Workers' comp cost for plumbing contractors in Orlando
Orange County has 454 plumbing and HVAC contractor businesses. Class 5183 is $2.737 per $100 of payroll; a 6-person Orlando crew runs about $10,483 a year.
Plumbing businesses in Orange County
Orange County had 454 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors (NAICS 238220, which the Census counts together with HVAC) establishments in 2023, employing 7,800 people, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.
That is 4.9% of the 9,351 such establishments statewide, and the sixth highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Annual payroll at those firms works out to about $63,817 per employee, which is the number that drives a workers' comp premium.
Narrowing to ZIP codes with an Orlando postal address, the same Census program lists 332 plumbing and HVAC contractor establishments in 2023.
Plumbing firms make up 10.0% of the 4,536 construction establishments in Orange County.
For plumbing and HVAC contractor firms, Orange County's average pay of $63,817 sits above Broward County ($61,525) and below Lee County ($65,864).
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area earned a median $24.83 an hour in May 2024 (BLS), with 3,440 employed; the Florida median was $24.30.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $51,650 a year, which adds roughly $1,414 of class 5183 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5183 | PLUMBING NOC AND DRIVERS | $2.737 | $2,623 |
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 an Orlando crew
Take a 6-person Orlando crew paid the county average: $383,000 of annual payroll in class 5183.
At $2.737 per $100, the manual premium is about $10,483 a year, or about $1,747 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
Without a voluntary carrier, the FWCJUA would charge about $20,232 (Tier 1, 93% surcharge) or $29,666 (Tiers 2 and 3, 183% surcharge) for the same Orlando payroll.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the Orlando crew would pay about $8,911, and at a 1.25 mod about $13,104.
This is an illustration built from public averages, not a quote.
Class 5183 manual premium by headcount at Orange County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $64,000 | $1,752 |
| 3 | $191,000 | $5,228 |
| 6 | $383,000 | $10,483 |
| 10 | $638,000 | $17,462 |
| 20 | $1,276,000 | $34,924 |
How plumbing contractors are classified
Residential and commercial plumbers fall under 5183, Plumbing NOC and Drivers. It covers water supply, drain, waste and vent piping, water heaters and fixture installation. Contractors who also do lawn sprinkler systems or large site utility work may need additional codes for that payroll. Service plumbers who drive between calls stay in 5183; dispatchers and office staff go in 8810.
Usually included
- Water supply, drain and vent piping
- Water heater and fixture installation
- Service and repair calls
- Drivers of service vehicles
Rated separately
- Large site-utility and sewer-main work
- Lawn sprinkler installation
- Clerical staff (8810)
At audit
- Sewer, water-main and site-utility work deeper than typical building connections can be reclassified, so keep job records that show the scope.
- Service plumbers who drive company vans stay in 5183; separate auto liability is still needed for the vehicles.
Permits and licensing in Orlando
In Orlando, the City of Orlando Permitting Services handles plumbing permits. Under section 440.103 of Florida law, a plumbing 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 plumbing contractors in Orlando
Orlando plumbers work a large share of new-home rough-ins in the growing east-side subdivisions, along with hotel and restaurant service work around the tourist corridor. Inland plumbers work more new-subdivision rough-ins, where trenching and lifting injuries are the main claim drivers.
- Trench collapses and struck-by injuries on sewer and water-line work
- Back injuries from lifting water heaters and fixtures
- Cuts and puncture wounds from pipe and tools
- Exposure to sewage and mold on repair calls
- Slips on wet floors and in flooded crawl spaces
What to have ready for an Orlando plumbing quote
- Payroll for your Orlando plumbing work, split by class (5183) 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 plumbing 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
Get a workers' comp quote for your Orlando plumbing business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing plumbing contractors in Orange County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Orlando plumbing contractors
What does workers' comp cost plumbing contractors in Orlando, FL?
Florida rates are set statewide, so an Orlando business pays the same $2.737 per $100 of payroll for class 5183 as anywhere else in the state. What changes is payroll: at Orange County's 2023 average of about $63,817 per employee, each worker adds roughly $1,747 of manual premium a year before your experience modifier and credits.
How many plumbing and HVAC contractor businesses operate in Orlando?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 332 plumbing and HVAC contractor establishments in ZIP codes with an Orlando postal address, out of 454 across Orange County and 9,351 statewide. Any of those Orlando firms with employees must insure them, which is why owners and GCs ask for a certificate before work starts.
Where do plumbing contractors in Orlando get permits, and is proof of coverage required?
Permits inside Orlando come from the City of Orlando Permitting Services. Plumbing contractors in Orlando work under a state certified or registered license from the Florida DBPR. Because plumbing is construction work, coverage is required from the first employee, and the Orlando permit staff can look your policy up in the state database.
Is a plumber who only does service calls rated lower?
No. Service and new-construction plumbing both fall in 5183. Premium differences come from payroll, losses and the experience modifier, not from the type of plumbing work.
Do Orlando theme-park and hotel jobs require special workers' comp terms?
Large owners usually ask for a certificate naming them as holder, a waiver of subrogation, and sometimes higher employer's liability limits than the standard policy. Those are endorsements on a regular Florida workers' comp policy, and they should be in place before you mobilize.
Can the owner of an Orlando plumbing 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 Orlando, Permits and inspections
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical cyclone climatology (Atlantic season June 1 – November 30)
Reviewed 2026-10-13. Rates and figures are for illustration; a quote depends on your payroll, classifications, experience modifier and carrier.