What workers' comp costs framing contractors in West Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach County has 26 framing contractor businesses. Class 5645 is $7.689 per $100 of payroll; a 4-person West Palm Beach crew runs about $11,303 a year.
Framing businesses in Palm Beach County
According to County Business Patterns, 77 people worked at 26 framing contractors (NAICS 238130) establishments in Palm Beach County in 2023.
That is 3.2% of the 821 such establishments statewide, and the seventh highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Annual payroll at those firms works out to about $36,831 per employee, which is the number that drives a workers' comp premium.
The Census flags this county figure as having high noise, so treat it as approximate.
Out of 5,449 construction establishments in Palm Beach County, 0.5% are framing contractor firms.
For framing contractor firms, Palm Beach County's average pay of $36,831 sits above Duval County ($33,068) and below Alachua County ($39,820).
Carpenters in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area earned a median $23.27 an hour in May 2024 (BLS), with 12,230 employed; the Florida median was $23.12.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $48,400 a year, which adds roughly $3,721 of class 5645 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5645 | CARPENTRY - DETACHED DWELLINGS | $7.689 | $2,900 |
| 5651 | CARPENTRY - DWELLINGS - 3 STORIES/LESS | $4.886 | $2,900 |
| 5403 | CARPENTRY NOC | $4.364 | $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 West Palm Beach crew
A West Palm Beach shop with 4 field employees at the county's average pay reports about $147,000 of class 5645 payroll.
At $7.689 per $100, the manual premium is about $11,303 a year, or about $2,826 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
A West Palm Beach business that ends up in the FWCJUA, Florida's market of last resort, pays a 93% surcharge in Tier 1 or 183% in Tiers 2 and 3, about $21,814 or $31,987 on that payroll.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the West Palm Beach crew would pay about $9,608, and at a 1.25 mod about $14,129.
Treat this as a worked illustration, not a price: carriers quote on your actual payroll, classifications and claims.
Class 5645 manual premium by headcount at Palm Beach County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $37,000 | $2,845 |
| 3 | $110,000 | $8,458 |
| 4 | $147,000 | $11,303 |
| 10 | $368,000 | $28,296 |
| 20 | $737,000 | $56,668 |
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.
Usually included
- Wall, floor and roof framing
- Truss setting
- Sheathing installation
- Wood and light-gauge framing by the same crew
Rated separately
- Crane operators supplied by a crane company
- Finish carpentry and cabinet installation
- Clerical staff (8810)
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 West Palm Beach
In West Palm Beach, the City of West Palm Beach Building Division 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.
The West Palm Beach Building Division takes permit applications, payments and inspection requests online, and county contractors are certified and insured through Palm Beach County's Contractor Regulations section. The county notes that as of July 1, 2025, several county construction trade scopes were preempted by state law and no longer need a county certificate of competency, so it is worth confirming which license a given trade needs before bidding. West Palm Beach is the county seat, and downtown office and residential towers sit next to older neighborhoods with steady renovation work.
West Palm Beach combines downtown office and residential towers, a large renovation market in historic neighborhoods such as El Cid and Flamingo Park, and high-end residential work across the bridges on Palm Beach island. Estate and luxury jobs are labor-intensive and often long, so payroll can grow quickly on a single project. Many contractors here work across several Palm Beach County cities, each with its own permit office, while county contractor certification is handled centrally on Jog Road. Downtown, the Brightline station has drawn new office and residential towers to the blocks around it, while the city's own water utility and its projects at the water treatment plant bring public work. Across the Intracoastal, work on Palm Beach island follows the town's own seasonal construction restrictions, which compress schedules into the off-season.
- Palm Beach County sits just outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone but inside the wind-borne debris region, so impact-rated openings are common on exterior jobs.
- Luxury residential and estate work on the island and in the suburbs is labor-heavy, which shows up directly in payroll.
Common claims for framing contractors in West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach framing work is concentrated in renovations, custom homes and interior framing on downtown projects. Wind-load requirements on coastal homes add strapping and sheathing nailing schedules that keep framers on top plates longer.
- 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 West Palm Beach framing quote
- Payroll for your West Palm Beach framing work, split by class (5645, 5651, 5403) and with office staff listed separately
- Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your West Palm Beach 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 West Palm Beach Building Division, which show the volume and type of West Palm Beach work
- Any jobs planned outside Palm Beach County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them
Get a workers' comp quote for your West Palm Beach framing business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing framing contractors in Palm Beach County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from West Palm Beach framing contractors
What does workers' comp cost framing contractors in West Palm Beach, FL?
About $2,826 per worker per year in manual premium, if your pay matches the Palm Beach County average of $36,831. That comes from the statewide class 5645 rate of $7.689 per $100 of payroll; the location inside Florida does not change the rate.
Where do framing contractors in West Palm Beach get permits, and is proof of coverage required?
Permits inside West Palm Beach come from the City of West Palm Beach Building Division. County-level trade licensing in Palm Beach County runs through Palm Beach County Contractor Regulations. Because framing is construction work, coverage is required from the first employee, and the West Palm Beach permit staff can look your policy up in the state database.
How do framers avoid having all payroll rated at 5645?
Keep job-by-job payroll records that show which hours were on detached homes (5645), on residential buildings three stories or less (5651), and on commercial jobs (5403). Without those records, the auditor can apply the highest rate to everything.
Do I still need a Palm Beach County certificate of competency?
It depends on the trade. Palm Beach County says that since July 1, 2025, several county trade scopes are preempted by state law and no longer require a county certificate. Check the county's contractor regulations page for your trade before bidding, and keep your insurance certificates on file with the county either way.
Can the owner of a West Palm Beach framing company opt out of workers' comp?
Only officers can, and only up to three. In construction, Florida lets up to three officers of a corporation or LLC, each owning at least 10%, file an exemption; sole proprietors and partners cannot. Everyone else on the West Palm Beach payroll must be insured. The state enforces this with stop-work orders and penalties of twice the unpaid premium for the prior two years.
Does hurricane season change workers' comp costs for framing contractors in West Palm Beach?
Not the rate itself. Workers' comp is billed on actual payroll, so a busy post-storm season in West Palm Beach shows up at audit as additional premium. Reporting the higher payroll during the year spreads that cost out instead of leaving one large bill at the end.
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 West Palm Beach, Building Division
- Palm Beach County, Contractor Regulations
- 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.