California framing workers comp splits payroll two ways for policies from September 1, 2026: by material and by wage. Wood framing is published as the carpentry pair 5403 and 5432, divided at $46.00 an hour, and light-gauge steel as 5632 and 5633, divided at $46.00. Where each framer lands depends on pay, duties and the carrier's determination.
Framing contractors are licensed by the CSLB under C-5 Framing and Rough Carpentry. That class isn't on the board's list of licenses that must carry workers comp with no employees, so a framer working alone can file an exemption today. The exemption is scheduled to end on January 1, 2028, though a CSLB report has proposed keeping a narrower one. The California workers comp for contractors and restaurants page follows that change.
| Rule | What It Means for Framers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | Coverage is required from the first employee, including a laborer who only stocks walls. | CSLB |
| No-employee exemption | Open to C-5 licensees for now; scheduled to end on January 1, 2028. | Business and Professions Code 7125 |
| Framing crews without a license | A crew lead doing licensed framing for you without a license of their own is presumed to be your employee, and so are the people on that crew. | Labor Code 2750.5 |
| Exemption filed while employing | Minimum civil penalty of $10,000 per violation for a sole owner, $20,000 for an entity, under SB 291. | Business and Professions Code 7125.4 |
| Partners and LLC members | General partners and managing members of an LLC may waive coverage; those are the only two roles named for that choice. | Department of Insurance notice |
Owners who frame alongside the crew should settle with the carrier whether they stay on the policy, after reading what a waiver gives up. Crews that also work across the state line answer to different rules, set out in Arizona carpentry workers comp and Nevada carpentry workers comp.
The framing panel lists two wage-split pairs. The carpentry pair mentions wood work, and the steel framing pair mentions light-gauge metal; both also reach trim, door and cabinet installation done with the framing. Neither title mentions whether the building is a house or a store. For policies from September 1, 2026, both pairs divide at the same hourly figure. Every wage-split trade appears on the California workers comp classifications by trade list.
$46.00 an hour is the line between these published classifications
Published classifications that mention this work
Illustrative scenario
Illustrative only. A C-5 Framing and Rough Carpentry company keeps five carpenters on a tract of wood-framed houses and sends three framers to a medical office with metal studs. Two of the five and one of the three earn at or above the threshold. With hours by person and by material, payroll lands in all four published classifications: low and high wage for wood, low and high wage for steel. Without the material records, the steel hours may be harder to separate. Take the same crew to Arizona or Nevada and the example stops working: those states classify through NCCI, and California's wage line doesn't apply there.
Reporting Metal Stud Work as Carpentry
Wood framers who pick up a light-gauge steel job often leave those hours in the carpentry pair. The published titles separate the two materials, so the audit may move the steel hours, and the wage split then runs again inside the steel pair. Track hours by material from the first day on a metal job.
When those records are in order, get a California framing workers comp quote.
Workers comp answers for injuries to your framers. A wall panel that blows over onto a neighbor's car, a homeowner hurt by a dropped header, a lumber trailer accident on the freeway or a claim that the framing was out of plumb typically falls to general liability, commercial auto or a contractor's bond instead. Raise those when you ask for a quote.
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No. The WCIRB publishes them as separate pairs: carpentry 5403 and 5432 for wood, and steel framing 5632 and 5633 for light-gauge metal. Both split at the same hourly wage for policies from September 1, 2026. Which pair fits a framer depends on the work performed and the carrier's determination; we don't assign codes.
For policies from September 1, 2026, the carpentry pair divides at $46.00 an hour and the steel framing pair at $46.00. Each framer's regular hourly rate, not the crew average, decides the side of the line.
Payroll may be divided between the two pairs when your time records show the hours spent on each material. If records lump the week together, the carrier or auditor may place the hours in a single pair. A daily log by job and material is the simplest proof.
Often, yes. Under Labor Code 2750.5, someone doing framing that needs a contractor license, for a contractor who must hold one, is presumed to be an employee unless they hold their own license. If the crew lead has no C-5 and no workers comp, that crew's pay may show up on your audit.
Not today, if the framer files an exemption with the CSLB, since framing isn't on the list of classes that must carry it regardless. That exemption is scheduled to end on January 1, 2028, and the CSLB has proposed changes, so confirm the rule before a renewal.
The titles in the California framing panel don't mention the type of building; they separate wood from light-gauge steel and split each by wage. Other duties on a job, and how the carrier reads them, can still change the answer, so describe the work plainly when you apply.
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Reviewed by David Gleason, Principal, on .
Next Level Experience. Insurance Done Right.
California framing workers comp for wood and steel crews on both sides of the wage line.
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