Workers' comp cost for framing contractors in Tallahassee

Framing businesses in Leon County

The Census Bureau counted 12 framing contractors (NAICS 238130) establishments in Leon County in 2023, with 126 paid employees on their payrolls.

That is 1.5% of the 821 such establishments statewide, and the eighth highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.

Their average annual payroll per employee was about $44,429. Workers' comp is priced on payroll, so this is the starting point for any Tallahassee estimate.

The Census flags this county figure as having high noise, so treat it as approximate.

ZIP Code Business Patterns puts 4 framing contractor establishments in ZIP codes whose postal city is Tallahassee.

Framing firms make up 1.7% of the 705 construction establishments in Leon County.

For framing contractor firms, Leon County's average pay of $44,429 sits above Lee County ($41,514) and below Miami-Dade County ($47,553).

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 520 carpenters in the Tallahassee metro area in May 2024, at a median wage of $22.00 an hour, below the Florida median of $23.12.

At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $45,760 a year, which adds roughly $3,518 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 Tallahassee

Framing businesses working in Tallahassee pull framing work under the building permit through the City of Tallahassee Growth Management, Building Inspection Division, and Florida law makes proof of workers' comp coverage or an exemption a condition of getting a building permit.

Tallahassee runs its permit process fully online: building, land-use, environmental and fire reviews all go through the city's Customer Permit Portal, managed by the Growth Management Department's Building Inspection Division. As the state capital and home to Florida State University and Florida A&M University, Tallahassee has a large share of government, university and institutional construction, where general contractors routinely ask every sub for a certificate before mobilizing. The Big Bend also sees tornadoes and inland tropical storms, including Hurricane Hermine in 2016 and the May 10, 2024 tornadoes that hit the city.

Construction owners in Tallahassee are often public: the State of Florida, Leon County, the city, the universities and the hospital systems. Public owners tend to require formal certificates, certified payroll on some projects and clear documentation of every subcontractor's coverage. The private market is smaller than in South Florida and leans toward single-family homes, apartments near the campuses and light commercial work. Lower volume means many contractors cover a wide area across the Big Bend and into South Georgia. The City of Tallahassee owns its electric, gas and water utilities, so service connections and utility coordination run through the city rather than a private provider. With state agencies, two universities, a community college and regional hospitals all building or renovating, public-sector schedules and budget cycles have a visible effect on when local crews are busiest.

• Public and university projects often require certified payroll and strict certificate tracking, so audit records tend to be cleaner and better documented.
• Hard clay soils and tree canopy add excavation and tree-strike exposures on residential sites.

Common claims for framing contractors in Tallahassee

Tallahassee framers work on single-family homes and apartment complexes, much of it wood-frame construction near the universities. 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 a Tallahassee framing quote

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

Questions from Tallahassee framing contractors