What workers' comp costs roofing contractors in Tampa, Florida
Hillsborough County has 142 roofing contractor businesses. Class 5551 is $6.752 per $100 of payroll in 2026; a 6-person Tampa crew runs about $22,214 a year.
Roofing businesses in Hillsborough County
According to County Business Patterns, 1,954 people worked at 142 roofing contractors (NAICS 238160) establishments in Hillsborough County in 2023.
That is 6.5% of the 2,201 such establishments statewide, and 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 $54,878 per employee, the base your premium is calculated on.
Within Tampa's own postal ZIP codes there were 53 roofing contractor establishments in 2023.
Of all construction businesses in Hillsborough County, 3.2% are roofing contractor firms (142 of 4,393).
For roofing contractor firms, Hillsborough County's average pay of $54,878 sits above Orange County ($54,477) and below Alachua County ($56,152).
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 3,230 roofers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area in May 2024, at a median wage of $22.76 an hour, above the Florida median of $22.23.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $47,340 a year, which adds roughly $3,196 of class 5551 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5551 | ROOFING - ALL KINDS | $6.752 | $2,900 |
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 a Tampa crew
A Tampa shop with 6 field employees at the county's average pay reports about $329,000 of class 5551 payroll.
At $6.752 per $100, the manual premium is about $22,214 a year, or about $3,702 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
Without a voluntary carrier, the FWCJUA would charge about $42,873 (Tier 1, 93% surcharge) or $62,866 (Tiers 2 and 3, 183% surcharge) for the same Tampa payroll.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the Tampa crew would pay about $18,882, and at a 1.25 mod about $27,768.
Treat this as a worked illustration, not a price: carriers quote on your actual payroll, classifications and claims.
Class 5551 manual premium by headcount at Hillsborough County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $55,000 | $3,714 |
| 3 | $165,000 | $11,141 |
| 6 | $329,000 | $22,214 |
| 10 | $549,000 | $37,068 |
| 20 | $1,098,000 | $74,137 |
How roofing contractors are classified
Every person on a roof crew sits in one class: 5551, Roofing — All Kinds. That covers shingle, tile, metal, modified-bitumen and single-ply work, new roofs and repairs alike. There is no lower-rated "repair only" roofing code in Florida, so a crew doing small leak calls carries the same manual rate as a crew re-roofing a warehouse. Office staff who never go on a job site can be split out to 8810 Clerical at $0.105 per $100, and that split is often the single largest lever on a roofer's premium. Owners who climb ladders and estimate on roofs do not qualify for the clerical rate.
Usually included
- Shingle, tile, metal and flat-roof installation and repair
- Tear-off and debris removal by the roofing crew
- Roof coatings and waterproofing applied on the roof
- Roof flashing and edge metal installed by the roofing crew
Rated separately
- Sheet-metal fabrication in a shop
- Clerical staff with no job-site duties (8810)
- Outside sales staff who never go on roofs
At audit
- Auditors compare roofing payroll to permit history and material invoices, so a jump in squares installed with flat payroll invites questions about uninsured subs.
- Owners who estimate on roofs stay in 5551 for that time; only purely clerical staff move to 8810.
Permits and licensing in Tampa
Roofing businesses working in Tampa pull roofing permits through the City of Tampa Construction Services Division, and Florida law makes proof of workers' comp coverage or an exemption a condition of getting a building permit.
To register a license with the City of Tampa Construction Services Division, every license type must show a certificate of workers' compensation insurance or proof of exemption, along with the state license and a registration form. Florida's 2021 occupational-licensing preemption (HB 735) ended most local contractor licensing once the grandfather period expired on July 1, 2025, so most Tampa contractors now work under a state-certified or state-registered license and use Hillsborough County's HillsGovHub portal. Tampa sits on the bay, and storm surge risk shapes a large share of repair work after every hurricane season.
