California Contractor Insurance
Asena Capital Insurance Services — California-licensed insurance brokerage serving contractors statewide. Phone: (858) 925-9555. Email: info@asenainsurance.com.
Asena Capital Insurance Services provides California insurance guidance for California contractors. Coverage needs depend on operations, employees, payroll, vehicles, contracts, claims history, policy terms, and underwriting. Request a review to discuss the appropriate coverage path for your business.
Workers' comp is usually the largest premium for a general contracting business with employees, and it is the one cost you can estimate from public data. The WCIRB advisory pure premium rates below took effect September 1, 2026.
General contractors report payroll in a code for each trade they self-perform. Office staff (8810) and qualifying executive supervisors (5606) are rated far lower, which is why accurate payroll splits matter.
| Class code | Description | Rate per $100 payroll | Benchmark on $50,000 payroll | Benchmark on $100,000 payroll |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5403 | Carpentry — less than $46/hr | 12.075 | $6,038 | $12,075 |
| 5432 | Carpentry — $46/hr or more | 5.321 | $2,661 | $5,321 |
| 5606 | Contractors — executive supervisors / construction superintendents | 0.842 | $421 | $842 |
| 8810 | Clerical office employees | 0.214 | $107 | $214 |
General liability is priced on revenue or payroll, your type of work and your claims history, not on a public rate table. That is why quotes for the same business can differ widely between carriers, and why comparing several markets matters.
Benchmarks are WCIRB advisory pure premium rates, not quotes. Your premium also depends on the carrier's filed rate, experience mod, minimum premium and fees.
Send us your details and a licensed broker will compare workers' comp, general liability, commercial auto and bond options for your general contracting business. Call (858) 925-9555 or use the short form (name, phone, email).
It depends on payroll and class code. Effective September 1, 2026, the WCIRB advisory pure premium rate for 5403 is $12.075 per $100 of payroll, a benchmark of about $12,075 on $100,000 of payroll before the carrier's own rate, your experience mod and fees.
There is no single code. General contractors report payroll in the code for each trade they self-perform, for example carpentry 5403 (under $46/hr) or 5432 ($46/hr or more); office staff use 8810 and qualifying executive supervisors use 5606. Your carrier assigns the final codes from the work your employees actually do.
If you have employees you need workers' comp now. If you have none, your license can stay exempt until January 1, 2028, when SB 1455 requires workers' comp for every active license except joint ventures.
Your CSLB license number, estimated annual payroll by employee and hourly wage, annual revenue, vehicles and drivers, and claims from the last five years. Carriers will also ask about your your subcontracted vs. self-performed split, certificates you collect from subs, and your largest project value.
General Contractor contractors in California should describe the work actually performed, the CSLB classification that applies, employees and payroll, subcontractors, vehicles, locations, contracts, and claims history before an insurance review. Coverage, limits, eligibility, pricing, and effective dates depend on the complete operation and underwriting; this page is not a binding quote or legal determination.
Prepare the legal entity, CSLB license and classification, description of general construction, renovation, supervision, and subcontracted project work, employee duties and payroll, subcontractor practices, vehicles and equipment, locations, contract requirements, prior coverage, and claims.
No. The classification is one input. Actual operations, project mix, employees, subcontractors, vehicles, locations, contracts, losses, policy terms, and underwriting also affect the review.
The review may include General Liability, Workers' Compensation where applicable, Commercial Auto, tools or equipment, contractor license bonds, and contract-specific certificates or endorsements. The appropriate combination depends on the actual business.
Official references: California CSLB · CSLB workers' compensation requirements · California DIR employer information · CSLB licensing classifications