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Labor Code Division 4, section by section

By Richard Vaughn CPCU, ARM, AIS. Reviewed November 8, 2026. Richard is an insurance professional, not an attorney. This page explains the law; it is not legal advice.

California workers' compensation law is Division 4 of the Labor Code (sections 3200 to 6002), with insurance pricing in the Insurance Code, lawyer-referral rules in the Business and Professions Code, and the operating rules in Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations. The table below lists every section this site cites, what it does, and where on the site it is used. Each section links to the official text.

How Division 4 is organized

Division 4 of the Labor Code, "Workers' Compensation and Insurance," runs from section 3200 to section 6002 and is organized into five parts. Part 1 (§3200–3219) covers scope and definitions, including who is an employee and the ABC test's cross-reference. Part 2 (§3600–4909) is the substance: the conditions of liability, the duty to secure compensation and the penalties for failing to, medical treatment and its disputes, the disability benefits and their formulas, death benefits, and attorney fees. Part 3 (§5000–5024) covers compromise and release and payment. Part 4 (§5300–6002) is procedure before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board: filing, limitations, hearings, reconsideration and enforcement. The Insurance Code's workers' compensation chapter (§11730 and following) governs rating and the rating organization, and Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations holds the rules the Division of Workers' Compensation and the appeals board write to run it.

The sections this site relies on

Each row links to the official text and lists the site pages that cite the section. Rows are generated from the site's source manifest, so a section that is not here is not cited anywhere on the site.

Labor Code

SectionWhat it coversCited on
§90.3Labor Commissioner enforcement of the duty to secure workers' compensation; EDD/WCIRB data programPenalties for no coverage
§132aDiscrimination for filing a claimHow long benefits last, How to file a claim, Temporary disability, When an employee is injured
§139.2QME appointment and panelsQME and AME, The agencies
§226.8Willful misclassification of employees as independent contractors; civil penaltiesContractors and 1099s
§2750.5Presumption of employee status for work requiring a contractor's licenseContractors and 1099s
§2775ABC test (Dynamex/AB 5 codified)Contractors and 1099s, Premium audit, Who is exempt, Who must carry coverage
§2776Business-to-business exemption from the ABC test (12 conditions; Borello applies)Contractors and 1099s
§3208Injury defined: includes disease arising out of employment—
§3208.1Specific and cumulative injuryThe law in plain English
§3208.2Anti-merger—
§3208.3Psychiatric injuryStress and psychiatric claims
§3351Employee definedContractors and 1099s, Who is exempt, Who must carry coverage, The law in plain English
§3352Excluded from employeeContractors and 1099s, Who is exempt, Who must carry coverage
§3353Independent contractor definedContractors and 1099s, Who is exempt
§3550Posting of noticeWhen an employee is injured, Forms
§3551Time-of-hire written noticeWhen an employee is injured, Forms
§3600Conditions of compensation liabilityWho must carry coverage, The law in plain English
§3600.5Out-of-state injuries; employees of out-of-state employers temporarily in CaliforniaWho must carry coverage
§3700Employer duty to secure compensationHow to file a claim, Get a quote, Contractors and 1099s, Lapsed coverage
§3700.5Criminal penalty for failure to secureLapsed coverage, Penalties for no coverage, Who must carry coverage
§3706Uninsured employer: civil action by employeeHow to file a claim, Contractors and 1099s, Lapsed coverage, Penalties for no coverage
§3708Uninsured employer civil suit; presumption of negligence; defenses barredPenalties for no coverage
§3710.1Stop orders for uninsured employersLapsed coverage, Penalties for no coverage, The agencies
§3716Uninsured Employers Benefits Trust FundHow to file a claim, Lapsed coverage, Penalties for no coverage, The agencies
§3722Penalty assessments for uninsured employersLapsed coverage, Penalties for no coverage
§4060Compensability disputes / medical evaluationQME and AME
§4061PD disputesQME and AME, The law in plain English
§4062Other medical disputesYour doctor, the MPN and UR, QME and AME
§4062.1QME panel, unrepresentedDo you need a lawyer, QME and AME, The law in plain English, Forms
§4062.2QME panel, representedQME and AME, The law in plain English, Forms
§4453AWW min/max; SAWW indexingHow much workers' comp pays, Permanent disability, SDI and workers' comp, Temporary disability
§4553Serious and willful misconduct—
§4600Medical treatment dutyHow long benefits last, Your doctor, the MPN and UR, When an employee is injured, The law in plain English
§4610Utilization reviewYour doctor, the MPN and UR, The law in plain English, Forms
§4610.5Independent medical reviewYour doctor, the MPN and UR, The law in plain English
§4616Medical provider networksHow to file a claim, Your doctor, the MPN and UR, When an employee is injured, The law in plain English
§4616.3MPN initial evaluation; notice; change of physician; second and third opinionsHow to file a claim, Your doctor, the MPN and UR, When an employee is injured
§4650Timing of TD/PD payments; 10% self-imposed increaseDeadlines that matter, How long benefits last, How much workers' comp pays, How to file a claim
§4652Temporary disability waiting period (no TD for first 3 days; paid if disability exceeds 14 days or inpatient hospitalization)Temporary disability
§4653TD rate: two-thirds of AWWHow much workers' comp pays, SDI and workers' comp, Temporary disability, The law in plain English
§4656104-week TD cap; 240 weeks for listed injuriesHow long benefits last, How much workers' comp pays, SDI and workers' comp, Temporary disability
§4658PD weeks scheduleHow long benefits last, Permanent disability, Settlements, Benefit rates by year
§4658.7Supplemental job displacement benefit (voucher) for injuries on/after 2013The law in plain English
§4659Life pension; PTD COLAHow long benefits last, Permanent disability, The law in plain English
§4660PD rating; AMA Guides (injuries 2005 through 2012)The law in plain English
§4660.1PD rating for injuries on/after 2013; 1.4 modifierPermanent disability, Stress and psychiatric claims, Benefit rates by year, The law in plain English
§4661.5TD rate when paid two years after DOIHow much workers' comp pays, Temporary disability
§4662Conclusive presumptions of total disability—
§4663Apportionment of permanent disability to causationThe law in plain English
§4700Death benefitsThe law in plain English
§4903Liens; attorney feesDo you need a lawyer
§4906Attorney fee approvalDo you need a lawyer, Find an attorney, Settlements, The law in plain English
§5400Notice of injury within 30 daysDeadlines that matter, How to file a claim, The law in plain English
§5401Claim form within one working day; $10,000 treatmentDeadlines that matter, How to file a claim, SDI and workers' comp, When an employee is injured
§540290-day presumption of compensabilityDeadlines that matter, How to file a claim, SDI and workers' comp, When an employee is injured
§5405One-year statute of limitationsDeadlines that matter, How to file a claim, The law in plain English, Forms
§5410Five-year reopeningDeadlines that matter, How long benefits last, Settlements, The law in plain English
§5412Cumulative injury date of injuryDeadlines that matter, How to file a claim, SDI and workers' comp
§5501.5Venue for filing an application (county of residence, county of injury, attorney's office)Find an attorney
§5803Continuing jurisdictionDeadlines that matter, The agencies
§5814Penalty for unreasonable delayTemporary disability
§5903Petition for reconsiderationSettlements, The law in plain English, The agencies
§590960-day deadline to act on reconsiderationThe agencies
§6302Cal/OSHA definitions; (h) serious injury or illnessWhen an employee is injured
§6409.1Employer report of injury (Form 5020)How to file a claim, When an employee is injured, The agencies, Forms

