In California electrician workers comp, an electrician's regular hourly wage decides which of two wiring classifications takes that payroll: 5190 below $40.00 an hour and 5140 at or above it, for policies from September 1, 2026. Both titles describe wiring inside buildings, so line, underground or solar work may be reported elsewhere, as the carrier determines.
Electrical contractors in California work under the C-10 Electrical license, and the Contractors State License Board expects workers comp from the day the shop hires its first employee. A C-10 holder who works alone can still file a no-employee exemption, but that option is scheduled to close on January 1, 2028. A CSLB report has proposed keeping a narrower version, so the date could still change. The California contractor workers comp rules explain the exemption change and which license classes already can't use it.
| Rule | What It Means for an Electrical Shop | Source |
|---|---|---|
| First employee | Coverage is required once anyone else is on payroll, even a single apprentice. | CSLB |
| No-employee exemption | A C-10 holder with no employees may file one now; it is scheduled to end on January 1, 2028. | Business and Professions Code 7125 |
| Penalties under SB 291 | A false exemption or uncovered workers can bring a minimum civil penalty of $10,000 per violation for a sole owner licensee and $20,000 for a corporation, partnership or LLC. | Business and Professions Code 7125.4 |
| Unlicensed help | Someone pulling wire for you on licensed work, without a contractor license of their own, is presumed to be your employee. | Labor Code 2750.5 |
| Corporate officers | An officer or director who owns at least 10% may waive coverage; the waiver starts when the insurer accepts it. | Department of Insurance notice |
| Wage-split reporting | Electrical wiring payroll is divided by each person's regular hourly wage at $40.00. | WCIRB |
An owner weighing a waiver should confirm the decision with the carrier first. Crews that also work across the state line answer to different rules, set out in Arizona electrical contractor workers comp and Nevada electrician industrial insurance.
The WCIRB publishes electrical wiring as a pair separated by regular hourly wage. For policies from September 1, 2026, the line is $40.00 an hour. The higher-wage code holds only when the final audit shows the wage met the line; payroll that can't be shown to meet it goes to 5190.
$40.00 an hour is the line between these published classifications
Published classifications that mention this work
The WCIRB's notes for this pair point several kinds of electrical work to other published classifications: overhead power lines, underground wiring and conduit, pole-mounted street and parking lot lighting, solar panels and electrical machinery, and voice or data cabling inside buildings. Which applies depends on actual duties and the carrier's determination; the panel lists only the wiring pair. Data cabling crews are covered on the workers comp for cabling contractors in California page, and every trade's pairs sit on the WCIRB class codes for contractors list.
Illustrative scenario
Picture an electrical contractor with three apprentices paid under $40.00 an hour and five journeymen paid above it, mostly wiring office tenant improvements. With hourly records by person, the apprentices' payroll is reported under 5190 and the journeymen's under 5140. One summer the shop also sets pole-mounted lights in a parking lot. The WCIRB points that lighting to a different published classification, so the carrier may ask for those hours separately. Move the shop to Arizona or Nevada and none of this holds: those states use NCCI classifications, and no California code carries over.
Putting Every Job Under the Wiring Pair
Electrical shops often report all field payroll under 5190 and 5140, including site lighting, underground conduit or solar arrays. The pair is written for work inside buildings, so an auditor who sees outside jobs on the invoices may ask how those hours were split.
Missing wage records can push payroll to 5190, so keep them by person. Then get a California electrician workers comp quote.
Workers comp is for injuries to the people on your payroll. A fire blamed on a panel you installed, a service truck crash or a change order dispute usually falls under other policies, such as general liability, commercial auto or a license bond.
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The WCIRB's electrical wiring pair splits on regular hourly pay: 5190 for employees under $40.00 an hour and 5140 for those at or above it, on policies from September 1, 2026. Which code fits each electrician depends on the work done and the carrier's determination. We don't assign or confirm codes.
Not necessarily. The wiring pair's published titles describe work within buildings, and the WCIRB publishes separate classifications for overhead power line construction and for underground wiring and conduit. How outside work is reported depends on actual duties and the carrier's determination, so describe it when you ask for a quote.
A C-10 holder with no employees can file an exemption with the CSLB for now. That choice is scheduled to disappear on January 1, 2028, when licensees will generally need a certificate on file. The CSLB has suggested keeping a narrower exemption, so check the current rule before your next license renewal.
The title on the paycheck doesn't decide it; the regular hourly wage does. An apprentice paid under $40.00 an hour is typically reported under 5190, and once a raise takes the rate to the line or above, the hours after the raise may move to 5140. Keep the raise dates.
The WCIRB's notes for the wiring pair send voice and data cabling inside buildings to a separate communications cabling classification. If your electricians also pull network cable, keep those hours apart; how they are reported depends on duties and the carrier's determination.
The WCIRB's notes for the wiring pair place photovoltaic panel installation in a separate classification for electrical machinery and related apparatus. If your crews mount solar arrays as well as wire buildings, the carrier may want those hours reported apart, and the result depends on its determination.
10 official sources
Reviewed by David Gleason, Principal, on .
Next Level Experience. Insurance Done Right.
California electrician workers comp, from the wiring split to outside work.
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