Workers' comp cost for concrete contractors in Hialeah

Concrete businesses in Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade County had 165 poured concrete foundation and structure contractors (NAICS 238110) establishments in 2023, employing 2,485 people, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.

That is 9.1% of the 1,804 such establishments statewide, and the highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.

Their average annual payroll per employee was about $63,367. Workers' comp is priced on payroll, so this is the starting point for any Hialeah estimate.

ZIP Code Business Patterns puts 23 concrete contractor establishments in ZIP codes whose postal city is Hialeah.

Out of 6,754 construction establishments in Miami-Dade County, 2.4% are concrete contractor firms.

For concrete contractor firms, Miami-Dade County's average pay of $63,367 sits above Orange County ($58,587) and below Hillsborough County ($63,956).

Cement masons and concrete finishers in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area earned a median $22.80 an hour in May 2024 (BLS), with 3,490 employed; the Florida median was $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

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.

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.

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 Hialeah

Before a Hialeah concrete job starts, the contractor pulls building and right-of-way permits for foundations, slabs and driveways from the City of Hialeah Building Department, and state law requires proof of workers' comp or an exemption as part of that application.

The City of Hialeah Building Department will not register a contractor without a workers' compensation certificate, or a state exemption, naming the City of Hialeah as certificate holder, along with a liability certificate and business tax receipts. County-licensed trades are reviewed by Miami-Dade County's Construction Trades Qualifying Board, and the county asks for proof of liability and workers' compensation insurance after board approval. Hialeah sits inside the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which governs how roofs, windows and exterior walls are built and inspected here.

Hialeah is one of the most Spanish-speaking cities in the United States, and much of its construction workforce runs on small, family-owned crews that sub for larger Miami-Dade contractors. That structure makes certificate tracking the main workers' comp issue here: a general contractor that hires a uninsured Hialeah sub picks up that sub's payroll at audit. The city's mix of older single-family homes, light industrial buildings along the Palmetto corridor and new mixed-use projects means one crew can work under several class codes in the same month. Hialeah runs its own water and sewer department, so underground work inside the city is coordinated with city utility staff. The Leah Arts District, a warehouse area turned into studios, restaurants and event spaces, has brought adaptive-reuse projects where old industrial buildings get new roofs, electrical services and storefronts. Around Hialeah Park, redevelopment and road projects bring commercial work to the east side of the city.

• Hialeah's industrial corridors along the east side of the city mix warehouse, light-manufacturing and residential jobs, so many crews split payroll between commercial and residential codes.
• High-Velocity Hurricane Zone rules mean more inspections per job for exterior work, and more site hours that count toward audited payroll.

Common claims for concrete contractors in Hialeah

Hialeah concrete crews pour slabs and driveways for infill homes and floors for warehouse and light-industrial buildings. 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 Hialeah concrete quote

• Payroll for your Hialeah concrete work, split by class (5213, 5221) and with office staff listed separately
• Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your Hialeah 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 Hialeah Building Department, which show the volume and type of Hialeah work
• Any jobs planned outside Miami-Dade County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them

Questions from Hialeah concrete contractors