California C-33 painting contractors with no employees may qualify for a CSLB workers compensation exemption. Painting is outside the classifications that must carry coverage regardless of employees. Hiring voids the exemption immediately. Texas painting contractors need no statewide TDLR license, but city or county registration can still apply. Paid work that disturbs paint in housing or child-occupied facilities built before 1978 brings EPA lead rules into the job, including for sole proprietors. Before accepting work, give your broker the scope, staffing plan and insurance terms from the contract. Ask for a review of liability, employee injuries, tools, vehicles and exclusions. Keep the coverage discussion tied to what your crew will actually do.
Written and reviewed by Pascal Burke, Licensed Insurance Broker. Pascal Burke is the founder of ContractorsInsured.net, a licensed insurance brokerage serving contractors in California and Texas. CA License #6015321. TX License #3305690.
What painting contractor insurance actually covers
In brief: To assess painting contractor insurance, ask your broker to review the actual policy against the work you intend to accept, using specific examples of property damage, employee injuries, stolen equipment and vehicle use, then request a clear explanation of which coverage would respond and which exclusions need attention.
Start the conversation with the losses you want addressed. Avoid asking only whether you have “painter insurance.” Bring the estimate, job description and any insurance wording supplied by the customer.
- General liability: Ask how general liability insurance would treat overspray drifting onto a neighboring car, a dropped ladder through a window, or solvent damage to finished flooring. Ask specifically about the surface you are working on.
- Workers compensation: Review workers compensation for employee injury concerns. Describe the crew’s preparation, spraying, ladder and cleanup duties.
- Tools and equipment: Use a stolen sprayer rig as the test case for tools and equipment coverage. Explain where you store it and how you move it between jobs.
- Commercial auto: Discuss the vehicles used for work under commercial auto insurance. List the drivers and describe trips carrying paint, ladders and equipment.
- Umbrella: Ask whether umbrella or excess coverage addresses the extra limits requested in your contracts, and which underlying policies it would sit above.
Request the relevant policy wording with the explanation. Treat these examples as questions for a coverage review, rather than assurances that a particular claim will be paid.
What California requires from a C-33 painting contractor
In brief: According to CSLB, a California C-33 painting contractor with no employees may file a workers compensation exemption because painting is outside the must-carry classifications, provided the license is not qualified by a responsible managing employee and the contractor does not also hold a classification that prevents the exemption.
CSLB calls C-33 the Painting and Decorating Contractor classification. An active licensee must file valid workers compensation insurance proof, DIR self-insurance certification, or a signed exemption certifying no employees. California requires employers to carry workers compensation even with only one employee.
CSLB’s five classifications that must carry coverage regardless of employees are:
- C-8 Concrete.
- C-20 Warm-Air Heating/Ventilating/Air-Conditioning.
- C-22 Asbestos Abatement.
- C-39 Roofing.
- C-61/D-49 Tree Service.
Check every classification on your license before relying on the C-33 exemption. You cannot file it if you employ anyone subject to California workers compensation law, have a responsible managing employee qualifying the license, or hold a must-carry classification.
Hiring voids the exemption immediately. Proof of coverage must reach CSLB headquarters within 90 days of the hire. That filing deadline does not postpone the coverage requirement. Arrange coverage before the employee starts.
CSLB requires continuous coverage. A lapse suspends the license. Work performed while suspended is unlicensed and can draw disciplinary action. Keep renewal and filing confirmations with your license records.
According to CSLB Industry Bulletin #25-04, dated December 29, 2025, two further changes now apply to California contractors. SB 291 took effect on January 1, 2026. CSLB says the law “significantly increases penalties for workers’ compensation (WC) insurance violations” and that the Board “must also develop a new process to verify WC exemption eligibility” and report to the Legislature by 2027.
