What workers' comp costs framing contractors in Orlando, Florida

Framing businesses in Orange County

According to County Business Patterns, 389 people worked at 64 framing contractors (NAICS 238130) establishments in Orange County in 2023.

That is 7.8% of the 821 such establishments statewide, and the highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.

Annual payroll at those firms works out to about $61,440 per employee, which is the number that drives a workers' comp premium.

Within Orlando's own postal ZIP codes there were 23 framing contractor establishments in 2023.

Out of 4,536 construction establishments in Orange County, 1.4% are framing contractor firms.

For framing contractor firms, Orange County's average pay of $61,440 sits above Hillsborough County ($51,096).

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 6,070 carpenters in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area in May 2024, at a median wage of $23.74 an hour, above the Florida median of $23.12.

At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $49,380 a year, which adds roughly $3,797 of class 5645 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 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 Orlando

In Orlando, the City of Orlando Permitting Services handles framing work under the building permit. Under section 440.103 of Florida law, a framing business has to show proof of workers' comp or an exemption to receive a building permit.

Building permits inside Orlando city limits run through the City of Orlando Permitting Services office, and the contractor of record on each permit has to be properly licensed and insured. Work in unincorporated Orange County goes through the county instead, so a crew that works on both sides of the city line deals with two permit desks. Orlando is inland, but hurricane season still reaches it: Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Milton in 2024 both crossed Central Florida.

Most Orlando construction payroll comes from three streams: hospitality and attraction work around International Drive and the parks, the steady build-out of housing on the city's east side near Lake Nona, and medical and research campuses. Commercial owners in that mix routinely ask subcontractors for a certificate naming them as certificate holder, and many require a waiver of subrogation. A policy that cannot produce those quickly costs bids. Where crews work in Spanish, bilingual safety training and claim reporting are practical needs here. Orlando Utilities Commission, owned by the city, provides electric and water service inside much of Orlando, so service connections run through a municipal utility. In the southeast, Lake Nona's medical and research campus has grown into a district of hospitals, labs and housing, adding steady institutional and residential work far from downtown.

• Central Florida's frequent summer lightning means outdoor crews lose afternoons to storms and work longer shifts on clear days.
• Hospitality, theme-park and convention construction keeps commercial jobs running year-round, which favors contractors that can document a steady payroll.

Common claims for framing contractors in Orlando

Orlando framers work mostly on production homes and townhomes in the fast-growing parts of the city, where crews move from slab to slab on a tight schedule. Inland framers work the fast-growing subdivisions, where production pace is the main driver of falls and nail-gun injuries.

• 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 an Orlando framing quote

• Payroll for your Orlando framing work, split by class (5645, 5651, 5403) and with office staff listed separately
• Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your Orlando 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 Orlando Permitting Services, which show the volume and type of Orlando work
• Any jobs planned outside Orange County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them

Questions from Orlando framing contractors