A masonry contractor's workers comp is priced on payroll, classified by the WCIRB in California and under NCCI's system in Arizona and Nevada. California splits masonry payroll by hourly wage between workers rather than by material, so the pay of masons and tenders often matters more than whether the job is brick, block or stone.
California. The CSLB licenses masons under C-29 Masonry. Hiring anyone brings the coverage requirement. A mason with no employees may file an exemption for now; that option has a scheduled end of January 1, 2028, subject to CSLB proposals that could reshape it. The wage split and audit are on California masonry workers comp insurance.
Arizona. A general builder that supervises masonry as part of its own line of work may, under Arizona Revised Statutes 23-902, become the employer of the masonry sub's crew for coverage purposes. Arizona also lets a sole proprietor who works as an independent contractor waive coverage, on a form signed by both that proprietor and the hiring employer's carrier. The owner rules, subs and audit records for Arizona are covered in Arizona masonry workers compensation.
Nevada. Nevada's statutes say industrial insurance rather than workers comp. A mason working under a principal contractor is deemed that contractor's employee, and the state rates any one worker's pay only up to $102,452.16 on policies beginning January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027. A sole proprietor can opt in, while a paid officer or manager who is also an owner can opt out by telling the insurer; the statute names no ownership threshold. The payroll limit, owner rules and audit records for Nevada are covered in Nevada masonry workers compensation.
California's WCIRB publishes masonry as a wage-split pair, 5027 and 5028, divided at $37.00 an hour for policies from September 1, 2026. The titles don't separate brick, block and stone. Arizona and Nevada work from NCCI's classification system, which we don't list, so 5027 and 5028 stop at the California border.
Wherever the job is, the published classifications that mention this work are a guide, and the carrier decides from the duties your crew performs; we never assign or confirm a code. Each bureau's approach is laid out under workers comp classification codes.
Workers comp is meant for a tender's injury, not a retaining wall that leans a year later, a brick dropped on a client's patio or a pickup accident; those usually sit with general liability or commercial auto. Gleason Insurance Brokers explains general liability for California masonry and other contractors.
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Not by title in California: the published masonry pair doesn't separate materials and splits payroll by hourly wage instead. Premium still depends on the work, wall heights, wages, claims and the carrier's rates, and Arizona and Nevada classify masonry under NCCI's system.
No. Those two numbers belong to California's WCIRB system. A block wall in Phoenix or Henderson is classified under NCCI's system instead, from the duties involved and the carrier's determination.
Possibly. A paid officer or manager who is also an owner may opt out by notice to the insurer, and an officer or LLC manager drawing no pay may opt out by written notice sent to the company and its insurer. Sole proprietors start outside the system and may elect in. Talk through what opting out gives up with the carrier before you decide.
Masonry quotes swing with California's wage split and with how a carrier views wall heights and scaffold work. A low quote may assume shorter walls, a lower wage line or no scaffold building, and those assumptions often get tested at audit or after a claim. Compare what each quote says about heights, payroll and the endorsements your contracts require. See how to compare cheap workers comp quotes.
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Reviewed by David Gleason, Principal, on .
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Masonry workers comp across California, Arizona and Nevada.
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