Workers' Comp Rates for Excavation NOC (Class Code 6217)
Last verified: 2026-06-25 · Reviewed against NCCI and state rating-bureau filings — how we verify
Description
Covers excavation contractors performing earthmoving, grading, trenching, and site preparation.
Common Businesses
Hazard Group
F
National Avg Rate
$11.57
per $100 payroll
Most Expensive States
- New York$15.66
- Alaska$15.34
- California$14.58
Rates by State for Class Code 6217
47 jurisdictions rate this code per $100 of payroll. North Dakota, Ohio, Washington and Wyoming are not included. Each is a monopolistic state fund that sets premium on its own basis rather than on an NCCI class-code rate per $100 of payroll, so there is no comparable figure to average or rank.
| State | Rate per $100 | vs. National Avg | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | $8.42 | -3.15 | 2026-01-01 |
| Texas | $8.52 | -3.05 | 2026-07-01 |
| Virginia | $8.96 | -2.61 | 2026-04-01 |
| Utah | $9.18 | -2.39 | 2026-02-01 |
| Arkansas | $9.50 | -2.07 | 2026-07-01 |
| Colorado | $9.61 | -1.96 | 2026-01-01 |
| Tennessee | $9.83 | -1.74 | 2026-03-01 |
| Arizona | $9.94 | -1.63 | 2026-01-01 |
| South Dakota | $10.04 | -1.53 | 2026-07-01 |
| Nebraska | $10.15 | -1.42 | 2026-02-01 |
| North Carolina | $10.15 | -1.42 | 2026-04-01 |
| Idaho | $10.26 | -1.31 | 2026-01-01 |
| Kansas | $10.37 | -1.20 | 2026-01-01 |
| Mississippi | $10.48 | -1.09 | 2026-03-01 |
| New Mexico | $10.58 | -0.99 | 2026-01-01 |
| South Carolina | $10.69 | -0.88 | 2026-04-01 |
| Kentucky | $10.80 | -0.77 | 2026-01-01 |
| Iowa | $11.02 | -0.55 | 2026-01-01 |
| Missouri | $11.12 | -0.45 | 2026-01-01 |
| Nevada | $11.23 | -0.34 | 2026-03-01 |
| Georgia | $11.34 | -0.23 | 2026-03-01 |
| Maryland | $11.34 | -0.23 | 2026-01-01 |
| Oregon | $11.45 | -0.12 | 2026-01-01 |
| West Virginia | $11.56 | -0.01 | 2026-01-01 |
| Alabama | $11.66 | +0.09 | 2026-03-01 |
| Minnesota | $11.66 | +0.09 | 2026-01-01 |
| New Hampshire | $11.66 | +0.09 | 2026-01-01 |
| Delaware | $11.88 | +0.31 | 2025-12-01 |
| Maine | $11.88 | +0.31 | 2025-04-01 |
| Wisconsin | $11.88 | +0.31 | 2025-10-01 |
| Michigan | $12.10 | +0.53 | 2026-01-01 |
| Vermont | $12.10 | +0.53 | 2026-04-01 |
| Rhode Island | $12.31 | +0.74 | 2026-08-01 |
| Florida | $12.42 | +0.85 | 2026-01-01 |
| Montana | $12.42 | +0.85 | 2026-07-01 |
| District of Columbia | $12.74 | +1.17 | 2026-01-01 |
| Massachusetts | $12.74 | +1.17 | 2024-07-01 |
| Oklahoma | $12.74 | +1.17 | 2026-01-01 |
| Illinois | $12.96 | +1.39 | 2026-01-01 |
| Connecticut | $13.18 | +1.61 | 2026-01-01 |
| Louisiana | $13.50 | +1.93 | 2026-05-01 |
| Hawaii | $13.82 | +2.25 | 2026-01-01 |
| Pennsylvania | $13.82 | +2.25 | 2026-04-01 |
| New Jersey | $14.04 | +2.47 | 2026-01-01 |
| California | $14.58 | +3.01 | 2025-09-01 |
| Alaska | $15.34 | +3.77 | 2026-01-01 |
| New York | $15.66 | +4.09 | 2025-10-01 |
How Class Code 6217 Rates Are Spread Across the States
Across 47 states, the estimated workers' comp rate for NCCI class code 6217 (Excavation NOC) ranges from $8.42 to $15.66 per $100 of payroll, with a national average of $11.57 and a median of $11.56. Each bar counts the states whose estimated rate falls in that range — shaded cheaper (green) to pricier (red). The dashed line marks the national average.
