For landscaping workers comp insurance, installation and maintenance work is classified by each state's own system: California uses WCIRB classifications, while Arizona and Nevada use NCCI. In every state, tree trimming and hardscape work can change how a landscaper's payroll is reported, depending on the duties and the carrier's determination.
| State | Classification System | License Class | Rule Worth Knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | WCIRB | C-27 Landscaping | Insure the first hire; a licensee working alone may use an exemption until January 1, 2028. |
| Arizona | NCCI | C-21/R-21 Hardscaping and Irrigation | Hand a sub part of your regular work while keeping supervision or control, and its crew may count as yours. |
| Nevada | NCCI | C-10 Landscape | Subs' workers are deemed the principal contractor's employees, and each paycheck counts only to a yearly limit. |
In California, landscapers hold the C-27 license from the Contractors State License Board, and workers comp is required once there is one employee. Licensees without employees can still file an exemption today; the law sets January 1, 2028 as the end date, though the CSLB has proposed keeping a narrower version. The California landscaping workers compensation page walks through the published classifications, the audit and the common mistakes.
In Arizona, the Registrar of Contractors lists a C-21/R-21 Hardscaping and Irrigation class. Under Arizona Revised Statutes 23-902, the original contractor can end up as the employer of a sub's crew if it directs that work and the work belongs to its own trade, which matters to a landscaper who hands irrigation or paver jobs to someone else. The owner rules, subs and audit records for Arizona are covered in Arizona landscaping workers compensation.
Nevada calls workers comp industrial insurance. The Nevada State Contractors Board's C-10 Landscape class describes planting and maintaining trees, and it doesn't state trimming or removal. Under Nevada's principal contractor rule, subs and their employees are treated as employees of the principal contractor. Starting October 1, 2026, Nevada stops counting a worker's pay past a set amount: $98,433.60 for policies starting October 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, and $102,452.16 for policies from January 1, 2027. The payroll limit, owner rules and audit records for Nevada are covered in Nevada landscaping workers compensation.
California publishes a classification that names landscape gardening and a separate one that names tree pruning, repairing and trimming. Arizona and Nevada classify landscapers under NCCI, and this site doesn't publish NCCI codes. Nothing from the California list transfers across the state line. The workers comp class code lookup explains what each state publishes.
Two kinds of work most often change the answer. Crews that climb and trim may see that payroll reviewed apart from mowing and planting; the tree trimming workers comp page covers that trade on its own. Patios, block walls and retaining walls may be reviewed against masonry or concrete classifications, as the masonry workers comp insurance page describes. In each case, classification depends on actual duties and the carrier's determination.
Workers comp is for injuries to the people on your payroll. Damage to a client's property, a stolen trailer of mowers or a truck accident between job sites usually needs a different policy: general liability, equipment coverage or commercial auto. For the vehicles, our sister site has a page on insuring the trucks and trailers a landscaping crew drives.
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No. California codes come from the WCIRB system, and Arizona and Nevada use NCCI classifications. A landscaper working in more than one state is classified separately in each one, based on the work and the carrier's determination.
When crews prune, trim or remove trees as part of the job, that payroll may be reviewed apart from maintenance and installation. Describe tree work on your application and track crew time by task; that record is what an auditor can use to separate the two.
Its written scope talks about planting and maintaining trees; trimming and removal aren't listed. If your crews trim or take down trees in Nevada, ask the Nevada State Contractors Board which license the work needs before you bid it.
Possibly. Under Arizona Revised Statutes 23-902, a contractor that keeps supervision or control over a sub doing part of its regular work may be treated as the employer of the sub's workers. Ask each sub for proof of workers comp before the job starts.
Landscape quotes can be low because they price gardening and maintenance alone. Tree trimming, hardscape and irrigation installs may be reported under other classifications, as the carrier decides from what crews actually do, and an audit that finds that work can raise the premium. Compare which services each quote includes and how it treats seasonal crews and uninsured subs. See what makes one workers comp quote cheaper.
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Reviewed by David Gleason, Principal, on .
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Landscaping workers comp for crews in California, Arizona and Nevada.
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