Hialeah framing contractors: workers' comp rates and a real payroll example

Framing businesses in Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade County had 37 framing contractors (NAICS 238130) establishments in 2023, employing 76 people, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.

That is 4.5% of the 821 such establishments statewide, and tied with Lee County for the fifth 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 $47,553 per employee, the base your premium is calculated on.

Of all construction businesses in Miami-Dade County, 0.5% are framing contractor firms (37 of 6,754).

For framing contractor firms, Miami-Dade County's average pay of $47,553 sits above Leon County ($44,429) and below Broward County ($50,632).

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 12,230 carpenters in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro area in May 2024, at a median wage of $23.27 an hour, above the Florida median of $23.12.

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

Rates are the 2026 Florida manual rates published by the FWCJUA, matching the NCCI filing approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation for policies effective on or after January 1, 2026.

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.

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 Hialeah

Before a Hialeah framing job starts, the contractor pulls framing work under the building permit 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 framing contractors in Hialeah

Hialeah framing work is mostly additions, renovations and small infill projects rather than large subdivisions, because the city is largely built out. 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 Hialeah framing quote

• Payroll for your Hialeah framing work, split by class (5645, 5651, 5403) 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 framing 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 framing contractors