Oregon Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Oregon pure premium for plumbing workers comp, class 5183 (Plumbing NOC and Drivers), is $0.972 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.46.
A pure premium 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.
Oregon 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 Oregon
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 5,370 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in Oregon (May 2025), the 32nd largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $46.66 an hour, 52% above the US median of $30.67.
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make up about the same share of Oregon jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.91).
At a typical Oregon premium of about $1.46 per $100 of payroll (the published pure premium of $0.97 for class 5183 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.68 for every hour worked, or $1,417 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,834 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Oregon pay runs from $27.99 an hour at the 10th percentile to $70.72 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.41 an hour on a new hire and $1.03 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Oregon
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners and 10%+ officers excluded by default; personal coverage only if the insurer accepts a written election
- State fund: Competitive state fund (SAIF Corporation)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if off 14 consecutive days or hospitalized overnight within 14 days
- Penalty for going without: $1,000 or twice the premium owed, plus $250 per day and personal liability for benefits
Oregon restores the waiting period retroactively if a worker is hospitalized overnight within the first 14 days, not only through the standard consecutive-day trigger.
Oregon vs neighboring states
- California: about $5.72 per $100 of payroll
- Idaho: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
- Washington: about $4.68 per $100 of payroll
Oregon has the lowest plumbing comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges more per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Washington 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 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.