Landscaping labor can be classified under more than one workers comp class code, and they are priced very differently. Most routine mowing, edging, trimming, and general maintenance of existing grounds falls under the lawn-maintenance code, while new installation and construction-style landscaping falls under a higher-rated code. Hardscape, irrigation tie-ins, and tree work can genuinely belong in higher-rated codes, so the right move is to split payroll accurately by the work performed, not to force everything into one code.
The two codes that matter most
Most crews doing mowing, edging, trimming, fertilizing, and ground-level maintenance of existing grounds belong in the lawn-maintenance code, NCCI 9102. New landscape installation and construction-style work is rated under the landscape-gardening code, NCCI 0042, which is treated as construction and carries a substantially higher rate per dollar of payroll. Same crew, same trucks, very different bill, depending on which code the policy was written under. NCCI has identified the landscape-gardening construction code (0042) as one of its most frequently reclassified codes, most often corrected toward the lawn-maintenance code (9102) when the work is really maintenance rather than new construction.
When a maintenance account sits in the construction code
A maintenance business filed under the construction code pays the higher rate on every dollar of payroll until someone reviews it. The correction is not automatic. Under NCCI rules, a single employer can use both codes when it keeps verifiable payroll records that separate the duties; without those records, the payroll is generally assigned to the highest-rated code that applies. That is why documentation matters as much as the code itself. Checking the classification against the actual work, before the policy is written, is how you avoid paying a construction rate on maintenance labor.
Hardscape, irrigation, and tree work: splitting the payroll
Higher-hazard work changes the picture, and that is expected. Hardscape, retaining walls, irrigation tie-ins, and tree work can genuinely belong in higher-rated codes. The goal is not to force everything into the lowest code, it is to split the payroll correctly so the maintenance work is rated as maintenance and the construction or installation work is rated at its proper rate. Done accurately and documented, that split is what holds up at audit, because a code that is too low gets corrected with a bill, just as a code that is too high wastes money all year.
How a reclassification actually gets done
The correction is not automatic. A misclassified account usually sits on the higher code until someone asks for a review. When you request it, the carrier looks at real job descriptions, the split of duties, and payroll records to confirm what your crew actually does. If the bulk of your payroll is ground maintenance rather than the higher-rated work, they can move that payroll to the correct code and keep only the portion that genuinely belongs to installation, height, or specialty work in the higher code. Getting it right going forward is the straightforward part. Whether any of it applies retroactively depends on the carrier and the state, and it is worth asking. Carriers do not go hunting to lower your premium, so you or your advisor have to bring the documentation and ask for the review.
Questions to ask your advisor
- Which class code is my crew currently filed under?
- Should my maintenance payroll be under the lawn-maintenance code?
- Is my hardscape, irrigation, or tree payroll split correctly and documented?
- Would a reclassification match the work and still hold up at audit?
- Can you check my classification before my next renewal?
The workers comp class code is one of the biggest levers in a landscaping insurance bill. Splitting payroll accurately, with maintenance under the lawn-maintenance code and installation, hardscape, and tree work in their proper higher codes, is the classification that both reflects the work and holds up at audit. Getting it checked before you buy is how you avoid paying a construction rate on maintenance labor.