For painting workers comp insurance, California classifies painting under a wage-split pair that divides payroll at $36.00 an hour of regular wage for policies from September 1, 2026. Arizona and Nevada classify painters under NCCI's system instead. In all three states, wage level, work at heights, spray work and how subs are handled tend to move a painting contractor's premium.
California. Painters are licensed under C-33 Painting and Decorating. Coverage is required from the first employee, and the no-employee exemption a C-33 licensee can file today is scheduled to end on January 1, 2028, though the CSLB has proposed keeping a narrower one. The California painting workers comp insurance page covers the wage line, heights, prevailing wage records and the audit.
Arizona. NCCI classifications apply, and this site doesn't publish them. Under Arizona Revised Statutes 23-902, a painting contractor that keeps supervision or control over work that is part of its trade can be treated as the employer of a sub's crew. Arizona Revised Statutes 23-961 lets a sole proprietor working as an independent contractor sign a waiver, which the hiring employer's carrier also signs and dates. The owner rules, subs and audit records for Arizona are covered in Arizona painting workers compensation.
Nevada. Workers comp is industrial insurance in Nevada, classified under NCCI's system. Subs, independent contractors and their employees are deemed employees of the principal contractor, and from October 1, 2026 each employee's payroll counts only up to a per-employee limit reset each January. The Nevada workers comp for contractors and restaurants page has the current limits. The payroll limit, owner rules and audit records for Nevada are covered in Nevada painting workers compensation.
California's published titles pair painting with wallpaper installation and include the shop, yard and storage work that supports it. Separate titles mention painting storage tanks and stand-alone waterproofing, and wallboard finishing before paint belongs to a different pair with its own line, $45.00. Which applies depends on actual duties and the carrier's determination.
Arizona and Nevada carriers classify painting under NCCI rules, and California codes don't carry over to either state. The workers comp class codes for contractors and restaurants page explains what this site lists. We don't assign, suggest or confirm a code.
Workers comp responds to injuries to your employees. Overspray on a customer's car or a spill on new carpet typically falls to general liability, and the vans that carry ladders, sprayers and paint need commercial auto. Our sister site explains insuring the vans and trucks a painting business runs.
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Wage level, height of the work, spray and coating work, and subs without their own coverage are the usual drivers, along with claims history. In California the line at $36.00 decides between two classifications; in Arizona and Nevada, NCCI rules and each carrier's underwriting apply.
No. Nevada uses NCCI classifications under its industrial insurance law, and California codes don't carry over. Nevada also counts each employee's payroll only up to a per-employee limit, which California doesn't use, so the same crew's rated payroll can differ between the two states.
They can. Under Arizona Revised Statutes 23-902, a sub and its workers may be treated as your employees when you keep supervision or control and the work is part of your trade. A sole proprietor's independent contractor waiver needs your carrier's signature too, so confirm the paperwork with the carrier.
California's published painting titles include wallpaper installation, so hangers typically share the painting wage split at $36.00, subject to duties and the carrier's determination. Arizona and Nevada carriers classify wallpaper work under NCCI rules, which this site doesn't publish.
A painting quote can come in low by assuming your painters sit on the lower side of the California wage line, or by leaving out spray work, swing stages and lifts. If the audit finds otherwise, the savings can disappear. Compare the wage basis, the heights and methods each quote names, and what each carrier offers for audits and claims. See comparing the cheapest workers comp quotes.
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Reviewed by David Gleason, Principal, on .
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Painting workers comp in three states, from the wage line to heights and spray work.
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