Only licensed painters can purchase workers’ compensation for their employees. Every employer in California must have workers comp for every employee they employ and have working for them. In addition, Licensed painters can also buy liability insurance. This insurance ensures that any damages caused by a contractor will be covered if they are at fault.Â
Example:Â If a licensed painter damages your parked on your driveway. The painter’s insurance will cover the damages for your car to get fixed.Â
Unlicensed painters can not purchase insurance. Since it’s illegal to paint without a license, insurance companies will not cover them. That means they can not get workers comp; without workers comp, they can not employ an individual to help paint. Labor Code Section 3700 states that employers must have workers’ compensation for each hired employee. We highly recommend always hiring a licensed painter because only they can get workers comp. If you hire an unlicensed painter, you’ll get sure if there is no insurance.
Example:Â House owner hires Painter A, who holds no license. Painter A begins painting, and his helper gets hurt. The helper sues the employer, but then the helper’s lawyer finds out that Painter A(Employer) has no workers comp. The lawyer and the helper will now sue the House Owner. That is why hiring a licensed painter is very important; only they can get workers comp.Â