California Landscaping Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published California pure premium for landscaping workers comp, class 0042 (Landscape Gardening), is $5.580 per $100 of payroll (effective September 1, 2026). California carriers currently charge about this level on average.
California carriers file their own rates. Rating bureau data shows the average charged rate running at about the level of the average advisory pure premium, so the figure is used as-is here. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
California class code for landscaping
- 0042: Landscape Gardening
California does not use NCCI: the WCIRB is an independent rating bureau with its own classification system and codes, and many construction trades are split into dual wage classes where each employee's payroll goes to a low-wage or high-wage code based on that employee's regular hourly wage.
Landscaping carries equipment, lifting, heat and pesticide exposure risks. Tree pruning and trimming is a separate class (0106).
What comp costs per landscaper in California
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 106,180 landscaping and groundskeeping workers on payrolls in California (May 2025), the 1st largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $21.90 an hour, 16% above the US median of $18.82.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up about the same share of California jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.95).
At the published California pure premium of $5.58 per $100 of payroll for class 0042, which California carriers charge at about face value on average, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.22 for every hour worked, or $2,542 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $7,625 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. California pay runs from $17.68 an hour at the 10th percentile to $29.42 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.99 an hour on a new hire and $1.64 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in California
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners excluded only by written waiver; licensed roofers must carry even with no employees
- State fund: Competitive state fund (State Compensation Insurance Fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; waived if hospitalized or disability exceeds 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Misdemeanor; fine of at least $10,000, stop-work orders, and CSLB license suspension
California uses its own WCIRB rating bureau, and SB 216 will require every licensed contractor to carry coverage even with no employees (effective 2028; roofers already).
California vs neighboring states
- Oregon: about $3.30 per $100 of payroll
California has the highest landscaping comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less per $100 of payroll.
If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.
What moves a landscaping comp bill
- Landscape gardening is a high-claim class because of mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, and lifting. Equipment training and guards that stay on the machines lower claims.
- Tree trimming above the ground is usually a separate class with a much higher rate. Keep that payroll apart, or the auditor may rate a whole crew at the tree rate.
- Snow plowing, hardscaping, and irrigation installs can each be classed differently. Tell your carrier what share of payroll goes to each.
- Landscaping payroll swings by season. Report the full-year figure at renewal so the audit does not bring a large bill in the off season.