What workers' comp costs roofing contractors in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Broward County has 199 roofing contractor businesses. Class 5551 is $6.752 per $100 of payroll; a 5-person Fort Lauderdale crew runs about $21,741 a year.
Roofing businesses in Broward County
According to County Business Patterns, 3,786 people worked at 199 roofing contractors (NAICS 238160) establishments in Broward County in 2023.
That is 9.0% of the 2,201 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 $64,430 per employee, the base your premium is calculated on.
Within Fort Lauderdale's own postal ZIP codes there were 83 roofing contractor establishments in 2023.
Of all construction businesses in Broward County, 3.6% are roofing contractor firms (199 of 5,558).
For roofing contractor firms, Broward County's average pay of $64,430 sits above Lee County ($63,113).
In the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro, 4,660 people worked as roofers in May 2024, earning a median $22.78 an hour against $22.23 for Florida as a whole.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $47,390 a year, which adds roughly $3,200 of class 5551 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5551 | ROOFING - ALL KINDS | $6.752 | $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
A Fort Lauderdale shop with 5 field employees at the county's average pay reports about $322,000 of class 5551 payroll.
At $6.752 per $100, the manual premium is about $21,741 a year, or about $4,348 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
Without a voluntary carrier, the FWCJUA would charge about $41,961 (Tier 1, 93% surcharge) or $61,528 (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 $18,480, and at a 1.25 mod about $27,176.
Treat this as a worked illustration, not a price: carriers quote on your actual payroll, classifications and claims.
Class 5551 manual premium by headcount at Broward County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $64,000 | $4,321 |
| 3 | $193,000 | $13,031 |
| 5 | $322,000 | $21,741 |
| 10 | $644,000 | $43,483 |
| 20 | $1,289,000 | $87,033 |
How roofing contractors are classified
Every person on a roof crew sits in one class: 5551, Roofing — All Kinds. That covers shingle, tile, metal, modified-bitumen and single-ply work, new roofs and repairs alike. There is no lower-rated "repair only" roofing code in Florida, so a crew doing small leak calls carries the same manual rate as a crew re-roofing a warehouse. Office staff who never go on a job site can be split out to 8810 Clerical at $0.105 per $100, and that split is often the single largest lever on a roofer's premium. Owners who climb ladders and estimate on roofs do not qualify for the clerical rate.
Usually included
- Shingle, tile, metal and flat-roof installation and repair
- Tear-off and debris removal by the roofing crew
- Roof coatings and waterproofing applied on the roof
- Roof flashing and edge metal installed by the roofing crew
Rated separately
- Sheet-metal fabrication in a shop
- Clerical staff with no job-site duties (8810)
- Outside sales staff who never go on roofs
At audit
- Auditors compare roofing payroll to permit history and material invoices, so a jump in squares installed with flat payroll invites questions about uninsured subs.
- Owners who estimate on roofs stay in 5551 for that time; only purely clerical staff move to 8810.
Permits and licensing in Fort Lauderdale
Roofing businesses working in Fort Lauderdale pull roofing permits through the City of Fort Lauderdale Development Services (LauderBuild), and Florida law makes proof of workers' comp coverage or an exemption a condition of getting a building permit.
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 roofing contractors in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale roofers work under HVHZ rules on both oceanfront condos and single-family homes, with salt exposure shortening roof life near the beach. In the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, roof assemblies need product approval and extra inspections, so crews spend more time on each roof, including more hours exposed at the edge.
- Falls from roof edges, ladders and openings, the claim type that drives the 5551 rate
- Heat illness on dark membrane and tile roofs in summer
- Back and shoulder strains from carrying bundles, tile and underlayment
- Burns from torch-down and hot-asphalt work
- Lacerations from metal panels, flashing and cutting tools
What to have ready for a Fort Lauderdale roofing quote
- Payroll for your Fort Lauderdale roofing work, split by class (5551) 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 roofing 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 roofing business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing roofing contractors in Broward County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Fort Lauderdale roofing contractors
How much is workers' comp for a roofing business in Fort Lauderdale?
About $4,348 per worker per year in manual premium, if your pay matches the Broward County average of $64,430. That comes from the statewide class 5551 rate of $6.752 per $100 of payroll; the location inside Florida does not change the rate.
How many roofing contractor businesses operate in Fort Lauderdale?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 83 roofing contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a Fort Lauderdale postal address, out of 199 across Broward County and 2,201 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 roofing 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). Because roofing is construction work, coverage is required from the first employee, and the Fort Lauderdale permit staff can look your policy up in the state database.
How can a roofer lower workers' comp cost without changing codes?
Keep office payroll in 8810 with separate records, document every subcontractor's coverage before the job starts, report injuries the same day, and work toward an experience modifier below 1.0. A drug-free workplace and safety program can earn credits with many carriers.
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 roofing contractors in Fort Lauderdale?
Rates stay fixed for the policy year. What moves is payroll: after a storm, Fort Lauderdale roofing 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.