Home › Workers' Comp by Industry › Solar Contractors

Workers' Comp for Solar Contractors in Florida

Code 5191 - 2026 FL filed rate $0.83/100 of payroll.

Florida Solar Workers' Comp - Rates, Codes, and What You're Actually Paying For

Florida is one of the top three solar markets in the US. After the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022, residential solar installations accelerated dramatically - and the labor force building those systems grew with it. More installers means more workers' comp exposure, and carriers have been paying close attention to solar classification ever since.

The primary NCCI classification for rooftop solar PV installation is Code 5191 - Electrical Apparatus Installation/Low Voltage. The 2026 filed rate is $0.83/100 of payroll. Some carriers, particularly for residential solar with significant panel wiring, assign Code 5190 - Electrical Wiring within Buildings at $2.97/100 instead.

The difference between those two codes is not trivial at scale. A solar company with $500,000 in annual payroll is looking at a rate difference of $10,700/year between code 5190 and 5191. Knowing which code your carrier uses - and why - is part of managing your workers' comp cost.

Code	Description	2026 Rate	When Used
5191	Electrical Apparatus Installation/Low Voltage	$0.83	Most rooftop solar PV - panels, inverters, DC wiring, monitoring systems
5190	Electrical Wiring within Buildings	$2.97	Some carriers use for solar with substantial AC wiring inside structures

The Real Risk: Falls, Heat, and the Florida Rooftop Environment

The #1 workers' comp claim type for solar installers is falls. Full stop. Rooftop solar means your crews are on pitched residential roofs or flat commercial roofs all day, carrying panels that weigh 40-50 lbs each, in Florida heat. The combination of physical fatigue, heat, and roofline exposure produces falls that result in serious injuries.

Rooftop falls - OSHA 1926 fall protection requirements apply. Residential roofs over 6 feet require fall protection; commercial roofs require it universally. Solar installation frequently happens on both. Citations are common; claims are expensive. A single rooftop fall with serious injury can exceed $200,000 in workers' comp costs.
Heat illness - Florida solar installers work in direct sun, on surfaces that reflect and absorb heat simultaneously. A dark shingle roof in July in Central Florida can reach 170-180°F surface temperature. Working on that surface while carrying panels is extreme heat exposure. Heat exhaustion happens fast when workers are not acclimated or not hydrating properly.
Panel handling injuries - cuts from panel frames and mounting hardware are frequent. Back and shoulder strain from repetitive lifting and positioning of panels on sloped surfaces is the second most common claim type after falls. Wrist and hand injuries from ratchet guns and conduit work round out the picture.
Electrical hazards - solar panels generate DC current the moment sunlight hits them. There is no "off" switch for a panel exposed to light. Installers working on live DC circuits face shock exposure that differs from standard AC work. DC arc flash is also a different hazard than AC.
Silica exposure - concrete tile roofs common in Florida require drilling for mounting hardware. Concrete dust contains crystalline silica. OSHA's silica rule applies; wet cutting methods and respiratory protection are required but not always followed.

Ground-mount solar classification. Ground-mounted solar arrays with significant concrete foundation work and structural steel may pull framing or concrete codes rather than 5191. If your company does both rooftop and utility-scale ground-mount projects, your payroll may need to be split across codes at audit. A PEO with proper job-type tracking eliminates the audit surprise.

Florida Solar Market - The Numbers Driving Your Risk Exposure

Florida installed more than 1.2 GW of new residential solar in 2023 alone, second only to California. FPL, Duke, and TECO territory each has specific interconnection requirements and net metering rules that affect how installations are wired and permitted - but they all use the same workers on the same rooftops. The post-IRA solar boom created a shortage of experienced installers, which means many crews include newer workers with less rooftop experience. That translates directly into higher claim frequency for growing solar companies.

Subcontractor relationships are common in solar - a solar sales company subbing installation to a separate crew is a setup that creates certificate of insurance problems. If the installation sub doesn't have workers' comp and a worker gets hurt, the general solar contractor is the backstop. Florida DFS does not view "they were a sub" as an excuse.

Frequently Asked Questions - Florida Solar Contractors

Yes. Solar installation is classified as construction in Florida, which means the one-employee threshold applies. A solar company with a single W-2 field installer is required to carry workers' comp. Sole proprietors and corporate officers can apply for exemptions (up to three officers), but W-2 installers cannot be exempted. Given the rooftop work and fall exposure, this is a coverage you want regardless of the legal requirement.

Get your free instant quote →

It depends on your carrier and how your work scope is described. Code 5191 (Electrical Apparatus/Low Voltage) covers most rooftop solar PV installation and is the more common assignment for solar-primary contractors. Code 5190 (Electrical Wiring within Buildings) is used by some carriers, particularly when the solar installation involves significant AC panel wiring and load-center work inside the structure. At audit, the description of your work matters. Document what your crews actually do. If you're predominantly panel installation and DC wiring, push for 5191.

Get your free instant quote →

Variable headcount is where traditional workers' comp policies get expensive. At audit, if your actual payroll is higher than your estimated payroll, you owe a large lump-sum additional premium. If it's lower, you wait months for a refund. Pay-as-you-go PEO workers' comp collects premium each payroll cycle based on actual payroll - no estimate, no deposit, no audit surprise. For fast-growing solar companies with seasonal variation, it's the cleanest option.

Get your free instant quote →

Yes, but your options narrow. A serious fall claim - particularly one with a significant payout - will spike your experience modification and may cause standard carriers to non-renew. The PEO market pools your claims with a larger group, which can stabilize your rate even after a bad loss year. If you've had a fall fatality, the conversation is more complex, but coverage is still available through the right program. Bring your loss runs to the conversation.

Get your free instant quote →

Subcontractors should have their own certificates. If a solar sub does not have workers' comp and gets injured on your job site, Florida statute may hold your company responsible for covering that claim. This is not hypothetical - DFS audits construction sites and solar project sites, and uninsured sub payroll gets added to your audit. Verify certificates before any sub starts work. For your own employees, a PEO provides clean certificates that your general contractor customers will accept.

Get your free instant quote →