Distribution across 47 states. Rates are a modeled benchmark (NCCI base-rate catalogue × state rate multiplier, catalogue retrieved 2026-06-25) and are not reconciled to filed state loss costs — see the calibration measurement and our rate disclaimer.
View the rate distribution as a data table
| Rate range / $100 | States | Which states |
|---|---|---|
| $8.42–$9.32 | 4 | Indiana, Texas, Virginia, Utah |
| $9.32–$10.23 | 7 | Arkansas, Colorado, Tennessee, Arizona, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Carolina |
| $10.23–$11.13 | 8 | Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Carolina, Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri |
| $11.13–$12.04 | 11 | Nevada, Georgia, Maryland, Oregon, West Virginia, Alabama, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maine, Wisconsin |
| $12.04–$12.95 | 8 | Michigan, Vermont, Rhode Island, Florida, Montana, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Oklahoma |
| $12.95–$13.85 | 5 | Illinois, Connecticut, Louisiana, Hawaii, Pennsylvania |
| $13.85–$14.75 | 2 | New Jersey, California |
| $14.75–$15.66 | 2 | Alaska, New York |
| Summary | 47 | Min $8.42 · Median $11.56 · Avg $11.57 · Max $15.66 |
The rates above are manual rates — step 1 of the eight-step rating-bureau premium algorithm. See what your carrier applies after that, or estimate premium for code 6217 with your own payroll and experience mod.
Related Class Codes
About Class Code 6217: Scope, Inclusions, and Common Misclassifications
NCCI Class Code 6217 - "Excavation NOC & Drivers" - is the general excavation classification for contractors digging, trenching, burrowing, filling, backfilling, grading, or preparing sites when a more specific excavation, road, tunnel, pile-driving, or utility classification does not control. The NOC label matters: 6217 is the catch-all excavation code, not a blanket code for every earthmoving job.
Across the states modeled on this page, filing-based 6217 base-rate estimates run from roughly $8.40 per $100 of payroll in the lowest-cost states (such as Indiana and Texas) to about $15.70 in the highest-cost states (such as New York and Alaska), with a national median near $11.45 as of 2026 — though independent-bureau states like California file excavation under their own dual-wage classifications rather than the NCCI 6217 number, so those figures are not directly comparable. Every estimate is a benchmark for comparing the state-to-state spread, not a binding quote.
The audit question is whether the employer is performing general site excavation or a specialized operation with its own code. A small excavating contractor preparing house pads, digging utility trenches, backfilling, or removing earth with bulldozers and trenchers can fit 6217. A contractor doing street or road grading (separately rated as Code 5507), mass rock excavation, tunneling, shaft sinking, caisson work, pile driving (Code 5040), sewer work, or California dual-wage excavation may need a different state-specific classification.
What's Included Under Class Code 6217
Public bureau guidance describes 6217 as general excavation work, including ditch digging, burrowing, filling, and backfilling. The typical job uses earthmoving equipment such as power shovels, trench diggers, bulldozers, loaders, compactors, and dump trucks to remove earth, small boulders, or rocks and place material for later backfill.
Common 6217 exposures include residential or commercial site preparation, foundation excavation, utility trenching before the utility contractor installs lines, septic or cesspool digging where the state manual maps it to excavation, stump removal by a specialist using mechanical equipment, and debris removal left by a demolition contractor. Drivers tied to the excavation operation are included when the state phraseology includes drivers.
The code is often searched as "workers comp code 6217" or "6217 workers comp code" because excavation contractors need a rate quickly before bidding. The rate table on this page shows filing-based base-rate estimates by state, but the final premium still depends on payroll, carrier loss-cost multipliers, experience modification, and whether the audit splits any payroll to a more specific construction code.
When 6217 Is the Wrong Excavation Code
Street and road work is the first boundary. Bureau manuals commonly separate grading or excavation performed in connection with street or road construction from general excavation. If the contractor is bringing a roadbed to grade, preparing for asphalt paving, setting drainage, or performing sub-surface street or highway work, verify the road-construction code instead of defaulting to 6217.
Mass rock, tunneling, pile driving, shaft sinking, caisson, cofferdam, quarrying, sand or gravel digging, sewer construction, and bridge or culvert work are also common carve-outs. Those jobs have different hazards from ordinary site excavation because they involve depth, confined spaces, explosives, water, structural support, or heavy civil construction. Payroll records should separate that work before the final audit.
