), the 31st largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $29.62 an hour, 3% below the US median of $30.67.
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make up about the same share of Nevada jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.15).
At the US median of $2.25 per $100 of payroll (Nevada does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.67 for every hour worked, or $1,386 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,772 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Nevada pay runs from $20.29 an hour at the 10th percentile to $56.94 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.46 an hour on a new hire and $1.28 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Nevada
- Coverage required: 1 employee; licensed contractors must carry even with no employees
- Owners and sole proprietors: A sole proprietor with no employees is exempt unless licensed as a contractor
- State fund: Private market (monopoly abolished in 1999)
- Waiting period: 5 days (consecutive, or within a 20-day period)
- Penalty for going without: Administrative fines up to $15,000, business closure, and criminal charges for serious injury
Nevada requires licensed contractors to carry coverage on themselves even with zero employees.
Nevada vs neighboring states
- California: about $5.72 per $100 of payroll
- Idaho: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
- Oregon: about $1.46 per $100 of payroll
Nevada does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, Oregon is the cheapest for plumbing comp at about $1.46 and California the most expensive at about $5.72 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 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.