Fort Lauderdale framing contractors: workers' comp rates and a real payroll example
Broward County has 40 framing contractor businesses. Class 5645 is $7.689 per $100 of payroll; a 5-person Fort Lauderdale crew runs about $19,453 a year.
Framing businesses in Broward County
Broward County had 40 framing contractors (NAICS 238130) establishments in 2023, employing 291 people, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.
That is 4.9% of the 821 such establishments statewide, and the fourth highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Divide their reported annual payroll by headcount and the average is about $50,632 per employee, the base your premium is calculated on.
Narrowing to ZIP codes with a Fort Lauderdale postal address, the same Census program lists 4 framing contractor establishments in 2023.
Of all construction businesses in Broward County, 0.7% are framing contractor firms (40 of 5,558).
For framing contractor firms, Broward County's average pay of $50,632 sits above Miami-Dade County ($47,553) and below Hillsborough County ($51,096).
In the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro, 12,230 people worked as carpenters in May 2024, earning a median $23.27 an hour against $23.12 for Florida as a whole.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $48,400 a year, which adds roughly $3,721 of class 5645 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5645 | CARPENTRY - DETACHED DWELLINGS | $7.689 | $2,900 |
| 5651 | CARPENTRY - DWELLINGS - 3 STORIES/LESS | $4.886 | $2,900 |
| 5403 | CARPENTRY NOC | $4.364 | $2,900 |
Rates are the 2026 Florida manual rates published by the FWCJUA, matching the standard filing approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation for policies effective on or after January 1, 2026.
Worked example for a Fort Lauderdale crew
Take a 5-person Fort Lauderdale crew paid the county average: $253,000 of annual payroll in class 5645.
At $7.689 per $100, the manual premium is about $19,453 a year, or about $3,891 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
Without a voluntary carrier, the FWCJUA would charge about $37,545 (Tier 1, 93% surcharge) or $55,052 (Tiers 2 and 3, 183% surcharge) for the same Fort Lauderdale payroll.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the Fort Lauderdale crew would pay about $16,535, and at a 1.25 mod about $24,316.
This is an illustration built from public averages, not a quote.
Class 5645 manual premium by headcount at Broward County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $51,000 | $3,921 |
| 3 | $152,000 | $11,687 |
| 5 | $253,000 | $19,453 |
| 10 | $506,000 | $38,906 |
| 20 | $1,013,000 | $77,890 |
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 Fort Lauderdale
Before a Fort Lauderdale framing job starts, the contractor pulls framing work under the building permit 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 framing contractors in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale framing work leans toward renovations and interior framing in condos and hotels rather than new subdivisions. HVHZ framing calls for more strapping, connectors and inspections per wall, and more time at height setting them.
- 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 Fort Lauderdale framing quote
- Payroll for your Fort Lauderdale framing work, split by class (5645, 5651, 5403) 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 framing 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 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 Broward County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Fort Lauderdale framing contractors
What does workers' comp cost framing contractors in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
Florida rates are set statewide, so a Fort Lauderdale business pays the same $7.689 per $100 of payroll for class 5645 as anywhere else in the state. What changes is payroll: at Broward County's 2023 average of about $50,632 per employee, each worker adds roughly $3,891 of manual premium a year before your experience modifier and credits.
How many framing contractor businesses operate in Fort Lauderdale?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 4 framing contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a Fort Lauderdale postal address, out of 40 across Broward County and 821 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 framing 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). Construction employers in Fort Lauderdale need workers' comp from their first hire; the policy or exemption shows up in the state's Proof of Coverage records that permit offices check.
How do framers avoid having all payroll rated at 5645?
Keep job-by-job payroll records that show which hours were on detached homes (5645), on residential buildings three stories or less (5651), and on commercial jobs (5403). Without those records, the auditor can apply the highest rate to everything.
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 framing 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
- 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.