Framing workers comp turns on the material, the wage and the state. California publishes wood carpentry and light-gauge steel framing as separate wage-split pairs, while Arizona and Nevada classify framing through NCCI's system. In every state, classification depends on what each framer does and the carrier's determination.
California. Framers are licensed by the CSLB under C-5 Framing and Rough Carpentry. Coverage is required from the first employee. A C-5 licensee with no employees can file an exemption today, but it is scheduled to end on January 1, 2028. The wage lines, audit records and crew questions are on the California framing workers comp insurance page.
Arizona. A framing company that brings in labor crews to do part of its own work should know Arizona Revised Statutes 23-902: when the company keeps supervision or control and the work is part of its regular trade, those crews and their workers may be treated as its employees. The owner rules, subs and audit records for Arizona are covered in Arizona framing workers compensation.
Nevada. Industrial insurance follows the principal contractor rule, so a framer who hires subs or independent crews is treated as their employer. From October 1, 2026, each employee's payroll counts only up to a per-employee limit that resets every January. More on the state's rules is under Nevada industrial insurance for contractors. The payroll limit, owner rules and audit records for Nevada are covered in Nevada framing workers compensation.
California's framing panel lists the carpentry pair, 5403 and 5432, and the light-gauge steel framing pair, 5632 and 5633. For policies from September 1, 2026, both divide at $46.00 an hour of regular pay. The titles separate wood from metal and don't mention whether the building is residential or commercial.
Arizona and Nevada use NCCI classifications, which this site doesn't publish, and California's codes don't carry over. Whether house framing and commercial framing are classified differently in those states is a question for the carrier. The workers comp classification codes page explains each state's publisher.
Workers comp answers for injuries to your framers. A collapsed wall that damages a neighbor's property or a claim about the work typically falls to general liability. Trucks and trailers hauling lumber need their own policy; the fleet site explains commercial auto for framing contractors in California. When you have payroll by framer, start a framing workers comp quote.
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In California, yes: the WCIRB publishes light-gauge steel framing and wood carpentry as separate pairs, each split by wage. In Arizona and Nevada, framing is classified under NCCI's system. Which classification applies depends on the work performed and the carrier's determination.
The wage-split pairs on this page are a California rule. Arizona and Nevada classify framing through NCCI, and Nevada limits how much of each employee's payroll counts from October 1, 2026. Ask the carrier how wages affect the classification in those states.
Often. California presumes an unlicensed person doing licensed work is your employee, Arizona can treat crews you supervise as yours, and Nevada treats a principal contractor as the employer of its subs. A current certificate from each crew is the record that matters.
A framing quote can look low when it assumes wood framing only, leaves out metal stud work, or prices a lighter claims history than yours. Work at height draws underwriting questions, and how a carrier answers them shapes the rate. Compare the classifications named for wood and metal, the payroll basis and how quickly certificates reach your builders. See why the cheapest workers comp quote may cost more.
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Reviewed by David Gleason, Principal, on .
Next Level Experience. Insurance Done Right.
Framing workers comp for wood and steel crews in California, Arizona and Nevada.
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