Workers' Comp Rates for Plastering NOC (Class Code 5480)
Last verified: 2026-06-15 · Reviewed against NCCI and state rating-bureau filings — how we verify
Description
Covers plasterers performing stucco, drywall finishing, and ornamental plaster work.
Common Businesses
Hazard Group
E
National Avg Rate
$7.77
per $100 payroll
Most Expensive States
- New York$10.51
- Alaska$10.30
- California$9.79
Rates by State for Class Code 5480
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 | $5.66 | -2.11 | 2026-01-01 |
| Texas | $5.72 | -2.05 | 2026-07-01 |
| Virginia | $6.02 | -1.75 | 2026-04-01 |
| Utah | $6.16 | -1.61 | 2026-02-01 |
| Arkansas | $6.38 | -1.39 | 2026-07-01 |
| Colorado | $6.45 | -1.32 | 2026-01-01 |
| Tennessee | $6.60 | -1.17 | 2026-03-01 |
| Arizona | $6.67 | -1.10 | 2026-01-01 |
| South Dakota | $6.74 | -1.03 | 2026-07-01 |
| Nebraska | $6.82 | -0.95 | 2026-02-01 |
| North Carolina | $6.82 | -0.95 | 2026-04-01 |
| Idaho | $6.89 | -0.88 | 2026-01-01 |
| Kansas | $6.96 | -0.81 | 2026-01-01 |
| Mississippi | $7.03 | -0.74 | 2026-03-01 |
| New Mexico | $7.11 | -0.66 | 2026-01-01 |
| South Carolina | $7.18 | -0.59 | 2026-04-01 |
| Kentucky | $7.25 | -0.52 | 2026-01-01 |
| Iowa | $7.40 | -0.37 | 2026-01-01 |
| Missouri | $7.47 | -0.30 | 2026-01-01 |
| Nevada | $7.54 | -0.23 | 2026-03-01 |
| Georgia | $7.61 | -0.16 | 2026-03-01 |
| Maryland | $7.61 | -0.16 | 2026-01-01 |
| Oregon | $7.69 | -0.08 | 2026-01-01 |
| West Virginia | $7.76 | -0.01 | 2026-01-01 |
| Alabama | $7.83 | +0.06 | 2026-03-01 |
| Minnesota | $7.83 | +0.06 | 2026-01-01 |
| New Hampshire | $7.83 | +0.06 | 2026-01-01 |
| Delaware | $7.98 | +0.21 | 2025-12-01 |
| Maine | $7.98 | +0.21 | 2025-04-01 |
| Wisconsin | $7.98 | +0.21 | 2025-10-01 |
| Michigan | $8.12 | +0.35 | 2026-01-01 |
| Vermont | $8.12 | +0.35 | 2026-04-01 |
| Rhode Island | $8.26 | +0.49 | 2026-08-01 |
| Florida | $8.34 | +0.57 | 2026-01-01 |
| Montana | $8.34 | +0.57 | 2026-07-01 |
| District of Columbia | $8.56 | +0.79 | 2026-01-01 |
| Massachusetts | $8.56 | +0.79 | 2024-07-01 |
| Oklahoma | $8.56 | +0.79 | 2026-01-01 |
| Illinois | $8.70 | +0.93 | 2026-01-01 |
| Connecticut | $8.85 | +1.08 | 2026-01-01 |
| Louisiana | $9.06 | +1.29 | 2026-05-01 |
| Hawaii | $9.28 | +1.51 | 2026-01-01 |
| Pennsylvania | $9.28 | +1.51 | 2026-04-01 |
| New Jersey | $9.43 | +1.66 | 2026-01-01 |
| California | $9.79 | +2.02 | 2025-09-01 |
| Alaska | $10.30 | +2.53 | 2026-01-01 |
| New York | $10.51 | +2.74 | 2025-10-01 |
How Class Code 5480 Rates Are Spread Across the States
Across 47 states, the estimated workers' comp rate for NCCI class code 5480 (Plastering NOC) ranges from $5.66 to $10.51 per $100 of payroll, with a national average of $7.77 and a median of $7.76. 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 2026-06-15) 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 |
|---|---|---|
| $5.66–$6.27 | 4 | Indiana, Texas, Virginia, Utah |
| $6.27–$6.87 | 7 | Arkansas, Colorado, Tennessee, Arizona, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Carolina |
| $6.87–$7.48 | 8 | Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Carolina, Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri |
| $7.48–$8.09 | 11 | Nevada, Georgia, Maryland, Oregon, West Virginia, Alabama, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maine, Wisconsin |
| $8.09–$8.69 | 8 | Michigan, Vermont, Rhode Island, Florida, Montana, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Oklahoma |
| $8.69–$9.30 | 5 | Illinois, Connecticut, Louisiana, Hawaii, Pennsylvania |
| $9.30–$9.90 | 2 | New Jersey, California |
| $9.90–$10.51 | 2 | Alaska, New York |
| Summary | 47 | Min $5.66 · Median $7.76 · Avg $7.77 · Max $10.51 |
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 5480 with your own payroll and experience mod.
