Texas Workers’ Comp Class Codes for Roofing, Electrical and Plumbing Contractors (5551, 5190, 5183)
Quick answer: Texas class codes for roofing, electrical and plumbing
Texas uses NCCI classifications. Roofing is 5551 (Roofing — All Kinds and Drivers), electrical is 5190 (Electrical Wiring — Within Buildings and Drivers), and plumbing is 5183 (Plumbing NOC and Drivers). None of the three has a wage-based split — unlike California, one code applies at every wage. TDI approved a 3.8% NCCI loss cost decrease effective July 1, 2026. Verified September 7, 2026 by CPR Business Solutions.
Will we write it? Tell us the operation, the state, and roughly where the mod sits — we’ll come back within one business day with a straight answer: yes, no, or what we’d need to see. No ACORD, no loss runs, no obligation. Agents and business owners both welcome. Run it past us here.
The three codes and what sits inside them
5551 — Roofing, All Kinds and Drivers. Every kind of roofing — shingle, tile, metal, built-up, single-ply, residential and commercial — plus the drivers. Sheet metal roofing installed by a sheet metal contractor and gutter work can fall elsewhere, but for a roofing contractor, the whole crew is 5551.
5190 — Electrical Wiring Within Buildings and Drivers. Interior wiring, panels, fixtures, low-voltage and data when done by the same electrical contractor, plus drivers. Outside line work and utility construction are separately classified.
5183 — Plumbing NOC and Drivers. Plumbing not otherwise classified — residential and commercial rough-in, fixtures, water heaters, repair and service — plus drivers. HVAC equipment, ductwork and automatic sprinkler installation carry their own codes.
No dual-wage split in Texas — and the same numbers mean different things
Agents who work California accounts know 5190 and 5183 as the low-wage half of a pair — 5190/5140 for electrical, 5183/5187 for plumbing — with a $40.00 and $35.00 hourly threshold deciding which code an employee sits in. In Texas there is no threshold and no pair. 5190 is every electrician; 5183 is every plumber. Roofing is the reverse trap: California has no 5551 at all — its roofing pair is 5552/5553 — so a multi-state roofer is reported in 5551 for its Texas payroll and in 5552 or 5553 for its California payroll. The California class code lookup table has all sixteen California pairs for comparison.
The practical consequence is that a Texas contractor cannot buy its way into a cheaper code by raising wages. What moves the premium here is the experience mod, schedule credits, and — for roofing especially — whether the account is in the voluntary market or the residual market at all.
What moves a Texas contractor’s rate
The Texas Department of Insurance approved a 3.8% decrease to NCCI loss costs for policies effective July 1, 2026 (Commissioner’s Bulletin B-0001-26), following an 11.5% cut the year before. Class-level changes vary above and below that average.
The experience mod. NCCI experience rating applies in Texas. A 1.50 mod on 5551 payroll is the difference between a placeable account and a residual-market one. See placing workers’ comp with a high X-Mod.
Schedule and program credits. Documented fall protection for roofers, drug-free workplace programs and safety credentials all carry weight with the specialty carriers that actually write these classes.
Market, not rate. For roofing in particular, the question is rarely which carrier is cheapest — it is which carrier will write it at all.
Who has to carry coverage in Texas
Texas is the only state where workers’ compensation is optional for most private employers. A roofing, electrical or plumbing contractor can legally go without it as a non-subscriber — but a non-subscriber loses the common-law defenses in an employee injury suit, and most general contractors, and every public-works owner, require subscriber coverage as a condition of the contract. In practice, a trade contractor that wants commercial work carries a policy.
A Texas general contractor is not automatically liable for an uninsured sub’s employees the way a Carolina GC is, but the contract usually makes it so, and a GC that has agreed in writing to provide coverage for a sub becomes the statutory employer. Certificates are checked at the gate on any project of size. Our guide to Texas non-subscription covers the trade-off in detail.
The residual market
Texas has no assigned risk pool. Because coverage is optional, the state instead guarantees availability through a statutory insurer of last resort that must offer a policy to any employer that asks. That is where a declined roofer ends up by default — at rates that assume the worst — and a voluntary specialty placement almost always beats it.
Placing Texas roofing, electrical and plumbing accounts
Standard markets in Texas write clean electricians and plumbers all day. What they decline is roofing with any loss history, any of the three classes with a mod above about 1.30, accounts coming off the residual market, and anyone non-renewed after an audit dispute. Those are the accounts CPR places — through specialty admitted carriers, PEO co-employment where it fits, and programs built for high-hazard construction.
See our Texas workers’ comp broker guide for how Texas mechanics differ from the rest of the country, and the non-subscriber guide for the opt-out question.
Texas class code FAQ
What is the workers' comp class code for roofing in Texas?
5551 — Roofing, All Kinds and Drivers. Texas uses the NCCI classification system, and 5551 covers every kind of roofing at every wage level; there is no separate high-wage roofing code. It is consistently the most expensive construction classification in the state.
What is the class code for electricians in Texas?
5190 — Electrical Wiring Within Buildings and Drivers. Same number as California’s low-wage electrical code, but in Texas it covers electricians at every wage; California’s high-wage 5140 does not exist here.
What is the class code for plumbers in Texas?
5183 — Plumbing NOC and Drivers. Again the same number as California’s low-wage plumbing code, but with no wage split in Texas. HVAC installation and sheet metal work are separately classified.
Does a Texas roofer have to carry workers' comp?
Not by statute — Texas lets most private employers opt out as non-subscribers. But a non-subscriber gives up the common-law defenses if an employee sues, and general contractors and public owners almost always require subscriber coverage in the contract. For a roofer, electrician or plumber doing commercial or GC work, the practical answer is yes.
Can you place a Texas roofer or electrician with a high experience mod?
Yes. CPR Business Solutions specializes in high-mod and hard-to-place workers’ comp in Texas and nationally — roofing 5551 with a mod above 1.50, an electrician non-renewed after an audit, a plumber coming off the residual market. Send the operation, the mod and the loss runs and we will tell you within a business day whether we can write it.
Send us the account
CPR Business Solutions is a wholesale workers’ compensation broker and MGA built around high-mod and hard-to-place accounts. If a Texas roofer, electrician or plumber has a mod above 1.50, has been non-renewed, or is sitting in the residual market, that is the account we want.
Call 714-928-3858 or email proposals@cprbrokers.com.