California is a major mapping exception. WCIRB does not simply apply NCCI 6217. California excavation and grading work can map to dual-wage classifications such as 6218/6220 variants for excavation, grading land, or land leveling, while street or road grading can map to 5507. A California contractor should use the WCIRB classification search and wage-threshold rules before relying on a national NCCI 6217 comparison.
Common 6217 Audit Disputes
The most common dispute is "site prep vs road work." A contractor clearing and excavating a building pad may fit 6217, while the same equipment grading a roadbed or airport runway can move to a street or road construction classification. The customer contract, job plans, and invoices usually decide which exposure dominates.
The second dispute is "ordinary excavation vs specialty excavation." Digging a trench with a backhoe is different from mass rock excavation, tunneling, shaft sinking, or caisson work. If the contractor uses blasting, deep shafts, tunnel headings, pile-driving crews, or cofferdam operations, the payroll should be reviewed under the specific specialty code rather than blended into 6217.
The third dispute is "excavation contractor vs multi-trade contractor." A general contractor that performs excavation, concrete, sewer, paving, landscaping, or demolition with different crews may need multiple classifications. On a typical residential site the same builder might run the dig crew under 6217, a framing crew under carpentry NOC 5403, a concrete flatwork crew under 5221 workers comp code, a plumbing crew under plumbing NOC 5183, and a finish crew under painting 5474 — each crew's payroll belongs in its own classification. Clean payroll division by job and crew is easier to defend than trying to reconstruct which hours were excavation after the auditor arrives.
Sources
- NYCIRB Classification Digest - Class 6217 Phraseology and Description (retrieved 2026-05-17)
- WCRB Class Code Lookup - 6217 Excavation & Drivers (retrieved 2026-05-17)
- WCIRB California - Street or Road Construction, Grading Classification Footnote (retrieved 2026-05-17)
- General Liability Insure - Workers Comp Class Code 6217 Excavation & Drivers (scope, 5507 road-grading and 5040 pile-driving carve-outs) (retrieved 2026-06-25)
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is workers' comp class code 6217?
- Class code 6217 (Excavation NOC) is an NCCI workers' compensation classification in the Construction industry group. Covers excavation contractors performing earthmoving, grading, trenching, and site preparation. Hazard group: F.
- How much is workers' comp insurance for class code 6217?
- The national average rate for class code 6217 is $11.57 per $100 of payroll, across the 47 jurisdictions rated on that basis. Cheapest states: Indiana ($8.42), Texas ($8.52), Virginia ($8.96). Most expensive: New York ($15.66), Alaska ($15.34), California ($14.58). Actual premium depends on your state, payroll, experience modifier, and carrier. North Dakota, Ohio, Washington and Wyoming are not included. Each is a monopolistic state fund that sets premium on its own basis rather than on an NCCI class-code rate per $100 of payroll, so there is no comparable figure to average or rank.
- What businesses use workers' comp class code 6217?
- Class code 6217 typically applies to Excavation contractors, Grading companies, Site preparation firms, Trenching services, Land clearing companies.
- What is workers' comp code 6217?
- Workers' comp class code 6217 is the NCCI-style classification for Excavation NOC & Drivers. It generally applies to contractors doing ordinary excavation, ditch digging, trenching, burrowing, filling, backfilling, grading, and site preparation when no more specific excavation, road, sewer, tunnel, pile-driving, or state-specific classification applies.
- What does NOC mean in class code 6217?
- NOC means Not Otherwise Classified. For 6217, that means the code is used for general excavation only after checking whether a more specific class applies. Street or road grading, mass rock excavation, tunneling, sewer construction, shaft sinking, caisson or cofferdam work, and some California excavation or grading operations can be assigned elsewhere.
- Does class code 6217 include drivers?
- Usually yes when the state phraseology says Excavation NOC & Drivers. Drivers hauling spoils, backfill, equipment, or materials as part of the excavation contractor's own operation are commonly included. A separate trucking-for-hire business or a contractor whose main business is hauling for others should be reviewed under trucking classifications instead.
- Is excavation for road construction class code 6217?
- Not always. General building-site excavation can fit 6217, but grading or excavation performed in connection with street, road, highway, airport runway, paving, drainage, or sub-surface road work is commonly separately classified. The correct code depends on the state manual and the actual contract scope.
- What is the workers' comp rate for class code 6217?
- The workers' comp rate for class code 6217 varies by state and carrier. The table on this page shows current filing-based base-rate estimates for Excavation NOC by state, but actual premium also depends on payroll, loss-cost multipliers, experience modification, minimum premium, and whether the audit splits any road, sewer, rock, tunneling, or California dual-wage work to another code. Treat the figures as estimates, not quotes.