Welding Contractor Insurance in California (C-60)

What the C-60 license covers

The CSLB’s definition

“A welding contractor causes metals to become permanently attached, joined and fabricated by the use of gases and electrical energy, which creates temperatures of sufficient heat to perform this work.”

Burns, eye injuries, fumes and falls from steel are the comp exposures. On the liability side, hot work starts fires, and a single spark into a wall cavity can burn a building. Some general liability policies limit or exclude hot work, or require a fire watch and permits. Defective welds that fail later are the other big claim, so check how your policy treats your completed work.

The C-60 coverage stack

General Liability — confirm hot work isn’t excluded or limited
Workers’ Compensation — 3365 for general welding; 5040 or 5102 for erection work
Commercial Auto — welding rigs and trucks with mounted equipment
Inland Marine — welders, generators, torches and cutting equipment
CSLB license bond — the $25,000 bond every C-60 license needs
Excess & Umbrella — commercial and industrial contracts often require $2M–$5M

C-60 requirements

What California requires of a C-60 licensee

Requirement	What applies to C-60 welders
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
3365	Welding or cutting, shop or outside, not otherwise classified	$5.29
5040	Iron or steel erection, structural	$10.05
5102	Iron, steel, brass, bronze or aluminum erection, non-structural	$6.14

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.

3365 is the WCIRB’s catch-all welding class, for shop or field welding that isn’t part of another construction operation. Welding done while erecting structural steel is rated 5040, and welding railings, stairs and other non-structural metal in place is 5102. If your crews do both, keep payroll records by job so each hour lands in the right code.

Code 3365

$5.29 per $100 of payroll for general welding in 2026

Hot work

the fire exposure every underwriter asks about

WC by 2028

every C-60 needs a policy, employees or not

Common questions

C-60 coverage, answered

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

General shop or field welding is 3365, Welding or Cutting, at $5.29 per $100 of payroll in the WCIRB’s 2026 advisory rates. Welding during structural steel erection is 5040 ($10.05), and non-structural metal erection is 5102 ($6.14).

Does general liability cover a fire caused by welding?

It should, but some policies exclude or limit hot work, or require permits and a fire watch as a condition. Read the hot work wording before you take a job in an occupied building.

Is general liability required for a C-60 license?

Only for LLC licensees, at least $1 million. General contractors and property owners will require it.

Do welders need workers’ comp with no employees?

A C-60 with no employees can file the CSLB exemption until January 1, 2028. After that every licensee needs a policy.

Welding Contractor Insurance in California

The CSLB’s definition

The C-60 coverage stack

What California requires of a C-60 licensee

Workers’ comp class codes and 2026 rates

C-60 coverage, answered

Get a C-60 quote that fits the work