California contractor workers' comp requirement: what changes in 2028

What CSLB requires today

Under B&P Code §7125, every CSLB licensee must have one of these on file with CSLB:

• A certificate of workers' compensation insurance, if you carry a policy, or
• An exemption, if you have no employees and your classification allows it.

This applies to every licensee, whether you are a sole owner, a partnership, a corporation or an LLC.

Workers' comp is a separate policy from general liability. It covers your own workers when they get hurt on the job. General liability covers injuries and damage to other people from your work.

Five classes that need workers' comp even with no employees

For most classifications, a sole owner with no employees can file an exemption. These five cannot. CSLB requires them to carry workers' comp even if no one works for them:

If your license includes any of these classes, plan for a workers' comp policy now, not in 2028. See the trade pages for roofing, concrete and HVAC for the general liability side of those trades.

SB 216 and SB 1455: the move to 2028

SB 216 set a rule that every CSLB licensee would need workers' comp starting January 1, 2026, with or without employees. Then SB 1455, passed in 2024, delayed that start date to January 1, 2028.

What that means in plain terms:

• Today: you file either a workers' comp certificate or an exemption, and the five classes above must carry a policy.
• Starting January 1, 2028: the plan in law is that all licensees carry workers' comp, so the no-employee exemption would no longer be an option.

Laws can be changed again before a date arrives. Check the current rule with CSLB before you renew your license. The point for now: if you are a one-person shop on an exemption, 2028 is the date to plan around.

What general liability does not cover

A lot of contractors assume their GL policy covers everything on the job. It does not. General liability generally covers bodily injury and property damage to other people from your work, including completed operations if your policy includes it. It does not cover:

• Your own employees' injuries. That is workers' comp.
• Your own tools and equipment.
• Your vehicles. That is commercial auto.
• Faulty workmanship itself, meaning the cost to redo your own bad work.

So if a helper falls off your ladder, your GL is not the policy that responds. If the homeowner's kid trips over your materials, that is a GL claim. Most contractors with a crew need both, and GCs often ask to see proof of each before you start.

How to get workers' comp and general liability with Aster

The two policies are handled differently:

• Workers' comp is quoted by phone. Call or text a licensed agent at (877) 940-4313, in English or Spanish. Have your payroll by trade, your crew size and your CSLB license number ready.
• General liability is quoted online. Enter your CSLB license number, answer about a minute of questions, and compare quotes from multiple A-rated programs side by side. Tap "Submit for approval" on the one you want and a licensed agent handles it. Nothing is bound until you sign.

One note: C-22 asbestos abatement is one of the license types we never quote online, for GL either. Those go straight to an agent by phone.

A simple plan before 2028

1. Look up what you have on file with CSLB today: a workers' comp certificate or an exemption.
2. If your license has C-8, C-20, C-22, C-39 or D-49, make sure a workers' comp policy is in place now.
3. If you are on an exemption, talk to an agent about workers' comp before January 1, 2028, so you are not shopping at the last minute.
4. Keep your general liability current. GCs ask for it, and LLC licenses must carry liability insurance. See the CSLB LLC requirement.
5. Keep a certificate of insurance ready for each GC you work for.

Want to know what drives your GL price first? Read what general liability costs depend on, or compare the license bond vs insurance.