For California tree service workers comp, the CSLB page lists C-61/D-49 Tree Service among the license classes that must carry coverage even with no employees. The CSLB now places D-49 work under C-49 Tree and Palm, which that page doesn't mention, so confirm the current rule for your license with the CSLB before relying on an exemption.
Tree work in California is licensed by the Contractors State License Board, which says the old D-49 Tree Service class now sits under C-49 Tree and Palm. Once a tree company has one employee, the CSLB requires workers comp, and that part is the same for every license class. The open question is the owner who works alone. The CSLB's workers comp page names C-8, C-20, C-22, C-39 and C-61/D-49 as the classes that must carry coverage whether or not they have employees. Tree work appears there only as C-61/D-49 Tree Service; C-49 is not mentioned. Until the CSLB clarifies, check your own license record and ask the CSLB directly. The wider California contractor workers comp rules explain how the other mandatory classes are handled.
| Rule | What It Means for a Tree Company | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | Coverage is required from the first employee, whether a climber, a groundworker or a chipper operator. | CSLB |
| License class | D-49 Tree Service work is now under C-49 Tree and Palm. | CSLB license classifications |
| No employees | Tree work appears on the CSLB coverage page only as C-61/D-49 Tree Service, on the list of classes that need coverage with no employees. C-49 isn't named. Confirm with the CSLB. | CSLB workers comp page |
| False exemption or uncovered workers | SB 291 set civil penalties of at least $10,000 for each violation by a sole owner and $20,000 by an entity. | Business and Professions Code 7125.4 |
| Unlicensed climbers and helpers | A climber or helper without a contractor license, doing tree work that needs one, is presumed to work for you as an employee. | Labor Code 2750.5 |
| Corporate owners | Corporate officers and directors who own 10% or more can sign a waiver, which the insurer must accept before it applies. | Department of Insurance notice |
Settle any owner waiver question with the carrier. In tree work especially, read what a waiver gives up before signing one. Crews that also work across the state line answer to different rules, set out in Arizona tree trimming workers comp and Nevada tree trimming workers comp.
The published classification that mentions this work names tree pruning, repairing and trimming. Its title doesn't list removal, stump grinding, land clearing or work near power lines, so how a company that does those jobs is reported depends on the work and the carrier's determination. Tree payroll isn't split by hourly wage in California. A company that also clears lots with heavy equipment may see that work reviewed against other published classifications, such as those on the California grading workers comp page. Landscapers who prune now and then face the same classification question from the other side, as the California landscaping workers comp insurance page explains. All published trade codes are on the WCIRB class codes for contractors list.
Published classifications that mention this work
Illustrative scenario
A Sonoma County tree company holds a C-49 license and runs two crews of a climber and two groundworkers. After a run of winter storms, it brings in three extra climbers for removals and pays them by the job, without checking for licenses. Under Labor Code 2750.5 those climbers are presumed employees, so the auditor may add their pay to the company's payroll and review the removal work against the tree classification. The same facts in Arizona or Nevada lead somewhere else: that presumption is California law, and both states classify tree work under NCCI.
Paying Climbers by the Job as Contractors
Tree companies often pay extra climbers by the job and treat them as independent contractors. In California, an unlicensed climber doing tree work that requires a license is presumed to be an employee, and without a certificate of insurance from a licensed sub the payments may land in your audited payroll.
Injuries to your own crew are what workers comp is built for. A limb that drops onto a client's roof, a crane or bucket truck damaging a driveway, or a chip truck accident usually belongs under general liability, commercial auto or equipment coverage, which are worth quoting at the same time.
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The CSLB's workers comp page names C-61/D-49 Tree Service among the classes that must carry coverage even with no employees, and the CSLB says D-49 work is now under C-49 Tree and Palm. That coverage page doesn't mention C-49, so confirm the current rule for your license with the CSLB.
The published classification that mentions tree pruning, repairing and trimming is 0106. The carrier determines which classification fits your crews from the work they do. We don't assign or confirm codes.
The published title names pruning, repairing and trimming, and it doesn't spell out removal or stump grinding. How those jobs are reported depends on the work and the carrier's determination, so describe each kind of job on your application instead of calling it all trimming.
Often, yes. If a climber has no contractor license and the tree work needs one, Labor Code 2750.5 presumes the climber is your employee. If the climber is a licensed contractor with workers comp, keep their license number and certificate for the audit.
The CSLB says D-49 Tree Service work is now under C-49 Tree and Palm. If your license still shows the older class, check your record with the CSLB, because the license class on file can affect which CSLB rules you are asked to meet.
Tree work involves climbing, chainsaws, heavy limbs and sometimes power lines, and the rate for the tree classification reflects that exposure. Payroll by role, overtime records, claims history and safety practices such as climber training typically move the premium.
8 official sources
Reviewed by David Gleason, Principal, on .
Next Level Experience. Insurance Done Right.
California tree service workers comp, from the license question to the audit.
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