Permits don't require liability insurance; general contractors, property managers, HOAs and the City of Los Angeles do, each with its own endorsement list. The CSLB will not keep a license active without workers' comp or an exemption, and the exemption ends for every classification on January 1, 2028.
What Los Angeles jobs ask for
A building permit is about code, not insurance; the certificate requirements come from whoever hires you: the general contractor collecting certificates from subs, the property manager, the HOA, and the City of Los Angeles on its own contracts, where the Office of the City Administrative Officer publishes insurance requirements per contract. The City's instructions require it to be named as additional insured by endorsement, with 30 days' notice of cancellation (10 for non-payment) and proof on file before a contract number issues; the limits are set contract by contract on the City's Form Gen. 146, and one million per occurrence of general liability is the common figure, with some contracts asking for more. Private contracts add their own wording, often primary and non-contributory coverage and a waiver of subrogation on workers' comp. Getting those endorsements right the first time is most of what a broker does for a contractor, because a certificate that is missing one gets rejected on the day the job was supposed to start.
The CSLB license bond
Every active CSLB license needs a contractor license bond on file, set at twenty-five thousand since January 1, 2023, and a separate bond of qualifying individual in the same amount when the qualifier is a responsible managing employee or an officer owning less than ten percent of the voting stock. The bond is not insurance for you: it protects your customers and your employees, and the surety can come after you for what it pays. It is priced on credit and placed in a day. If the bond lapses, the CSLB suspends the license until a new one is filed, which is the most common reason a contractor calls me in a hurry.
Workers' comp: the rule that trips people
California requires workers' comp as soon as you have an employee, and the CSLB will not keep a license active without a policy or a signed exemption. Certain classifications must carry it even with no employees: roofing, and since January 1, 2023 concrete, HVAC, asbestos abatement and tree service. Under SB 216 as amended by SB 1455, every licensed contractor must carry workers' comp regardless of employees starting January 1, 2028; the earlier 2026 date was pushed back by the amendment, and the CSLB is building a verification process for the exemptions that remain until then. The City of Los Angeles, for its part, waives workers' comp on its own contracts for a contractor with no employees, on its waiver form. If you work as a sole proprietor today, the 2028 check on this site tells you what changes for your classification and when. Carriers also look at whether your subs carry their own comp, because an uninsured sub's injured worker becomes your claim.
How the premium is set
General liability is rated on receipts, payroll and the cost of subcontracted work, and on what you do: a handyman and a roofer are different risks, and some trades sit in programs of their own. Carriers ask whether your subs are licensed and insured, so collecting their certificates lowers your price as well as your risk. I quote admitted carriers first and use surplus lines only when the admitted market declines a class, with the disclosure signed before binding; some public work requires an admitted carrier, which is one more reason to start there.
Certificates the same day
Once a policy is bound, certificate requests go through your account: the certificate holder and additional insured are added where the policy allows it, and the certificate is emailed to the general contractor, landlord or city the same business day. A request usually needs four things: the exact legal name and address of the holder, which endorsements the contract calls for, whether the job is ongoing or completed operations, and the date the certificate must be in hand. When a contract asks for wording the policy does not carry, I tell you before the certificate goes out, not after it is rejected, and I price the endorsement if the carrier offers it.
What I need to quote
Your license number and classifications, the last twelve months of receipts and payroll, subcontractor cost, the states and cities you work in, any losses in the last five years, and the contract or certificate request that started the search. A copy of the current policy, if there is one, saves a round of questions.
Common questions
I only need a certificate for one job. Can you do that?
A certificate comes from a policy, so there is no certificate without one. Short-term and project policies exist for some trades, and I will tell you which fits the job rather than selling an annual policy you don't need.
Does the City of Los Angeles accept a surplus lines policy?
Often, but it depends on the contract; some public work requires an admitted carrier. That is why I quote admitted carriers first and read the contract's insurance section before binding.
Do I need workers' comp if I have no employees?
It depends on your classification today, and on January 1, 2028 the answer is yes for every classification. The 2028 check on this site gives the answer for your license.
How fast can a certificate go out?
The same business day once the policy is bound, from your account, with the certificate holder and additional insured added where the policy allows it.
General information about contractor insurance in Los Angeles as of October 2026, not legal advice. CSLB bond amounts, workers' comp rules by classification and the City's contract insurance requirements change; read the contract's insurance section and the CSLB's current rules for your license. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.