Insurance Code

SectionWhat it coversCited on
§676.8Workers' compensation policy cancellation; grounds and notice periodsLapsed coverage
§11730WC rating definitionsHow your rate is built, What workers' comp costs
§11732Rate adequacy and anti-monopoly standardHow your rate is built, What workers' comp costs
§11734Classification system / rating bureauPremium audit, How your rate is built, What workers' comp costs, The law in plain English
§11735Insurer rate filings 30 days before useGet a quote, How your rate is built, What workers' comp costs, The agencies
§11750.3Purposes of the workers' compensation rating organization (WCIRB)Premium audit, How your rate is built, What workers' comp costs, The law in plain English
§11760False statements affecting workers' comp premium (premium fraud)Contractors and 1099s, Premium audit
§11760.1Employer access to payroll records for audit; triple-premium consequenceGet a quote, Contractors and 1099s, Lapsed coverage, Premium audit
§11773State Compensation Insurance Fund organized as a public enterprise fundWho must carry coverage
§11778State Compensation Insurance Fund may transact workers' compensation insurance; subject to the CommissionerGet a quote, Who must carry coverage

Business & Professions Code

SectionWhat it coversCited on
§6155Lawyer referral servicesDo you need a lawyer, Find an attorney, About, Advertise

Title 8, California Code of Regulations

SectionWhat it coversCited on
§30QME and AME
§31.5QME replacement panel (no appointment within 90 days; 120 if waived)QME and AME
§38QME medical-legal report time frames (30 days; extensions)QME and AME
§9767.1Your doctor, the MPN and UR
§9792.6.1Your doctor, the MPN and UR
§9805—
§9880When an employee is injured, Forms
§9881When an employee is injured, Forms
§10139How to file a claim, Forms
§10844Do you need a lawyer
§14001How to file a claim, When an employee is injured, Forms
§15575Lapsed coverage, Penalties for no coverage

Reading a citation

A citation like "Labor Code §4658(e)(1)" means section 4658, subdivision (e), paragraph (1). Subdivisions are letters, paragraphs are numbers, subparagraphs are capital letters, and the nesting continues with lowercase roman numerals. "8 CCR §10844" is section 10844 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations. When this site cites a section without a subdivision, the whole section is the authority for the statement. The glossary covers the terms the sections use.

