For drywall workers comp insurance in California, payroll falls under a wallboard pair split at $45.00 an hour of regular wage for policies from September 1, 2026, and the published titles count finishing as part of the work, so wage level matters more than hanging versus taping. Arizona and Nevada use NCCI classifications, and California codes don't carry over.
California. Drywall contractors are licensed under C-9 Drywall. Coverage is needed from the first employee, and a C-9 licensee working alone can file an exemption that is scheduled to end on January 1, 2028. The California drywall workers comp insurance page covers the wage split, piece-rate records and the audit.
Arizona. Classification follows NCCI's system, which this site doesn't publish. Many drywall companies use labor-only crews, and under Arizona Revised Statutes 23-902 a contractor that keeps supervision or control over work that is part of its trade can be treated as the employer of a sub's workers. A written independent contractor agreement creates only a presumption, which can be rebutted. The owner rules, subs and audit records for Arizona are covered in Arizona drywall workers compensation.
Nevada. The state calls it industrial insurance and also uses NCCI classifications. A principal contractor's subs and their employees are deemed its employees. From October 1, 2026, each employee's payroll counts up to a limit reset every January: $98,433.60 for policies from October 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, and $102,452.16 from January 1, 2027. More is on the Nevada industrial insurance for contractors page. The payroll limit, owner rules and audit records for Nevada are covered in Nevada drywall workers compensation.
California's published wallboard titles cover installation inside buildings, with finishing and preparation for paint included. Hangers and tapers therefore typically sit in the same pair, and each person's regular hourly wage decides the side. Light-gauge steel stud framing is published separately, as its own wage-split pair with a line at $46.00, so a crew that frames and hangs may report payroll in more than one pair, depending on duties and the carrier's determination.
In Arizona and Nevada, NCCI classifications apply and aren't listed here. The workers comp classification codes page explains what this site publishes. We don't assign, suggest or confirm a code.
Workers comp answers for injuries to your employees. A client's claim over a cracked ceiling or water-stained board typically belongs to general liability, and the trucks that haul board to the site need commercial auto. Our sister site covers insuring the trucks a drywall company runs.
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In California, the published wallboard titles include finishing, so hangers and tapers aren't split by task; each worker's regular hourly wage decides between the two classifications at $45.00. In Arizona and Nevada, NCCI rules apply, and the carrier classifies the work from the duties.
This site publishes the California split only. Arizona and Nevada use NCCI classifications, and California codes and thresholds don't carry over. Ask the carrier how drywall payroll is classified in those states, and copy the codes from a current policy.
They can. California presumes unlicensed workers doing licensed work are employees, Arizona can treat a sub's workers as yours when you keep supervision or control, and Nevada deems a principal contractor's subs and their employees to be its employees. Collect certificates from every sub.
Not in California's published titles. Steel framing has its own wage-split pair with a line at $46.00, separate from wallboard's $45.00. When one crew does both, track hours by task and ask the carrier how it will report them.
Maybe, if it is built on the same facts as the others. Drywall pricing in California turns on the wage split and on clean piece-rate records, and a quote that assumes a higher wage line than your hangers and tapers earn may be corrected at audit. Ask each carrier how it classifies taping and texture, and what audit support it gives. See how to compare cheap workers comp quotes.
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Reviewed by David Gleason, Principal, on .
Next Level Experience. Insurance Done Right.
Drywall workers comp across three states, from the wallboard line to labor-only subs.
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