Workers' Comp for Stucco & Plastering Contractors in Florida

Last reviewed: November 2026, by Cheap Workers Comp Florida, licensed Florida agency DFS #L077476

Who Needs Workers' Comp in a Florida Stucco Business

Concrete block with a stucco finish is how a large share of Florida homes and commercial buildings are built, so stucco and plastering crews are on nearly every new construction site in the state. The work combines several kinds of risk. Crews stand on scaffolds and ladders for most of the day, mix and carry heavy bags of cement and sand, run mixers and pump equipment, and handle wire lath, metal accessories and fasteners with sharp edges. Falls from scaffolding, back injuries from lifting and repetitive troweling, eye and skin injuries from wet cement, and heat illness during a Florida summer are the claims this class is priced around.

You need coverage if you employ plasterers, stucco applicators, lathers, laborers who mix and haul, scaffold builders, or foremen who work on site. That holds whether you are a one-truck crew doing patches and repairs, a mid-size company finishing production homes for builders, or a commercial contractor applying stucco and EIFS-style finishes on larger buildings. Paid family members and part-time helpers count as employees too.

Florida's Coverage Rule for Construction Employers

Florida Statutes Chapter 440 sets a lower threshold for construction than for other businesses. Outside construction, coverage is generally required at four or more employees. In construction, coverage is required from the first employee. Stucco and plastering is construction work, so even one paid helper on a scaffold means you need a policy.

The owners themselves can choose an exemption. Up to three corporate officers of a construction corporation or LLC, each owning at least 10% of the company, may elect to be exempt under Chapter 440. The exemption is filed with the Division of Workers' Compensation, lasts two years, and covers only the named officer, never the crew. Florida Administrative Code chapter 69L governs how these rules are enforced. See our Florida exemption guide for the filing steps.

Class Codes for Florida Stucco and Plastering Contractors (2026 Rates)

Rates below are pulled live from our Florida rate table: 2026 filed rates per $100 of payroll, before the experience mod and other adjustments.

code 5480 is the main code for this trade. It covers plastering and stucco work not described by a more specific code, inside or outside, including mixing, lathing that is part of the plaster job, applying coats and finishing. Many Florida stucco companies also lay block, build garden walls or set stone veneer. That masonry work is generally rated under code 5022 at $5.22.

When a company does both, it can divide an employee's payroll between 5480 and 5022 only if its payroll records show the actual wages for each type of work. If the records do not support the split, the auditor can put all of that payroll in the higher-rated code. Office staff who never go to sites can be rated under code 8810. For other trades on your payroll, use our full Florida code list.

Cost Example: A Stucco Company That Also Lays Block

Take a company with $300,000 of annual payroll for stucco crews and $100,000 for a block crew. Premium equals payroll divided by 100, times the rate, times the experience mod.

Two things move this number most: your claims history through the mod, and whether your records let you pay the right rate on the right wages. These figures use filed rates only. Run the instant quote tool to see your own price.

What Drives the Price

• Experience mod. If your company is experience rated, claims from recent years feed a mod that raises or lowers premium. A single scaffold fall can keep a mod elevated for years. Our experience mod guide explains the math.
• Payroll accuracy. On a traditional policy, premium is based on estimated payroll and corrected at audit. Builders' schedules change fast, and a low estimate becomes an audit bill.
• Minimum premium. Standard policies carry a minimum premium, so a very small crew can pay more than its payroll times the rate.
• Subcontractor certificates. Stucco work is often subcontracted crew by crew. Under Florida law, an uninsured sub's workers become your responsibility, and their pay can be added to your premium. Read our subcontractor certificate guide.

Stop-Work Order Risk

Division of Workers' Compensation investigators visit active construction sites, and stucco crews on scaffolding in a new subdivision are hard to miss. If an investigator finds an employer without required coverage, the Division can issue a stop-work order that halts the business operations until coverage is in place and the penalty is paid or a payment agreement is entered. The penalty is based on the premium that should have been paid during the period of noncompliance, looking back up to two years, with a minimum amount even for short gaps. Our stop-work order guide covers what happens next.

A stop-work order also costs you with builders, who need their schedule to move. The protection is straightforward: get coverage before you hire, keep officer exemptions current, and collect a certificate from every sub before they set up scaffolding.

How Buying Through a PEO Works

We place stucco and plastering contractors through a Professional Employer Organization. The PEO becomes co-employer of your crew for payroll and workers' comp, and your employees are covered under its master policy. You keep running your jobs, hiring your crew and setting pay. Each payroll, the PEO calculates workers' comp on that period's actual wages and collects it with payroll taxes.

• Pay-as-you-go. Premium follows real payroll, which suits a trade tied to builder schedules.
• No big down payment. No large deposit at the start of the policy.
• No year-end audit surprise. Premium is figured on actual wages as you go, so there is no year-end bill for underestimated payroll.
• Certificates for builders. Proof of coverage is available when a GC asks for it.

Coverage is subject to underwriting approval, and the PEO charges an administrative fee, so compare total cost. Our PEO vs standard policy page lays out the tradeoffs.

Stucco and Plastering Workers' Comp FAQ

Related Resources

• FL code 5480 - Plastering NOC & Drivers
• FL code 5022 - Masonry NOC
• FL code 8810 - Clerical Employees
• Workers' comp for masonry contractors in Florida
• Workers' comp for drywall contractors in Florida
• Workers' comp for painters in Florida
• Florida stop-work orders
• Florida workers' comp exemptions
• Subcontractor certificates
• What is an experience mod?
• Florida workers' comp code list