Workers' comp cost for masonry contractors in Orlando

Masonry businesses in Orange County

Orange County had 131 masonry contractors (NAICS 238140) establishments in 2023, employing 982 people, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.

That is 9.4% of the 1,392 such establishments statewide, and the second highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.

Their average annual payroll per employee was about $51,104. Workers' comp is priced on payroll, so this is the starting point for any Orlando estimate.

ZIP Code Business Patterns puts 77 masonry contractor establishments in ZIP codes whose postal city is Orlando.

Of all construction businesses in Orange County, 2.9% are masonry contractor firms (131 of 4,536).

For masonry contractor firms, Orange County's average pay of $51,104 sits above Lee County ($42,983) and below Palm Beach County ($51,377).

In the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro, 530 people worked as brickmasons and blockmasons in May 2024, earning a median $26.94 an hour against $24.03 for Florida as a whole.

At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $56,040 a year, which adds roughly $2,925 of class 5022 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 masonry contractors are classified

Block, brick and stone work is 5022, Masonry NOC, at $5.220 per $100. Concrete block is the dominant exterior wall system in Florida homes, so masons here spend more time on structural CMU walls and tie-beams than on decorative veneer. Stucco and plastering use a separate class, so a mason that also applies stucco should record that payroll apart. Two rules shape masonry claims in Florida. OSHA's respirable crystalline silica standard for construction (29 CFR 1926.1153) applies whenever block or stone is cut or ground, so wet saws, vacuum shrouds and respirators are part of the job. And because most Florida exterior walls are reinforced concrete block, masons spend long stretches setting rebar, grouting cells and forming tie-beams at the top of the wall, which is where scaffold falls and overhead strains happen.

At audit

• Stucco and plastering payroll belongs in a separate class, so masons who also stucco should record those hours apart.
• Laborers who mix mortar and stock block for the masons are rated in 5022 with the crew.

Permits and licensing in Orlando

Masonry businesses working in Orlando pull masonry work under the building permit through the City of Orlando Permitting Services, and Florida law makes proof of workers' comp coverage or an exemption a condition of getting 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 masonry contractors in Orlando

Orlando masons build the block shells of most new homes in the area, so their payroll tracks the pace of local housing starts closely. Inland masons work mostly on new single-family block homes, where repetitive lifting is the main injury source.

• Falls from scaffolds while laying upper courses
• Back injuries from lifting block, which Florida builders use heavily for exterior walls
• Silica dust exposure from cutting block and stone
• Struck-by injuries from dropped block and mortar buckets
• Hand injuries from saws and trowels

What to have ready for an Orlando masonry quote

• Payroll for your Orlando masonry work, split by class (5022) 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 masonry 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 masonry contractors