Read SB 291 as a change to the consequences rather than to the eligibility rules. It does not change who may file the exemption. It changes what happens if the filing is not true. Keep your staffing records and your exemption certificate consistent with each other, and tell your broker before the crew changes.
The same bulletin covers SB 456. A person who paints or restores murals under an agreement with a legally authorized party no longer needs a contractor license, provided the mural is “a unique work of fine art painted by hand directly on an interior or exterior wall or ceiling, and protected by copyright or similar rights”. That exemption does not apply to painted wall signs.
Under Business and Professions Code section 7125.6, licensees report their top three workers compensation class codes by highest estimated payroll. CSLB says it does not verify or investigate those codes. For a premium audit, do not present a code displayed on your license as CSLB confirmation that it accurately describes your work. Review actual duties and payroll records with your broker.
The requirement is scheduled to broaden; see our guide to the coming California workers compensation changes.
What Texas requires from a painting contractor
In brief: Painting contractors need no statewide TDLR license in Texas because painting is absent from the department’s regulated-programs list, but city or county registration can still apply, so check the location of each job and review its insurance conditions before treating the licensing question as settled.
TDLR lists air conditioning and refrigeration contractors and electricians among its regulated programs. Painting is absent. Keep that distinction clear when a customer asks whether Texas licenses painters.
Ask the local authority about registration for the job address. Then ask the customer for the insurance section of the contract. Record those inquiries separately so you can follow up on each before scheduling the crew.
For the workers compensation discussion, use our Texas non-subscriber workers compensation guide with your broker. Ask for an explanation of the available arrangements and their legal consequences before choosing how to address employee injuries.
The lead paint rule that catches painting contractors
In brief: The EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting program applies to anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978, including sole proprietors, and requires firm certification and worker training, with the EPA administering the program directly in both California and Texas.
Do not assume a small repaint falls outside the rule because you work alone. The EPA explicitly includes all firms, even sole proprietorships. Discuss scraping, sanding and other paint disturbance when establishing the scope of an older property job.
Firms must be certified. Employees must be trained as certified renovators or receive training on the job from one. Neither California nor Texas runs its own authorized RRP program; the EPA handles both directly.
The homeowner exception generally concerns people working on their own homes. The EPA says the rule does apply when they rent out all or part of the home, operate childcare there, or renovate and sell for profit. Ask how the property is used.
Before taking pre-1978 work, ask your broker to read the policy’s pollution and lead exclusions with you. Describe the preparation methods and request a written explanation of any coverage gap. Also include worker protection in the job review: the EPA notes that employers must protect workers under OSHA’s inorganic lead standards.
What a painting contractor's certificate of insurance has to say
In brief: Before sending a painting contractor’s certificate of insurance, give your broker the customer’s exact insurance requirements and ask for a review of the named parties, work description, coverage and requested endorsements, including any additional insured, primary and non-contributory, or waiver of subrogation wording in the contract.
Use the certificate of insurance guide to prepare the request. Send the customer’s legal name, job address and contract wording together. Ask the broker to identify anything that needs further review before the document goes to the general contractor.
For an additional insured endorsement, ask: “Who needs protection under my policy, for what work, and under which wording?” Ask the general contractor to identify every party it wants included.
For primary and non-contributory wording, ask: “Which insurance should respond first, and is another party’s insurer expected to contribute?” Request an explanation tied to the proposed endorsement.
For a waiver of subrogation, ask: “How would this change the insurer’s ability to recover a payment from another party?” Ask why the general contractor wants the waiver and which policy it concerns. Have the broker check the wording before you accept it.
What moves a painting contractor's premium
In brief: To request a useful painting contractor insurance quote, describe payroll, interior and exterior work, working height, spray versus brush and roll methods, older properties, commercial and residential projects, claims history and subcontractor use, then ask the broker to explain how the proposed coverage reflects those details.
Write a clear description of the work you want quoted. Include preparation and cleanup. If the next contract differs from your usual jobs, point that out instead of relying on the description used for your previous insurance application.
