California Painting Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published California pure premium for painting workers comp, class 5474(1) (Painting or Wallpaper Installation (low wage)), is $8.509 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 codes for painting
- 5474(1): Painting or Wallpaper Installation (low wage)
- 5482(1): Painting or Wallpaper Installation (high wage)
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.
Painting carries ladder fall risk, solvent exposure and lead paint hazards in buildings built before 1978.
What comp costs per painter in California
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 38,430 painters on payrolls in California (May 2025), the 1st largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $28.38 an hour, 19% above the US median of $23.75.
This trade is a bigger part of the California job market than it is nationally: painters hold 1.5 times their national share of jobs there.
At the published California pure premium of $8.51 per $100 of payroll for class 5474(1), which California carriers charge at about face value on average, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $2.42 for every hour worked, or $5,023 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $15,070 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. California pay runs from $20.26 an hour at the 10th percentile to $43.75 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $1.72 an hour on a new hire and $3.72 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 $4.63 per $100 of payroll
California has the highest painting 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 painting comp bill
- Painting rates are set by height and surface: interior repaint work and exterior or industrial painting can fall into different classes in many states. Describe your mix accurately at quote time.
- Ladder and scaffold falls are the costly claims. Scaffold training and inspection logs help when you ask a carrier for safety credits.
- Painting crews lean on 1099 labor. Without a certificate of insurance on file, the auditor will add those payments to your payroll.
- Seasonal exterior work makes payroll hard to forecast. Estimate the year, not your busiest month, so the deposit and the audit stay close.