What code 7580 covers
Typical duties
- Monitoring clarifiers, aeration basins and digesters on each shift
- Dosing chemicals and running coagulation and disinfection systems
- Pulling samples and running plant lab tests for permit reporting
- Pressing, drying and hauling biosolids
- Maintaining pumps, blowers, screens and lift stations
- Extending and repairing the plant’s collection and outfall pipelines
Operations included
- All operations of a sewage disposal plant, run by a public body or a private company
- Treatment by sedimentation, chemical coagulation, biological processes or a mix of them
- Extending, repairing and maintaining the plant’s pipelines
- Drivers for the plant
What code 7580 does not cover
- Building a new sewer system or sewer mains: Code 6306
- Cleaning building sewer connections with portable equipment: Code 5183
- Water treatment and waterworks operation: Code 7520
- Clerical staff in a physically separated office: Code 8810, when the manual’s standard exception rules allow it
Code 7580 rate and cost context
7580 was $2.34 on the 2022 FWCJUA table and is $1.687 for 2026. The main exposures are confined spaces, chemical handling, slips around tanks and lifting.
In the FWCJUA, the 2026 minimum premium for 7580 is $1,678, lower than the $2,900 cap that applies to many construction codes, and the 93% or 183% tier surcharge is added to the rate.
| Year | Rate per $100 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | $2.34 |
| 2023 | $2.17 |
| 2024 | $1.81 |
| 2025 | $1.79 |
| 2026 | $1.687 |
If you are placed in the FWCJUA
Florida’s residual market charges the voluntary rate plus a surcharge on the voluntary premium: 93% in Tier 1 and 183% in Tiers 2 and 3 for 2026. On this code that works out to about $3.26 (Tier 1) or $4.77 (Tiers 2–3) per $100 of payroll before any experience mod.
Example: estimating code 7580 premium
A contract operator that runs two treatment plants reports this payroll in 7580.
| Annual payroll in this code | $290,000 |
| Voluntary-market premium (rate × payroll ÷ 100) | $4,892 |
| FWCJUA Tier 1 (with 93% surcharge) | $9,442 |
| FWCJUA Tiers 2–3 (with 183% surcharge) | $13,845 |
Example only. Assumes no experience modification, schedule credits, expense constant or taxes. Minimum premium applies if the result is lower ($329 / FWCJUA $1,678).
Misclassification pitfalls for code 7580
Plant crews doing new sewer construction
Maintaining and extending the plant’s own pipelines is 7580. Building a new sewer system for others is sewer construction, Code 6306. Contract operators that also bid construction jobs need both codes.
Septic tank pumping written as a sewage plant
A septic pumping company that serves homes and businesses does not operate a sewage disposal plant. That work is not described by 7580, so confirm its code with the underwriter before you bind.
Treating water plants the same as sewage plants
Water treatment and distribution is Code 7520, a different classification. Utilities that run both need separate payroll records.
Missing coverage for small private operators
Florida requires coverage for non-construction employers with four or more employees. A small private plant operator below that line can still be required to show coverage by contract.
Codes that sit next to 7580
Payroll and audit notes for code 7580
Payroll in 7580 includes plant operators, lab technicians, maintenance mechanics, line crews on the plant’s own pipelines, sludge haulers and drivers.
If your company also does construction for others, keep those hours on separate records so they can be rated in their own code.
Keep operator licenses and training records with the payroll file. Underwriters ask for them.
Who usually reports code 7580
- Private wastewater treatment plant operators
- Contract operators of municipal treatment plants
- Package plant operators for communities and parks
- Biosolids handling at the plant
Code 7580 questions
What is class code 7580?
It is Sewage Disposal Plant Operation and Drivers, for operating a sewage treatment plant, public or private. Florida’s 2026 rate is $1.687 per $100 of payroll.
Is septic tank cleaning 7580?
No. A septic pumping business does not operate a sewage disposal plant. Confirm the right code with the underwriter.
Does 7580 cover pipeline repair?
Yes. NCCI’s scope includes extending, repairing and maintaining the plant’s pipelines.
Is a water treatment plant 7580?
No. Waterworks operation is Code 7520.
What is the minimum premium for 7580?
For 2026 it is $329 in the voluntary market and $1,678 in the FWCJUA.
Sources
- NCCI: Summary of the Florida Workers Compensation Rate Filing Recommendation Effective January 1, 2026
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation: Commissioner approves 6.9% workers’ compensation rate decrease effective January 1, 2026 (Nov. 17, 2025)
- Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (FWCJUA): Rates (2022–2026 rate tables and minimum premiums)
- FWCJUA: Bulletins (Bulletin 25-9: 2026 Tier 1, 2 and 3 surcharges)
- NCCI Scopes Manual: National Scopes, Code 7580 (Sewage Disposal Plant Operation & Drivers)
- NCCI Scopes Manual: National Scopes, Code 5183 (Plumbing NOC & Drivers)
- Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation: Coverage requirements for employers
Facts checked October 19, 2026.