Restaurant Workers' Comp in Nevada
What Nevada requires of restaurants and bars for workers' compensation — when it kicks in, who's exempt, and what it costs.
Reviewed by J. Robert Smith, Licensed Insurance Agent (NPN 10378680). Last updated .
Yes. Nevada requires every employer with one or more employees—including restaurants—to carry industrial-insurance (workers'-compensation) coverage from a licensed private insurer. There is no minimum-employee exemption; coverage is mandatory from the first worker. Narrow exceptions cover only casual employment (twenty days or fewer, under five-hundred dollars, outside the employer's trade). Sole proprietors may exclude themselves.
- Required?
- Yes
- Kicks in at
- 1+ employees (mandatory from the first employee; no numerical minimum).
- Restaurant rate
- NCCI 9082 (full-service restaurant) approx. $1.00–$1.20 per $100 payroll; 9083 (fast-food/limited-service) approx. $0.90–$1.10 per $100. Low-to-moderate hazard tier. Approximate, industry tier.
- Market
- Competitive private market only; Nevada privatized its state fund in 1999 (becoming Employers Insurance Company of Nevada), leaving no state fund and no monopoly, with an assigned-risk pool for hard-to-place employers.
Is workers’ comp required for a restaurant in Nevada?
Nevada requires workers' compensation once you reach 1+ employees (mandatory from the first employee; no numerical minimum).. Sole proprietors, working partners, LLC members, and corporate officers are generally not counted as employees but may elect to buy coverage on themselves. Casual employment (20 days or fewer, under $500, outside the employer's trade or business), certain interstate workers, and domestic/agricultural labor fall outside mandatory coverage, though construction trades never qualify for any exemption.
What restaurant workers’ comp costs in Nevada
The restaurant class-code rate in Nevada is NCCI 9082 (full-service restaurant) approx. $1.00–$1.20 per $100 payroll; 9083 (fast-food/limited-service) approx. $0.90–$1.10 per $100. Low-to-moderate hazard tier. Approximate, industry tier.. Your premium is that rate applied per $100 of payroll and adjusted by your experience modifier, so it scales with how many people you employ and your claims history. Competitive private market only; Nevada privatized its state fund in 1999 (becoming Employers Insurance Company of Nevada), leaving no state fund and no monopoly, with an assigned-risk pool for hard-to-place employers.
What owners in Nevada miss
- Nevada calls workers' compensation "industrial insurance," governed by NRS Chapters 616A-617 and administered by the Division of Industrial Relations.
- Failure to carry coverage can escalate from a misdemeanor to a category-C felony and triggers premium-penalty and stop-work orders.
- Because Nevada has no state fund, restaurants buy exclusively from private carriers or the assigned-risk plan.
Sources
- State of Nevada (SilverFlume Business Portal): Which employers are required to provide workers' compensation insurance?primaryretrieved 2026-07-27
- Nevada Division of Industrial Relations: Employer Compliance (Workers' Compensation Section)primaryretrieved 2026-07-27
- Nevada Legislature: NRS Chapter 616B — Industrial Insurance: Insurers; Liability for Coverageprimaryretrieved 2026-07-27
Cost examples are illustrative national figures gathered from public filings and industry surveys. They are not quotes. Your actual premium depends on your state, carrier, revenue, payroll, location, and coverage selections. Restaurant Insurance Authority is an insurance marketing and referral service, not an insurer or licensed agency. We connect business owners with licensed independent commercial-lines agents who specialize in food and beverage. Questions? Call (855) 480-1410.
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