Tampa's work mixes downtown and Water Street towers, Westshore office projects, Port Tampa Bay and MacDill Air Force Base, hospital expansions, and a large residential market across Hillsborough County. Storm repair after Helene and Milton can put unfamiliar subs on a job, so check every sub's certificate in the state Proof of Coverage database. Contractors who keep current certificates on file with their regular GCs get mobilized faster after a storm. Ybor City is a National Historic Landmark District, and exterior changes there go through the city's Barrio Latino Commission, which adds a design review step for roofers, masons and window installers. Downtown, the Water Street district has added towers, hotels and offices along the Channel District, while Tampa Electric and the city's water department coordinate the utility side of new connections.
- Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024 drove a long repair cycle across Tampa Bay, and payroll for repair trades rose with it.
- Port Tampa Bay, MacDill Air Force Base and the hospital systems keep institutional and industrial jobs in the mix.
Common claims for roofing contractors in Tampa
Tampa roofers carried a long post-storm backlog after Helene and Milton, with re-roofs on homes across South Tampa and the bay side making up much of the work. Coastal roofs take wind-driven rain and salt, which means more tear-off and repair work after storms, often done fast and in poor conditions.
- Falls from roof edges, ladders and openings, the claim type that drives the 5551 rate
- Heat illness on dark membrane and tile roofs in summer
- Back and shoulder strains from carrying bundles, tile and underlayment
- Burns from torch-down and hot-asphalt work
- Lacerations from metal panels, flashing and cutting tools
What to have ready for a Tampa roofing quote
- Payroll for your Tampa roofing work, split by class (5551) and with office staff listed separately
- Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your Tampa jobs, checked in the Proof of Coverage database
- Three years of loss runs for the roofing business, plus your current experience modifier if you have one
- Recent permits pulled with the City of Tampa Construction Services Division, which show the volume and type of Tampa work
- Any jobs planned outside Hillsborough County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them
Get a workers' comp quote for your Tampa roofing business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing roofing contractors in Hillsborough County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Tampa roofing contractors
What does workers' comp cost roofing contractors in Tampa, FL?
About $3,702 per worker per year in manual premium, if your pay matches the Hillsborough County average of $54,878. That comes from the statewide class 5551 rate of $6.752 per $100 of payroll; the location inside Florida does not change the rate.
How many roofing contractor businesses operate in Tampa?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 53 roofing contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a Tampa postal address, out of 142 across Hillsborough County and 2,201 statewide. Each of them needs workers' comp once it has an employee, so a current certificate is part of almost every Tampa bid package.
Where do roofing contractors in Tampa get permits, and is proof of coverage required?
Permits inside Tampa come from the City of Tampa Construction Services Division. County-level trade licensing in Hillsborough County runs through Hillsborough County contractor licensing (HillsGovHub). Because roofing is construction work, coverage is required from the first employee, and the Tampa permit staff can look your policy up in the state database.
Can a roofer use a cheaper repair code for small leak calls?
No. Florida has one roofing class, 5551, for all roofing work, new or repair, so every hour on a roof is rated the same way. The way to lower the premium is to split out true office payroll, keep a clean loss history and document subcontractor certificates.
Do Tampa contractors have to register their insurance with the city?
Yes. The City of Tampa's contractor registration asks for a certificate of workers' compensation insurance or proof of exemption, along with the state license. Keep the registration current when your policy renews, or permits can be held.
Does hurricane season change workers' comp costs for roofing contractors in Tampa?
Rates stay fixed for the policy year. What moves is payroll: after a storm, Tampa roofing contractors often add crews and overtime, and the year-end audit charges premium on every added dollar. Tell your agent when you staff up so the deposit premium keeps pace.
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 Tampa, Construction Services
- City of Tampa, Guide to contractor license registrations and insurance updates (2026)
- Hillsborough County, Apply for a Hillsborough County contractor license (HillsGovHub)
- Florida Legislature, HB 735 (2021) — Preemption of Local Occupational Licensing
- Florida Legislature, CS/HB 1579 (2024) — Occupational Licensing (local licensing sunset July 1, 2025)
- 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.