Workers' comp cost for concrete contractors in Fort Lauderdale
Broward County has 89 concrete contractor businesses. Class 5213 is $5.184 per $100 of payroll; a 5-person Fort Lauderdale crew runs about $17,937 a year.
Concrete businesses in Broward County
Broward County had 89 poured concrete foundation and structure contractors (NAICS 238110) establishments in 2023, employing 2,025 people, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.
That is 4.9% of the 1,804 such establishments statewide, and the sixth highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Their average annual payroll per employee was about $69,150. Workers' comp is priced on payroll, so this is the starting point for any Fort Lauderdale estimate.
ZIP Code Business Patterns puts 16 concrete contractor establishments in ZIP codes whose postal city is Fort Lauderdale.
Out of 5,558 construction establishments in Broward County, 1.6% are concrete contractor firms.
For concrete contractor firms, Broward County's average pay of $69,150 sits above Hillsborough County ($63,956).
BLS wage data for May 2024 puts the median for cement masons and concrete finishers in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro at $22.80 an hour across 3,490 jobs; statewide the median is $22.34.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $47,430 a year, which adds roughly $2,459 of class 5213 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5213 | Concrete construction NOC | $5.184 | $2,900 |
| 5221 | Concrete or cement work — floors, driveways, yards and sidewalks | $3.873 | $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 Fort Lauderdale crew
Picture 5 employees of a Fort Lauderdale concrete business, each earning the Broward County average, for $346,000 of payroll in class 5213.
At $5.184 per $100, the manual premium is about $17,937 a year, or about $3,587 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
Without a voluntary carrier, the FWCJUA would charge about $34,618 (Tier 1, 93% surcharge) or $50,761 (Tiers 2 and 3, 183% surcharge) for the same Fort Lauderdale payroll.
The same crew doing only flatwork in 5221 at $3.873 would be about $13,401.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the Fort Lauderdale crew would pay about $15,246, and at a 1.25 mod about $22,421.
Treat this as a worked illustration, not a price: carriers quote on your actual payroll, classifications and claims.
Class 5213 manual premium by headcount at Broward County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $69,000 | $3,577 |
| 3 | $207,000 | $10,731 |
| 5 | $346,000 | $17,937 |
| 10 | $692,000 | $35,873 |
| 20 | $1,383,000 | $71,695 |
How concrete contractors are classified
Concrete payroll usually sits in two classes. Structural work, such as foundations, tilt-wall, columns and elevated slabs, is 5213 at $5.184 per $100. Flatwork, such as driveways, sidewalks, patios and slab-on-grade floors, is 5221 at $3.873. The difference is meaningful, so a contractor doing both should track each job by type. Pump-truck operation and ready-mix delivery have their own codes.
Usually included
- Foundations, footings and columns (5213)
- Elevated slabs and decks (5213)
- Driveways, sidewalks and slab-on-grade floors (5221)
- Forming and finishing crews
Rated separately
- Concrete pumping operators
- Ready-mix delivery drivers
- Clerical staff (8810)
At audit
- Track structural pours (5213) separately from flatwork (5221) job by job; the rate gap is large enough to matter at audit.
- Pump operators and ready-mix drivers are classified apart from the finishing crew.
Permits and licensing in Fort Lauderdale
Before a Fort Lauderdale concrete job starts, the contractor pulls building and right-of-way permits for foundations, slabs and driveways from the City of Fort Lauderdale Development Services (LauderBuild), and state law requires proof of workers' comp or an exemption as part of that application.
Fort Lauderdale permits and inspections run through the city's LauderBuild system, and contractor certificates of competency are issued by Broward County, which says it licenses over 12,000 tradespeople through its Central Examining Board. Broward is the second county in the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so exterior work follows the same stricter product-approval and inspection rules as Miami-Dade. The city's canal network and the Port Everglades area keep marine and waterfront projects a steady part of the work.
