California masonry workers comp payroll divides at $37.00 an hour for policies from September 1, 2026: 5027 for workers paid below that rate and 5028 for those paid at or above it. The published title says masonry without naming brick, block or stone, so each worker's regular hourly rate typically decides the side, subject to the work and the carrier's determination.
Masons are licensed by the CSLB under C-29 Masonry. A C-29 business needs workers comp from its first employee, tender or journeyman. A C-29 licensee who lays block alone can file a no-employee exemption for now, but that exemption runs out on January 1, 2028 as the law reads now, and a CSLB report suggests a narrower version may survive. The broader California workers comp for contractors and restaurants page names the license classes with no exemption option.
| Rule | What It Means for a Masonry Contractor | Source |
|---|---|---|
| First employee | A mason, tender or hod carrier on payroll means the license needs a workers comp certificate on file. | CSLB |
| No-employee exemption | Available to C-29 licensees working alone; scheduled to end on January 1, 2028. | Business and Professions Code 7125 |
| Exemption penalties | Filing a false exemption or leaving a worker uncovered starts at $10,000 per violation for a one-owner license and $20,000 for a corporation, partnership or LLC. | Business and Professions Code 7125.4 |
| Helpers without a license | A helper who lays block or brick for you but holds no license is presumed to be your employee. | Labor Code 2750.5 |
| Wage split | Masonry payroll divides at $37.00 an hour for policies from September 1, 2026. | WCIRB |
| Sole shareholder | A corporation's sole shareholder is excluded unless they elect to be covered. | Department of Insurance notice |
Owner elections and waivers differ by business type; confirm what applies to you with the carrier. Crews that also work across the state line answer to different rules, set out in Arizona mason workers comp quote and Nevada masonry industrial insurance.
The panel lists one wage-split pair. 5027 takes masonry payroll for people paid under $37.00 an hour of regular pay and 5028 for people paid that rate or more. Neither title breaks masonry down by material, so the split falls between workers rather than between brick, block and stone jobs. Each pair and its threshold appear on WCIRB class codes for contractors.
$37.00 an hour is the line between these published classifications
Published classifications that mention this work
Whether a given job, such as stone veneer, a retaining wall or a block fence, is reported as masonry is the carrier's call based on the duties involved; this site doesn't assign or confirm codes. Fence lines built from wood, wire or iron have their own page at California fencing workers compensation.
Illustrative scenario
A C-29 contractor builds split-face block walls for commercial sites with three journey-level masons paid above $37.00 an hour and three tenders paid below it. Midway through the policy, one tender is promoted to mason and crosses the line. With hourly records by person and the promotion date, the masons' payroll would typically be reported under 5028 and the tenders' under 5027, with the promoted worker's pay moving from one to the other on the raise date, as the carrier determines. In Arizona or Nevada the example falls apart: neither state uses these California titles or this wage line.
Using the Wrong Policy Period's Wage Line
The masonry threshold is set by policy period, and the line for policies from September 1, 2026 is $37.00 an hour. A contractor who estimates a renewal with an older figure can put a tender paid near the line on the wrong side, and the audit then moves that payroll. Check the threshold printed for your policy's start date.
The policy on this page is for injured masons and tenders. A wall that cracks after the job, a falling block that damages a parked car or a crash on the way to the site usually goes to general liability, commercial auto or a bond claim. The masonry workers comp insurance page compares Arizona and Nevada, and California concrete workers comp explains the footings poured before you lay the first course.
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The higher-wage title, 5028, takes pay that equals or exceeds $37.00 an hour for policies from September 1, 2026, so a mason paid exactly that rate falls on the 5028 side of the line. The work still has to fit the masonry title, and the carrier makes the final determination.
They can fall in the same masonry pair but on a different side of it. Each person's straight-time hourly rate decides the side, so tenders paid under $37.00 an hour are typically reported under 5027 while journeymen above it are under 5028, as the carrier determines.
It may. The published masonry titles don't name materials, so stone, brick and block work aren't separated by the title itself. Whether a specific veneer or cladding job is reported as masonry depends on the duties and the carrier's determination.
Not today, if you file the CSLB's no-employee exemption. Its scheduled end is January 1, 2028, and a CSLB report has suggested a narrower version, so look up the rule in force before relying on it. Hiring a single tender ends the exemption.
California's wage thresholds are tied to the policy start date, and the line can be reset for new policy periods. For policies from September 1, 2026, the masonry line is $37.00 an hour. If the line moved at your renewal, or a raise took effect, a worker paid near it may land on a different side.
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Reviewed by David Gleason, Principal, on .
Next Level Experience. Insurance Done Right.
California masonry workers comp: 5027, 5028 and the C-29 license.
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