Related Class Codes
About Class Code 5480: Scope, Inclusions, and Common Misclassifications
Workers' comp class code 5480 (Plastering NOC) is the classification buyers mean when they search "5480 class code," "plastering workers comp," or "stucco workers comp class code." As of June 2026 it covers plastering and stucco contractors — interior plastering, minor drywall finishing, and, under NCCI's national scope, stucco and lathing applied to receive plaster — and it is a NOC ("not otherwise classified") code, used only after checking whether a more specific masonry, wallboard-installation, lathing, waterproofing, or wallpaper classification controls the work.
The audit question is rarely "does the crew apply plaster?" It is which operation dominates, whether the work is interior or exterior, and whether non-plastering trade work is more than incidental. A drywall-finishing crew, a stucco contractor, and an ornamental-plaster shop can all touch 5480, but drywall hanging, exterior waterproofing, standalone lathing, and substantial masonry work are commonly split to other codes — and several states word those boundaries differently than the NCCI national manual.
What Class Code 5480 Usually Includes
NCCI maps 5480 to special-trade contractors applying plain or ornamental plaster — including the installation of lathing and similar appurtenances to receive plaster — and, in NCCI's scope language, drywall, acoustical, and building-insulation work. Drivers connected with the plastering operation are included where the state phraseology lists drivers, so a crew member hauling plaster, lath, stilts, mixers, and scaffolding to the job site is normally part of the 5480 exposure rather than a separate trucking class.
State bureau descriptions sharpen the picture. The New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board (NYCIRB) phrases the class as "Plastering — NOC — All Operations to Completion & Drivers" and includes interior plastering, minor drywall finishing such as taping and filling holes, interior waterproofing applied by hand trowel, and chisel work to prepare cracks. That state-by-state wording is exactly why this page compares filed base rates state by state instead of treating one national description as binding everywhere.
Stucco is the headline inclusion to verify by state. Under NCCI's national scope, exterior stucco and EIFS (exterior insulation and finish systems) applied as a plaster-type finish are commonly rated with plastering. NYCIRB, by contrast, routes outdoor waterproofing and stucco installation to masonry code 5022, not 5480. A stucco contractor's correct code therefore depends on whether the state follows the NCCI manual or an independent bureau's own rule.
When Plastering Work Is Not 5480
The single most common audit dispute is drywall hanging versus drywall finishing. Installing wallboard — hanging and fastening sheets to framing — is generally NCCI code 5445 (Wallboard Installation Within Buildings & Drivers), while the finishing stage (taping, mudding, sanding, filling) can stay with 5480 when the same employer performs it as minor finishing. An employer that both hangs and finishes drywall often needs payroll split between 5445 and 5480 by operation, not blended into one code.
Adjacent trades draw the other boundaries. Standalone lathing as a distinct operation is rated as lathing where the manual provides a lathing class; exterior waterproofing and stucco can move to masonry 5022 in independent-bureau states like New York; wallpaper or paperhanging is separately rated; and painting/decorating belongs in painting NOC 5474. Substantial masonry, concrete or cement floors, driveways, and yards 5221, or carpentry performed by the same employer should be reviewed under its own classification rather than absorbed into plastering.
