What workers' comp costs framing contractors in Cape Coral, Florida
Lee County has 37 framing contractor businesses. Class 5645 is $7.689 per $100 of payroll in 2026; a 4-person Cape Coral crew runs about $12,764 a year.
Framing businesses in Lee County
According to County Business Patterns, 284 people worked at 37 framing contractors (NAICS 238130) establishments in Lee County in 2023.
That is 4.5% of the 821 such establishments statewide, and tied with Miami-Dade County for the fifth highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Annual payroll at those firms works out to about $41,514 per employee, which is the number that drives a workers' comp premium.
Out of 3,887 construction establishments in Lee County, 1.0% are framing contractor firms.
For framing contractor firms, Lee County's average pay of $41,514 sits above Alachua County ($39,820) and below Leon County ($44,429).
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 3,230 carpenters in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metro area in May 2024, at a median wage of $22.89 an hour, below the Florida median of $23.12.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $47,610 a year, which adds roughly $3,661 of class 5645 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5645 | Carpentry — detached one- or two-family dwellings | $7.689 | $2,900 |
| 5651 | Carpentry — dwellings three stories or less | $4.886 | $2,900 |
| 5403 | Carpentry NOC (commercial) | $4.364 | $2,900 |
Rates are the 2026 Florida manual rates published by the FWCJUA, matching the NCCI filing approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation for policies effective on or after January 1, 2026.
Worked example for a Cape Coral crew
A Cape Coral shop with 4 field employees at the county's average pay reports about $166,000 of class 5645 payroll.
At $7.689 per $100, the manual premium is about $12,764 a year, or about $3,191 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
A Cape Coral business that ends up in the FWCJUA, Florida's market of last resort, pays a 93% surcharge in Tier 1 or 183% in Tiers 2 and 3, about $24,634 or $36,121 on that payroll.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the Cape Coral crew would pay about $10,849, and at a 1.25 mod about $15,955.
Treat this as a worked illustration, not a price: carriers quote on your actual payroll, classifications and claims.
Class 5645 manual premium by headcount at Lee County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $42,000 | $3,229 |
| 3 | $125,000 | $9,611 |
| 4 | $166,000 | $12,764 |
| 10 | $415,000 | $31,909 |
| 20 | $830,000 | $63,819 |
How framing contractors are classified
Framing payroll is split by the building, not the crew. Framing a detached single-family or duplex home is 5645, the highest of the three carpentry rates at $7.689 per $100. Framing larger residential buildings three stories or less is 5651 at $4.886, and commercial framing goes to 5403 at $4.364. A framer who works across all three must keep job-by-job payroll records, because without them the auditor can put every hour in 5645.
Usually included
- Wall, floor and roof framing
- Truss setting
- Sheathing installation
- Wood and light-gauge framing by the same crew
Rated separately
- Crane operators supplied by a crane company
- Finish carpentry and cabinet installation
- Clerical staff (8810)
At audit
- Record payroll by job and building type; without that split the auditor can rate every hour at the detached-dwelling rate.
- Truss setting with a crane operator on the payroll can bring in an additional code for the operator.
Permits and licensing in Cape Coral
In Cape Coral, the City of Cape Coral Permitting Services Division handles framing work under the building permit. Under section 440.103 of Florida law, a framing business has to show proof of workers' comp or an exemption to receive a building permit.
Every building permit in Cape Coral is submitted through the city's EnerGov self-service portal, and the Permitting Services Division registers contractors with the city before they can pull a permit. Cape Coral is laced with canals, so docks, seawalls and boat lifts are a regular part of local construction alongside new single-family homes. Hurricane Ian made landfall in Lee County on September 28, 2022, and the rebuild that followed reshaped the local labor market for roofers, framers and drywall crews for years.
Cape Coral's construction is dominated by single-family homes on a grid of canals and dry lots, with pools, docks, seawalls and boat lifts built alongside many of them. After Hurricane Ian, roof replacement and full rebuilds created a long backlog, and the city's contractor registration and permit portal became the gatekeeper for out-of-area crews. A contractor working here benefits from having certificates on file with the city and the builders it subs for before each job starts. Much of the city still relies on septic systems, and Cape Coral's long-running Utilities Extension Project brings water and sewer lines to those neighborhoods, which keeps underground and plumbing crews busy. Large areas in the northern part of the city remain vacant lots, so new-home construction continues to spread north.
