WorkCompHQ

Workers' Compensation Requirements by State (2026)

How many employees before coverage is mandatory in your state. Every entry verified against the state's official agency page — see how we source.

36
states: 1st employee triggers
4
state-fund-only (monopolistic)
2
no mandatory law (TX, SD)
#State ⇅ Threshold ⇅ ConstructionNotes
1 Alaska 1+ 1+
2 Arizona 1+ —
3 California 1+ —
4 Colorado 1+ 1+
5 Connecticut 1+ 1+
6 Delaware 1+ 1+
7 District of Columbia 1+ 1+
8 Hawaii 1+ 1+
9 Idaho 1+ 1+
10 Illinois 1+ —
11 Indiana 1+ 1+
12 Iowa 1+ 1+
13 Kentucky 1+ 1+
14 Louisiana 1+ 1+
15 Maine 1+ 1+
16 Maryland 1+ 1+
17 Massachusetts 1+ 1+
18 Michigan 1+ 1+
19 Minnesota 1+ 1+
20 Montana 1+ 1+
21 Nebraska 1+ 1+
22 Nevada 1+ 1+
23 New Hampshire 1+ 1+
24 New Jersey 1+ 1+
25 New York 1+ —
26 North Dakota 1+ 1+ state fund
27 Ohio 1+ 1+ state fund
28 Oklahoma 1+ 1+
29 Oregon 1+ 1+
30 Pennsylvania 1+ 1+
31 Rhode Island 1+ 1+
32 Utah 1+ 1+
33 Vermont 1+ 1+
34 Washington 1+ 1+ state fund
35 West Virginia 1+ 1+
36 Wyoming 1+ 1+ state fund
37 Arkansas 3+ —
38 Georgia 3+ —
39 New Mexico 3+ 1+
40 North Carolina 3+ 3+
41 Virginia 3+ 3+
42 Wisconsin 3+ 3+
43 Florida 4+ 1+
44 South Carolina 4+ 4+
45 Alabama 5+ 1+
46 Mississippi 5+ 5+
47 Missouri 5+ 1+
48 Tennessee 5+ 1+
49 Kansas $ payroll 1+
50 South Dakota — — elective
51 Texas — — elective

"$ payroll" = wage-triggered (KS: $20k/yr; WI: $500/quarter). Monopolistic states (ND, OH, WA, WY): you buy from the state fund, not private insurers. Click any state for details and official sources.