California needs its own check. WCIRB operates plastering as a dual-wage classification — payroll is assigned to a lower-wage or higher-wage plastering code based on the worker's regular hourly wage against a threshold WCIRB republishes annually. A California stucco or plastering contractor should confirm the current wage threshold and companion code with WCIRB before relying on any single-rate national comparison.
Audit Records for Plastering and Stucco Contractors
The cleanest 5480 audit file separates payroll by operation before the policy year closes. Keep job tickets, customer contracts, subcontractor certificates of insurance, and payroll splits that distinguish interior plastering and drywall finishing (5480) from wallboard hanging (5445), exterior stucco or waterproofing (5022 in some states), standalone lathing, and any masonry or carpentry work. Reconstructing those splits after the auditor arrives is far harder than assigning crews correctly on the job.
Dual-wage and high-wage states reward wage records specifically. Where a state runs a wage-threshold split (California most prominently), certified payroll showing each employee's regular hourly wage is what keeps payroll in the lower-rate plastering code instead of defaulting to the higher one. Without those records, an auditor can assign the more expensive classification.
For quote shoppers, the rate table on this page is a starting point, not a binding quote. The filed base-rate estimate is still modified by payroll, carrier loss-cost multipliers, experience modification, schedule credits, minimum premium, and whether the audit splits any wallboard-hanging, masonry, or lathing work to another classification.
Sources
- NYCIRB Classification Digest - Class 5480 Plastering Phraseology and Description (retrieved 2026-06-15)
- NCCI Class Look-Up - Scopes Classification 5480 (Plastering NOC & Drivers) (retrieved 2026-06-15)
- WCIRB California Classification Search - Plastering Dual-Wage Classifications (retrieved 2026-06-15)
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is workers' comp class code 5480?
- Workers' comp class code 5480 is the Plastering NOC classification. It covers plastering and stucco contractors — interior plastering, minor drywall finishing, lathing applied to receive plaster, and (under NCCI's national scope) stucco and building-insulation work — plus drivers where the state phraseology includes them. It is a "not otherwise classified" code used only when no more specific trade class applies.
- How much is workers' comp insurance for class code 5480?
- The national average rate for class code 5480 is $7.77 per $100 of payroll, across the 47 jurisdictions rated on that basis. Cheapest states: Indiana ($5.66), Texas ($5.72), Virginia ($6.02). Most expensive: New York ($10.51), Alaska ($10.30), California ($9.79). 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 5480?
- Class code 5480 typically applies to Stucco contractors, Drywall finishing firms, Plastering companies, EIFS installers, Ornamental plaster specialists.
- Is stucco work classified under code 5480?
- It depends on the state. Under NCCI's national scope, exterior stucco and EIFS applied as a plaster-type finish are commonly rated with plastering (5480). In independent-bureau states such as New York, NYCIRB routes outdoor waterproofing and stucco installation to masonry code 5022 instead. Confirm whether your state follows the NCCI manual or its own bureau rule.
- Is drywall workers' comp 5480 or a different class code?
- Drywall splits by stage. Hanging and fastening wallboard to framing is generally NCCI code 5445 (Wallboard Installation Within Buildings), while drywall finishing — taping, mudding, sanding, and filling — can fall under 5480 as minor finishing connected to plastering. A contractor that both hangs and finishes drywall usually needs payroll divided between 5445 and 5480 by operation.
- Does workers comp code 5480 include drivers?
- Drivers are included when they are part of the plastering contractor's own operation and the state phraseology lists drivers. A crew member hauling plaster, lath, mixers, stilts, and scaffolding to the job site can be part of 5480. A separate delivery or trucking business should be reviewed under the trucking or delivery class that actually describes the work.
- What is the workers' comp rate for plastering class code 5480?
- The workers' comp rate for class code 5480 varies by state and carrier. This page shows filing-based base-rate estimates by state, but the final premium also depends on payroll, carrier loss-cost multipliers, experience modification, minimum premium, any dual-wage threshold (notably in California), and whether the audit splits wallboard-hanging, masonry, or lathing work to another code. Treat the figures as estimates, not quotes.