What workers' comp costs plumbing contractors in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Class 5183 is $2.737 per $100 of payroll in 2026. A 5-person Fort Lauderdale plumbing crew at Broward County pay runs about $8,430 a year.
Plumbing businesses in Broward County
The Census Bureau counted 881 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors (NAICS 238220, which the Census counts together with HVAC) establishments in Broward County in 2023, with 8,764 paid employees on their payrolls.
That is 9.4% of the 9,351 such establishments statewide, and the second 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 $61,525 per employee, the base your premium is calculated on.
ZIP Code Business Patterns puts 390 plumbing and HVAC contractor establishments in ZIP codes whose postal city is Fort Lauderdale.
Out of 5,558 construction establishments in Broward County, 15.9% are plumbing and HVAC contractor firms.
For plumbing and HVAC contractor firms, Broward County's average pay of $61,525 sits above Palm Beach County ($59,848) and below Orange County ($63,817).
BLS wage data for May 2024 puts the median for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro at $27.01 an hour across 5,130 jobs; statewide the median is $24.30.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $56,170 a year, which adds roughly $1,537 of class 5183 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5183 | PLUMBING NOC AND DRIVERS | $2.737 | $2,623 |
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
Picture 5 employees of a Fort Lauderdale plumbing business, each earning the Broward County average, for $308,000 of payroll in class 5183.
At $2.737 per $100, the manual premium is about $8,430 a year, or about $1,686 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
If the business were placed in the FWCJUA instead, the 2026 surcharges of 93% (Tier 1) and 183% (Tiers 2 and 3) would put the same payroll at about $16,270 or $23,857.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the Fort Lauderdale crew would pay about $7,166, and at a 1.25 mod about $10,538.
These Fort Lauderdale figures are an illustration from public data; a real quote uses your own payroll and loss history.
Class 5183 manual premium by headcount at Broward County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $62,000 | $1,697 |
| 3 | $185,000 | $5,063 |
| 5 | $308,000 | $8,430 |
| 10 | $615,000 | $16,833 |
| 20 | $1,231,000 | $33,692 |
How plumbing contractors are classified
Residential and commercial plumbers fall under 5183, Plumbing NOC and Drivers. It covers water supply, drain, waste and vent piping, water heaters and fixture installation. Contractors who also do lawn sprinkler systems or large site utility work may need additional codes for that payroll. Service plumbers who drive between calls stay in 5183; dispatchers and office staff go in 8810.
Usually included
- Water supply, drain and vent piping
- Water heater and fixture installation
- Service and repair calls
- Drivers of service vehicles
Rated separately
- Large site-utility and sewer-main work
- Lawn sprinkler installation
- Clerical staff (8810)
At audit
- Sewer, water-main and site-utility work deeper than typical building connections can be reclassified, so keep job records that show the scope.
- Service plumbers who drive company vans stay in 5183; separate auto liability is still needed for the vehicles.
Permits and licensing in Fort Lauderdale
Before a Fort Lauderdale plumbing job starts, the contractor pulls plumbing permits 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 plumbing contractors in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale plumbers handle riser replacements in older condo towers and repairs to homes in low-lying neighborhoods near the canals. Flooding after South Florida storms brings sewage backups and wet-work in damaged buildings, with infection and slip exposures.
- Trench collapses and struck-by injuries on sewer and water-line work
- Back injuries from lifting water heaters and fixtures
- Cuts and puncture wounds from pipe and tools
- Exposure to sewage and mold on repair calls
- Slips on wet floors and in flooded crawl spaces
What to have ready for a Fort Lauderdale plumbing quote
- Payroll for your Fort Lauderdale plumbing work, split by class (5183) 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 plumbing 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 plumbing business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing plumbing contractors in Broward County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Fort Lauderdale plumbing contractors
How much is workers' comp for a plumbing business in Fort Lauderdale?
Start from payroll. Broward County plumbing and HVAC contractor firms paid about $61,525 per employee in 2023, and class 5183 costs $2.737 per $100 of it, so each Fort Lauderdale worker carries roughly $1,686 of manual premium a year. Your experience modifier, credits and the carrier's pricing move the final figure from there.
How many plumbing and HVAC contractor businesses operate in Fort Lauderdale?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 390 plumbing and HVAC contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a Fort Lauderdale postal address, out of 881 across Broward County and 9,351 statewide. Each of them needs workers' comp once it has an employee, so a current certificate is part of almost every Fort Lauderdale bid package.
Where do plumbing 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.
Do plumbing helpers and apprentices get a lower rate?
No. Helpers, apprentices and licensed plumbers are all rated in 5183. The way to lower the total is accurate payroll reporting, separate office payroll in 8810, and a clean loss record that brings your experience modifier down.
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 plumbing contractors in Fort Lauderdale?
Rates stay fixed for the policy year. What moves is payroll: after a storm, Fort Lauderdale plumbing contractors often add crews and overtime, and the year-end audit charges premium on every added dollar. Tell your agent when you staff up so the deposit premium keeps pace.
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.