- Canal-front and seawall work adds drowning and marine-construction exposures that can call for USL&H coverage on top of state workers' comp.
- Single-family residential construction dominates, so framing and roofing payroll here tends to land in the residential carpentry and roofing codes.
Common claims for framing contractors in Cape Coral
Cape Coral framers work almost entirely on single-family homes, so most framing payroll here sits in the detached-dwelling class. Wind-load requirements on coastal homes add strapping and sheathing nailing schedules that keep framers on top plates longer.
- Falls from top plates, trusses and wall openings
- Nail-gun puncture wounds
- Struck-by injuries when walls or trusses are raised
- Strains from carrying sheathing and lumber
- Heat illness on open-deck framing in summer
What to have ready for a Cape Coral framing quote
- Payroll for your Cape Coral framing work, split by class (5645, 5651, 5403) and with office staff listed separately
- Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your Cape Coral jobs, checked in the Proof of Coverage database
- Three years of loss runs for the framing business, plus your current experience modifier if you have one
- Recent permits pulled with the City of Cape Coral Permitting Services Division, which show the volume and type of Cape Coral work
- Any jobs planned outside Lee County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them
Get a workers' comp quote for your Cape Coral framing business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing framing contractors in Lee County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Cape Coral framing contractors
How much is workers' comp for a framing business in Cape Coral?
About $3,191 per worker per year in manual premium, if your pay matches the Lee County average of $41,514. That comes from the statewide class 5645 rate of $7.689 per $100 of payroll; the location inside Florida does not change the rate.
Where do framing contractors in Cape Coral get permits, and is proof of coverage required?
Permits inside Cape Coral come from the City of Cape Coral Permitting Services Division. Framing contractors in Cape Coral work under a state certified or registered license from the Florida DBPR. Because framing is construction work, coverage is required from the first employee, and the Cape Coral permit staff can look your policy up in the state database.
Why is single-family framing rated higher than commercial framing?
NCCI rates come from the loss history of each class. Florida's 2026 rate for 5645 (detached one- and two-family dwellings) is higher than 5651 or 5403 because that class has produced more and costlier claims per dollar of payroll.
Does seawall or dock work in Cape Coral need more than state workers' comp?
It can. Work on or over navigable water may fall under the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, which state workers' comp does not cover unless the policy carries a USL&H endorsement. Ask for that endorsement if your crews build or repair seawalls, docks or boat lifts.
Can the owner of a Cape Coral framing company opt out of workers' comp?
Only officers can, and only up to three. In construction, Florida lets up to three officers of a corporation or LLC, each owning at least 10%, file an exemption; sole proprietors and partners cannot. Everyone else on the Cape Coral payroll must be insured. The state enforces this with stop-work orders and penalties of twice the unpaid premium for the prior two years.
Does hurricane season change workers' comp costs for framing contractors in Cape Coral?
Not the rate itself. Workers' comp is billed on actual payroll, so a busy post-storm season in Cape Coral shows up at audit as additional premium. Reporting the higher payroll during the year spreads that cost out instead of leaving one large bill at the end.
Sources
- Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 (metropolitan areas and Florida)
- U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 (establishments by size class, ZIPs grouped by postal city)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.103 — Building permits; proof of workers' compensation coverage
- Florida Workers' Compensation Joint Underwriting Association, 2026 rates and minimum premiums by class
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Commissioner approves 6.9% workers' compensation rate decrease effective January 1, 2026
- NCCI, Florida rate filing effective January 1, 2026
- FWCJUA, Bulletin 25-9: 2026 Tier 1, 2 and 3 surcharges
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (establishments, employment and annual payroll by county and NAICS)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.02 — Definitions (employer, construction industry, corporate officers)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.05 — Election of exemption
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.10 — Liability for compensation (contractors and subcontractors)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.107 — Compliance, stop-work orders and penalties
- Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, Proof of Coverage database
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census population, QuickFacts
- City of Cape Coral, Permitting Services Division
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical cyclone climatology (Atlantic season June 1 – November 30)
Reviewed 2026-10-13. Rates and figures are for illustration; a quote depends on your payroll, classifications, experience modifier and carrier.