What workers' comp costs concrete contractors in Gainesville, Florida
Alachua County has 11 concrete contractor businesses. Class 5213 is $5.184 per $100 of payroll in 2026; a 3-person Gainesville crew runs about $8,865 a year.
Concrete businesses in Alachua County
The Census Bureau counted 11 poured concrete foundation and structure contractors (NAICS 238110) establishments in Alachua County in 2023, with 117 paid employees on their payrolls.
That is 0.6% of the 1,804 such establishments statewide, and the lowest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Annual payroll at those firms works out to about $56,932 per employee, which is the number that drives a workers' comp premium.
Within Gainesville's own postal ZIP codes there were 3 concrete contractor establishments in 2023.
Of all construction businesses in Alachua County, 2.0% are concrete contractor firms (11 of 555).
For concrete contractor firms, Alachua County's average pay of $56,932 sits above Duval County ($55,465) and below Orange County ($58,587).
Cement masons and concrete finishers in the Gainesville area earned a median $21.33 an hour in May 2024 (BLS), with 150 employed; the Florida median was $22.34.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $44,360 a year, which adds roughly $2,300 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 | $3.873 | $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 Gainesville crew
A Gainesville shop with 3 field employees at the county's average pay reports about $171,000 of class 5213 payroll.
At $5.184 per $100, the manual premium is about $8,865 a year, or about $2,955 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 $17,109 or $25,087.
The same crew doing only flatwork in 5221 at $3.873 would be about $6,623.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the Gainesville crew would pay about $7,535, and at a 1.25 mod about $11,081.
This is an illustration built from public averages, not a quote.
Class 5213 manual premium by headcount at Alachua County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $57,000 | $2,955 |
| 3 | $171,000 | $8,865 |
| 10 | $569,000 | $29,497 |
| 20 | $1,139,000 | $59,046 |
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 Gainesville
Concrete businesses working in Gainesville pull building and right-of-way permits for foundations, slabs and driveways through the City of Gainesville Building Division, and Florida law makes proof of workers' comp coverage or an exemption a condition of getting a building permit.
Gainesville's Building Division handles permits and inspection requests inside city limits, with inspections requested online through PermitGNV; work in unincorporated Alachua County goes through the county instead. The University of Florida and UF Health are the region's largest construction owners, so campus, medical and student-housing projects make up a big share of commercial work. Being inland in North Central Florida, Gainesville sees fewer direct hurricane hits, but summer heat and afternoon storms shape every outdoor schedule.
Gainesville's construction is anchored by the University of Florida and UF Health, which drive campus buildings, research labs, hospital expansions and a steady supply of student-housing projects near the campus. Outside the university, the market is mostly single-family housing and light commercial work spread across Alachua County. University and hospital owners have formal contractor safety and insurance requirements, and they check certificates before a sub can badge onto the site. Two local details shape day-to-day work here. Gainesville Regional Utilities is owned by the city, so electrical, water and sewer connections are coordinated with a municipal utility rather than an investor-owned one. And growth along the Archer Road corridor and at Celebration Pointe near I-75 has added retail, hotel and mixed-use projects to a market that used to be mostly campus and housing work. Santa Fe College's construction programs also feed a local pipeline of entry-level workers, and new hires carry the highest injury risk in their first year.
- University and hospital projects usually require subcontractors to carry and prove workers' comp before mobilizing, with certificates checked against the state database.
- Student-housing projects add mid-rise wood framing and multi-family work.
Common claims for concrete contractors in Gainesville
Gainesville concrete crews pour foundations for apartments and medical buildings and slabs for new homes. Inland concrete crews pour mostly slabs and foundations for new homes and warehouses, with heat and back strain as the main risks.
- 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 Gainesville concrete quote
- Payroll for your Gainesville concrete work, split by class (5213, 5221) and with office staff listed separately
- Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your Gainesville 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 Gainesville Building Division, which show the volume and type of Gainesville work
- Any jobs planned outside Alachua County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them
Get a workers' comp quote for your Gainesville 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 Alachua County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Gainesville concrete contractors
What does workers' comp cost concrete contractors in Gainesville, FL?
About $2,955 per worker per year in manual premium, if your pay matches the Alachua County average of $56,932. That comes from the statewide class 5213 rate of $5.184 per $100 of payroll; the location inside Florida does not change the rate.
How many concrete contractor businesses operate in Gainesville?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 3 concrete contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a Gainesville postal address, out of 11 across Alachua County and 1,804 statewide. Each of them needs workers' comp once it has an employee, so a current certificate is part of almost every Gainesville bid package.
Where do concrete contractors in Gainesville get permits, and is proof of coverage required?
Permits inside Gainesville come from the City of Gainesville Building Division. Concrete contractors in Gainesville work under a state certified or registered license from the Florida DBPR. Because concrete is construction work, coverage is required from the first employee, and the Gainesville permit staff can look your policy up in the state database.
What is the difference between 5213 and 5221?
5213 is structural concrete such as foundations, columns and elevated decks. 5221 is flatwork such as driveways, sidewalks and slab-on-grade floors. In 2026 the Florida rates are $5.184 and $3.873 per $100 of payroll.
What do UF and hospital projects in Gainesville ask subcontractors for?
Expect a certificate of workers' compensation naming the owner or general contractor, proof of employer's liability limits, and sometimes a waiver of subrogation. The owner or GC will check the policy against the state's Proof of Coverage database before the crew starts.
Can the owner of a Gainesville concrete company opt out of workers' comp?
In construction, up to three officers of a corporation or LLC who each own at least 10% of the company can file for an exemption with the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation. The exemption covers only those officers. Every employee still has to be covered, and working without coverage can bring a stop-work order and a penalty of twice the premium that should have been paid over the prior two years.
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 Gainesville, Building Inspections
Reviewed 2026-10-13. Rates and figures are for illustration; a quote depends on your payroll, classifications, experience modifier and carrier.