Fort Lauderdale's work runs from oceanfront condo towers and hotels on the barrier island to marine projects along the New River and Intracoastal, plus Port Everglades and airport-area commercial work. Many older condo buildings are going through the inspection and repair cycle required by Florida's 2022 condominium safety law, which keeps concrete restoration, waterproofing and masonry crews busy. Large condo and marine owners usually ask for certificates, waivers of subrogation and, for waterfront work, USL&H. Port Everglades, one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, and the airport next to it generate steady commercial and infrastructure work, while Las Olas Boulevard and the downtown core keep office, retail and residential towers in the pipeline. The city runs its own water and sewer utility, and its aging pipe network has been the focus of large replacement projects, which brings underground and plumbing crews into public work.
- Waterfront and marina jobs can bring federal USL&H exposure alongside state workers' comp.
- High-rise condo recertification and repair work under Florida's post-Surfside rules keeps concrete and masonry crews busy.
Common claims for concrete contractors in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale concrete crews do a large share of structural repair and restoration on older condo towers, along with new parking and tower work. High-rise and parking-structure work in the HVHZ keeps structural crews on elevated decks and around pump booms.
- Back and knee injuries from screeding and finishing
- Chemical burns from wet cement on skin
- Struck-by injuries from pump booms and formwork
- Falls from elevated forms and decks
- Heat illness during early-morning pours that run into midday
What to have ready for a Fort Lauderdale concrete quote
- Payroll for your Fort Lauderdale concrete work, split by class (5213, 5221) and with office staff listed separately
- Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your Fort Lauderdale jobs, checked in the Proof of Coverage database
- Three years of loss runs for the concrete business, plus your current experience modifier if you have one
- Recent permits pulled with the City of Fort Lauderdale Development Services (LauderBuild), which show the volume and type of Fort Lauderdale work
- Any jobs planned outside Broward County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them
Get a workers' comp quote for your Fort Lauderdale concrete business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing concrete contractors in Broward County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Fort Lauderdale concrete contractors
How much is workers' comp for a concrete business in Fort Lauderdale?
Start from payroll. Broward County concrete contractor firms paid about $69,150 per employee in 2023, and class 5213 costs $5.184 per $100 of it, so each Fort Lauderdale worker carries roughly $3,587 of manual premium a year. Your experience modifier, credits and the carrier's pricing move the final figure from there.
How many concrete contractor businesses operate in Fort Lauderdale?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 16 concrete contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a Fort Lauderdale postal address, out of 89 across Broward County and 1,804 statewide. Any of those Fort Lauderdale firms with employees must insure them, which is why owners and GCs ask for a certificate before work starts.
Where do concrete contractors in Fort Lauderdale get permits, and is proof of coverage required?
Permits inside Fort Lauderdale come from the City of Fort Lauderdale Development Services (LauderBuild). County-level trade licensing in Broward County runs through Broward County Central Examining Board (contractor licensing). A Fort Lauderdale concrete business with even one employee must carry workers' comp, and the permit desk can confirm it in the state's Proof of Coverage database.
What records keep concrete payroll in the right code?
A job log that notes whether each pour was structural or flatwork, with crew hours by job. That lets the auditor split payroll between 5213 and 5221 instead of placing all of it in the higher-rated class.
Do condo restoration jobs in Fort Lauderdale change my workers' comp?
The class codes follow the work: structural concrete repair, masonry, waterproofing and painting each have their own rates. The bigger issue is subcontractors: restoration jobs use many specialty subs, and any sub without coverage or an exemption can end up on your audited payroll.
Does hurricane season change workers' comp costs for concrete contractors in Fort Lauderdale?
The rate does not change with the season, but the bill can. Premium is calculated on audited payroll, so the storm-repair work that follows a hurricane in Fort Lauderdale raises payroll and, with it, the final audited premium. Updating your payroll estimate mid-term avoids a large audit bill.
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 Fort Lauderdale, LauderBuild
- Broward County, Contractor licenses (Certificates of Competency)
- Florida Building Commission, Florida Building Code (High-Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions for Miami-Dade and Broward)
- 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.