Lathing and Plastering Contractor Insurance in California (C-35)

What the C-35 license covers

The CSLB’s definition

“A lathing and plastering contractor coats surfaces with a mixture of sand, gypsum plaster, quick-lime or hydrated lime and water, or sand and cement and water, or a combination of such other materials that create a permanent surface coating, including coatings for the purpose of soundproofing and fireproofing.”

Scaffold falls are the main injury risk. The larger liability exposure is water intrusion: stucco and lath problems that show up years later as mold or damage, which is why carriers look closely at residential new construction and multifamily work.

The C-35 coverage stack

General Liability — with completed operations and no surprise exclusion for water intrusion
Workers’ Compensation — dual-wage 5484/5485
Commercial Auto — trucks hauling mixers, scaffolding and materials
Inland Marine — mixers, pumps, sprayers and scaffolding
CSLB license bond — the $25,000 bond every C-35 license needs
Excess & Umbrella — multifamily and commercial contracts

C-35 requirements

What California requires of a C-35 licensee

Requirement	What applies to C-35 plasterers
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
5484	Plastering or stucco work, workers paid under $42.00/hr	$8.45
5485	Plastering or stucco work, workers paid $42.00/hr or more	$6.45

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.

Plastering and stucco is a dual-wage pair split at $42.00 an hour for policies starting on or after September 1, 2026 (it was $38). Keep hourly rates on your payroll register so the auditor can place each worker correctly.

$42/hr

the wage line that splits 5484 from 5485

Water intrusion

the claim stucco carriers worry about most

WC by 2028

every C-35 needs a policy, employees or not

Common questions

C-35 coverage, answered

What is the workers’ comp class code for plastering and stucco in California?

Plastering or stucco work is code 5484 for workers paid under $42.00 an hour and 5485 for workers paid $42.00 or more, on policies starting on or after September 1, 2026. The WCIRB’s 2026 advisory rates are $8.45 and $6.45 per $100 of payroll.

Does my liability insurance cover stucco leaks after the job?

Completed-operations coverage in general liability responds to damage that shows up after the work is done, unless the policy excludes water intrusion or mold. Those exclusions are common on stucco, so read yours.

Is general liability required for a C-35 license?

Only for LLC licensees, at least $1 million. Builders will require it, often with additional insured endorsements for completed operations.

Do plasterers need workers’ comp with no employees?

A C-35 with no employees can file the CSLB exemption until January 1, 2028. After that every licensee needs a policy.

Lathing and Plastering Contractor Insurance in California

The CSLB’s definition

The C-35 coverage stack

What California requires of a C-35 licensee

Workers’ comp class codes and 2026 rates

C-35 coverage, answered

Get a C-35 quote that fits the work