Framing and Rough Carpentry Contractor Insurance in California (C-5)

What the C-5 license covers

The CSLB’s definition

“A framing and rough carpentry contractor performs any form work, framing or rough carpentry necessary to construct framed structures; installs or repairs individual components of framing systems and performs any rough carpentry or associated work, including but not limited to the construction or installation of: sub-flooring, siding, exterior staircases and railings, overhead doors, roof decking, truss members, and sheathing.”

Falls from walls and roof decks, nail-gun injuries and lifting are the claims that drive framing rates. On the liability side, many general liability policies exclude new residential tract homes or condominium work, which is exactly where a lot of framing happens. Read that exclusion before you sign a builder’s subcontract.

The C-5 coverage stack

General Liability — check for tract-home and condo exclusions before you bid residential new construction
Workers’ Compensation — rated 5403 or 5432 depending on each worker’s hourly wage
Commercial Auto — trucks hauling lumber, trailers and crews
Inland Marine — nail guns, compressors, saws and lifts on the jobsite
CSLB license bond — the $25,000 bond every C-5 license needs
Excess & Umbrella — multifamily and commercial builders often require $2M–$5M

C-5 requirements

What California requires of a C-5 licensee

Requirement	What applies to C-5 framers
Contractor’s license bond	A $25,000 bond is required to activate and keep the license. LLC licensees also need a $100,000 LLC employee/worker bond. How the bond works
Workers’ compensation	Required now if you have even one employee. With no employees you can file a CSLB exemption, but that option ends for every classification on January 1, 2028. Check your requirement
General liability	Required by the CSLB only for LLC licensees (at least $1 million). General contractors and owners require it anyway, usually with additional insured status.

Workers’ comp class codes and 2026 rates

Class code	Description	Advisory rate per $100 payroll
5403	Carpentry, workers paid under $46.00/hr	$12.08
5432	Carpentry, workers paid $46.00/hr or more	$5.32

Source: WCIRB California, approved September 1, 2026 advisory pure premium rates and classification descriptions. These are benchmark loss costs, not quotes: each carrier files its own rates, and your experience mod and credits adjust the final premium.

The $46 carpentry threshold applies to policies starting on or after September 1, 2026 (it was $41). A framer paid $46 an hour costs less than half as much to insure as one paid $45, for the same work, but only if your payroll records show each worker’s hourly rate. Light-gauge steel framing uses its own pair of codes, 5632/5633.

$46/hr

the carpentry wage line that splits 5403 from 5432

Tract-home exclusions

common on GL policies; check yours before residential new construction

WC by 2028

every C-5 needs a policy, employees or not

Common questions

C-5 coverage, answered

What is the workers’ comp class code for framing in California?

Framing is rated as carpentry: code 5403 for workers paid under $46.00 an hour and 5432 for workers paid $46.00 or more, on policies starting on or after September 1, 2026. The WCIRB’s 2026 advisory rates are $12.08 and $5.32 per $100 of payroll.

Is general liability required for a C-5 license?

Only for LLC licensees, which must carry at least $1 million. Sole proprietors and corporations aren’t required to by the CSLB, but builders and general contractors will require it before you start.

Why was my framing GL claim denied on a new home?

Many general liability policies exclude new residential tract homes, condominiums or townhomes. If you frame residential new construction, confirm your policy has no such exclusion before the job starts.

Do framers need workers’ comp with no employees?

Not yet. A C-5 licensee with no employees can file the CSLB exemption until January 1, 2028, when the exemption ends for every classification. Any employee means you need a policy now.

Framing and Rough Carpentry Contractor Insurance in California

The CSLB’s definition

The C-5 coverage stack

What California requires of a C-5 licensee

Workers’ comp class codes and 2026 rates

C-5 coverage, answered

Get a C-5 quote that fits the work