Insurance for framing contractors in California

Framing is structural. Every trade after you builds on it, and a mistake may not show for years. General liability (GL) responds when your work injures someone else or damages property you do not own. The claims framers face:

• Collapse before it is finished. Walls or trusses without enough bracing can come down in wind, damaging the site, a neighbor's property or other trades' work.
• Things dropped from above. Lumber, sheathing or a nail gun falls from the second floor onto a person or a car.
• Completed operations. Bouncy floors, walls out of plumb, a missed hold-down or shear nailing that was skipped can lead to cracks, leaks or structural damage after the owner moves in. On new homes that exposure runs for years.
• Additions to occupied homes. Opening a roof or wall lets rain in, and cutting the wrong member can damage the rest of the house.

Falls are the biggest danger to your own crew, but your workers' injuries belong to workers' comp, not GL. GL also does not pay for your saws and nailers, your truck, or the cost to reframe work that was wrong.

• Tract homes, condos and multi-family. Many policies exclude tract housing, condos and townhomes, or projects past a set number of units, because of construction-defect suits. If you frame them, check this before anything else.
• Stories and height. Some policies limit work above a certain number of stories.
• Completed operations. Confirm it is included, and check whether residential work is limited.
• Action over. This exclusion can strip coverage when your injured worker sues the GC and the GC's contract sends that claim back to you. For framers signing GC contracts, it is a big one.
• Labor crews. If you hire out labor crews, many policies require them to carry their own insurance. If they do not, a claim may be excluded or the crew's cost may be charged to you.
• Classification. If you also set trusses by crane, hang siding or do finish carpentry, say so in the questions so the policy matches the work.

Every quote on your board lists what is included and excluded.

Most framers work under a GC, often on new construction. Before you walk on site, expect to provide:

• A certificate of insurance (COI) showing GL of $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate, the limits GCs usually ask for.
• Additional insured status for the GC, and often the owner, on both ongoing and completed operations. For framing the completed side matters most, because claims tend to show up after the job closes.
• Primary and non-contributory wording and a waiver of subrogation.
• Workers' comp proof if you run a crew. Many GCs will not let an uninsured crew on the job.

A certificate holder is not an additional insured. Our certificate of insurance guide explains why GCs care about the difference.

General information from the CSLB, not legal advice.

• Workers' comp. Under B&P §7125, each licensee must file either a workers' comp certificate or an exemption with CSLB. A C-5 with no employees can file the exemption today. SB 216 would have required workers' comp for all licensees from 1/1/2026; SB 1455 (2024) moved that to 1/1/2028. We quote workers' comp online from your license number, same as GL. More in our workers' comp guide.
• LLC licenses. For an LLC with 5 or fewer people on the personnel of record, CSLB requires liability insurance with at least a $1,000,000 aggregate, rising $100,000 for each additional person to a $5,000,000 cap. See the LLC requirement.
• Other entities. GL is not required by law for non-LLC licensees, but CSLB strongly recommends it and GCs write it into their subcontracts.
• Contracting with a homeowner. When you sign directly with a homeowner for an addition or repair, the contract must carry a "Commercial General Liability Insurance (CGL)" notice with your insurer and its phone number, or another statement the law allows, such as that you have no CGL (B&P §7159 / §7159.10).
• License bond. All licensees carry the $25,000 contractor license bond. A bond is not insurance; see bond vs insurance.

1. Enter your CSLB license number. We find your business in the CSLB public record and match it to A-rated insurance companies that write C-5.
2. Confirm you are the owner with your name, mobile and email.
3. Answer about a minute of tap-to-answer questions: homes or businesses, new construction, sales, payroll, subs, crew, years, claims, current insurance and start date.
4. Your quote board shops A-rated programs live. Each price shows its deductible, limits and what is included and excluded. We also text and email you the link.
5. Tap "Submit for approval." A licensed agent handles it. Expect approval in 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the carrier; the final quote then comes by email for your signature.

Nothing is bound until you sign. When coverage starts, we send your GC the certificate. Your price depends on sales, payroll, how much is new construction, tract or custom work, subs and claims. The cost guide covers what moves it. Commercial auto, umbrella and bonds are handled by phone: call or text a licensed agent at (877) 940-4313, English or Spanish. CalRisk Insurance Center, CA Lic. 0K97400, 713 W Duarte Rd, Suite G747, Arcadia, CA 91007. Compare other trades on insurance by trade.