Workers' comp cost for plumbing contractors in West Palm Beach
Class 5183 is $2.737 per $100 of payroll in 2026. A 4-person West Palm Beach plumbing crew at Palm Beach County pay runs about $6,541 a year.
Plumbing businesses in Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County had 711 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors (NAICS 238220, which the Census counts together with HVAC) establishments in 2023, employing 6,326 people, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.
That is 7.6% of the 9,351 such establishments statewide, and the third highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Annual payroll at those firms works out to about $59,848 per employee, which is the number that drives a workers' comp premium.
Narrowing to ZIP codes with a West Palm Beach postal address, the same Census program lists 229 plumbing and HVAC contractor establishments in 2023.
Plumbing firms make up 13.0% of the 5,449 construction establishments in Palm Beach County.
For plumbing and HVAC contractor firms, Palm Beach County's average pay of $59,848 sits above Leon County ($57,194) and below Broward County ($61,525).
In the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro, 5,130 people worked as plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in May 2024, earning a median $27.01 an hour against $24.30 for Florida as a whole.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $56,170 a year, which adds roughly $1,537 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 a West Palm Beach crew
Take a 4-person West Palm Beach crew paid the county average: $239,000 of annual payroll in class 5183.
At $2.737 per $100, the manual premium is about $6,541 a year, or about $1,635 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
Without a voluntary carrier, the FWCJUA would charge about $12,625 (Tier 1, 93% surcharge) or $18,512 (Tiers 2 and 3, 183% surcharge) for the same West Palm Beach payroll.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the West Palm Beach crew would pay about $5,560, and at a 1.25 mod about $8,176.
This is an illustration built from public averages, not a quote.
Class 5183 manual premium by headcount at Palm Beach County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | $1,642 |
| 3 | $180,000 | $4,927 |
| 4 | $239,000 | $6,541 |
| 10 | $598,000 | $16,367 |
| 20 | $1,197,000 | $32,762 |
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 West Palm Beach
In West Palm Beach, the City of West Palm Beach Building Division 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.
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 plumbing contractors in West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach plumbers work on custom homes, renovations in historic neighborhoods and downtown commercial projects. A high water table near the coast means wet trenches and more dewatering on underground work.
- 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 a West Palm Beach plumbing quote
- Payroll for your West Palm Beach plumbing work, split by class (5183) 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 plumbing 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 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 Palm Beach County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from West Palm Beach plumbing contractors
How much is workers' comp for a plumbing business in West Palm Beach?
Florida rates are set statewide, so a West Palm Beach business pays the same $2.737 per $100 of payroll for class 5183 as anywhere else in the state. What changes is payroll: at Palm Beach County's 2023 average of about $59,848 per employee, each worker adds roughly $1,635 of manual premium a year before your experience modifier and credits.
How many plumbing and HVAC contractor businesses operate in West Palm Beach?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 229 plumbing and HVAC contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a West Palm Beach postal address, out of 711 across Palm Beach County and 9,351 statewide. Any of those West Palm Beach firms with employees must insure them, which is why owners and GCs ask for a certificate before work starts.
Where do plumbing 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 plumbing 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.
Do plumbing helpers and apprentices get a lower rate?
No. Helpers, apprentices and licensed plumbers are all rated in 5183. The way to lower the total is accurate payroll reporting, separate office payroll in 8810, and a clean loss record that brings your experience modifier down.
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.
Does hurricane season change workers' comp costs for plumbing contractors in West Palm Beach?
The rate does not change with the season, but the bill can. Premium is calculated on audited payroll, so the storm-repair work that follows a hurricane in West Palm Beach raises payroll and, with it, the final audited premium. Updating your payroll estimate mid-term avoids a large audit bill.
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.