Bring payroll records, equipment details and claims information. Explain what subcontractors will do. Ask the broker which details affect the proposal and what needs updating when the business changes.
This article gives no painting-specific premium range. Request a quote for your actual operations and compare the coverage wording alongside the price. Our contractor general liability cost guide provides a separate cost discussion.
Frequently asked questions about painting contractor insurance
In brief: Start a painting contractor insurance review with your license classifications, employee status, job location and scope of work, then bring the customer’s insurance wording to your broker so the discussion addresses the California exemption rules, Texas local checks, older painted surfaces and the documents needed for that particular job.
Does a painting contractor need insurance in California?
A California painting contractor with employees must carry workers compensation, according to CSLB. An eligible C-33 contractor with no employees may file an exemption instead. Check other classifications and whether a responsible managing employee qualifies the license before relying on that exemption. Separately, give your broker the customer’s insurance requirements and ask for a coverage review based on your painting work, equipment and vehicles.
Does a painter need a license in Texas?
Painting contractors need no statewide TDLR license in Texas, but city or county registration can still apply. Painting is absent from TDLR’s regulated-programs list, which includes electricians and air conditioning and refrigeration contractors. Check local registration for the job location before starting. Also request the customer’s insurance terms and review them with your broker rather than treating the TDLR licensing answer as a complete job checklist.
Does a solo painter need workers compensation in California?
A solo California C-33 painter with no employees may file the CSLB workers compensation exemption if no other disqualifying condition applies. A responsible managing employee or another must-carry classification prevents the exemption. Hiring voids an existing exemption immediately, and proof of coverage must reach CSLB headquarters within 90 days of the hire. Arrange coverage before the employee starts; the filing deadline does not delay the coverage requirement.
What does general liability cover for a painter?
Ask your broker to assess a painter’s general liability coverage against the actual policy wording and specific damage scenarios. Use overspray on a neighboring car, a ladder through a customer’s window and solvent damage to finished flooring as examples. Request an explanation of exclusions and the treatment of surfaces you are working on. For older properties, specifically ask the broker to review pollution and lead exclusions before you accept the work.
What is the lead RRP rule and does it apply to me?
The EPA’s RRP program applies to paid work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978. It includes sole proprietors. Firms must be certified, and employees must be trained as certified renovators or on the job by one. The EPA administers the program directly in California and Texas. Before accepting older property work, establish the building’s age and describe the planned paint disturbance to your broker.
What is a waiver of subrogation and why does the general contractor want one?
Ask your broker to explain a requested waiver of subrogation in terms of the insurer’s recovery rights and the general contractor’s contract wording. Ask the general contractor which policy the request concerns and whose protection it is seeking. Send the full insurance clause to the broker for review. Request a plain explanation of how the proposed waiver changes recovery after a claim before accepting the wording or requesting the certificate.
How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?
Ask your broker to confirm certificate timing after reviewing the coverage and the customer’s document requirements. Send the customer’s legal name, job address, insurance clause and requested endorsements together. State when the customer needs the certificate and ask whether anything remains outstanding. Before scheduling the crew around that deadline, request confirmation that the required document can be supplied. Avoid relying on an assumed turnaround time when planning the start of work.
Get a painting contractor insurance quote
In brief: Request a painting contractor insurance quote for your California or Texas business by bringing Pascal Burke your work description, employee details and customer contract, with any lead paint work clearly identified, and ask for a review of the coverage and documents needed before committing to the job.
Contact Contractors Insured to discuss your CA or TX painting business. Pascal Burke, Licensed Insurance Broker, holds CA License #6015321 and TX License #3305690. Have your current policy and next contract ready for the conversation. Call (949) 522-3284.
This guide is general information for painting contractors in California and Texas, not legal advice or a coverage determination. Whether any particular claim is covered depends on your policy wording, the endorsements on it, the facts, and applicable state law.