Ohio Plumbing Workers Comp Rates 2026: Class Code, Cost

Plumbing workers comp in Ohio 2026: the state's class code, rate, cost per worker from BLS wages, and neighboring states.

Ohio Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Ohio employers buy plumbing workers comp from the state fund. The 2026 base rate for class 5183 (Plumbing NOC and Drivers) is $1.46 per $100 of payroll, before your experience modifier.

The state fund sets one base rate per class; your experience modifier moves it up or down. Source.

Ohio class code for plumbing

  • 5183: Plumbing NOC and Drivers

Monopolistic state fund that uses NCCI manual classification numbers but sets its own base rates (about 500 classes) and does not use NCCI loss costs; some NCCI or state-specific codes (e.g. 5436, 5651) are not in Ohio's table.

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 Ohio

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 16,390 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in Ohio (May 2025), the 6th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $30.45 an hour, in line with the US median of $30.67.

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make up about the same share of Ohio jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.99).

At the Ohio state fund's 2026 base rate of $1.46 per $100 of payroll for class 5183, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.44 for every hour worked, or $925 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $1,851 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Ohio pay runs from $21.86 an hour at the 10th percentile to $48.75 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.32 an hour on a new hire and $0.71 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Ohio

  • Coverage required: 1 employee
  • Owners and sole proprietors: Owners with no employees may elect self-coverage; mandatory once any employee is hired
  • State fund: Monopolistic; coverage only from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC)
  • Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability exceeds 14 days
  • Penalty for going without: Liable for all claim costs during a lapse, BWC penalties, and personal officer liability

Ohio is one of four monopolistic states and offers state-run group-rating and rebate programs unavailable in private-market states.

Ohio vs neighboring states

Among its neighbors, West Virginia is the cheapest for plumbing comp at $0.93 and Pennsylvania the most expensive at $2.47 per $100 of payroll.

If your crews cross into Indiana or Kentucky or Michigan or Pennsylvania or West Virginia, your Ohio state-fund coverage does not follow them. Buy a private policy for the out-of-state work, with Ohio excluded from it.

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.

Related Ohio Plumbing pages