Questions people ask

Which version of a section applies to my claim?

Usually the version in effect on the date of injury, because the Legislature typically applies benefit changes to injuries on or after an effective date. The permanent disability schedule, for example, has one set of rules for injuries from 2013 on and another for earlier years. Procedural rules more often apply to all pending cases.

Where is the official text?

The California Legislative Information site, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, publishes the current code; every section link below goes there. Regulations are published by the Office of Administrative Law and reproduced on the Department of Industrial Relations site.

Why does this list not include every section of Division 4?

It lists the sections the site cites, which are the ones that decide the questions workers and employers actually ask. Sections are added as pages are written. The Division runs to several hundred sections, many of them procedural or specific to particular public employers.

Related

Sources

  1. Labor Code 3600: Conditions of compensation liability, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S90.
  2. Labor Code 3700: Employer duty to secure compensation, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S92.
  3. Labor Code 3351: Employee defined, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S87.
  4. Labor Code 3352: Excluded from employee, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S88.
  5. Labor Code 3353: Independent contractor defined, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S89.
  6. Labor Code 2775: ABC test (Dynamex/AB 5 codified), California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S91.
  7. Labor Code 3208.1: Specific and cumulative injury, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S100.
  8. Labor Code 3208.2: Anti-merger, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S101.
  9. Labor Code 3208.3: Psychiatric injury (already in notebook via Justia as S14), California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S137.
  10. Labor Code 4600: Medical treatment duty, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S112.
  11. Labor Code 4610: Utilization review, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S113.
  12. Labor Code 4610.5: Independent medical review, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S114.
  13. Labor Code 4616: Medical provider networks, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S115.
  14. Labor Code 4616.3: MPN initial evaluation; notice; change of physician; second and third opinions, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S145.
  15. Labor Code 4060: Compensability disputes / medical evaluation, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S116.
  16. Labor Code 4061: PD disputes, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S117.
  17. Labor Code 4062: Other medical disputes, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S118.
  18. Labor Code 4062.1: QME panel, unrepresented, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S119.
  19. Labor Code 4062.2: QME panel, represented, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S120.
  20. Labor Code 139.2: QME appointment and panels, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S121.
  21. Labor Code 4650: Timing of TD/PD payments; 10% self-imposed increase, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S102.
  22. Labor Code 4653: TD rate: two-thirds of AWW, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S103.
  23. Labor Code 4453: AWW min/max; SAWW indexing, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S104.
  24. Labor Code 4656: 104-week TD cap; 240 weeks for listed injuries, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S105.
  25. Labor Code 4658: PD weeks schedule, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S106.
  26. Labor Code 4659: Life pension; PTD COLA, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S107.
  27. Labor Code 4660.1: PD rating for injuries on/after 2013; 1.4 modifier, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S108.
  28. Labor Code 4661.5: TD rate when paid two years after DOI, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S109.
  29. Labor Code 4662: Conclusive presumptions of total disability, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S110.
  30. Labor Code 4700: Death benefits, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S111.
  31. Labor Code 4658.7: Supplemental job displacement benefit (voucher) for injuries on/after 2013, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S149.
  32. Labor Code 5400: Notice of injury within 30 days, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S122.
  33. Labor Code 5401: Claim form within one working day; $10,000 treatment, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S123.
  34. Labor Code 5402: 90-day presumption of compensability, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S124.
  35. Labor Code 5405: One-year statute of limitations, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S125.
  36. Labor Code 5410: Five-year reopening, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S126.
  37. Labor Code 5412: Cumulative injury date of injury, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S127.
  38. Labor Code 5803: Continuing jurisdiction, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S128.
  39. Labor Code 5814: Penalty for unreasonable delay, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S129.
  40. Labor Code 4553: Serious and willful misconduct, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S130.
  41. Labor Code 132a: Discrimination for filing a claim, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S131.
  42. Labor Code 6409.1: Employer report of injury (Form 5020), California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S132.
  43. Labor Code 5903: Petition for reconsideration, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S133.
  44. Labor Code 5909: 60-day deadline to act on reconsideration, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S134.
  45. Labor Code 4903: Liens; attorney fees, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S135.
  46. Labor Code 4906: Attorney fee approval, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S136.
  47. Labor Code 3700.5: Criminal penalty for failure to secure, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S93.
  48. Labor Code 3706: Uninsured employer: civil action by employee, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S94.
  49. Labor Code 3710.1: Stop orders for uninsured employers, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S95.
  50. Labor Code 3716: Uninsured Employers Benefits Trust Fund, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S96.
  51. Labor Code 3722: Penalty assessments for uninsured employers, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S97.
  52. Labor Code 3551: Time-of-hire written notice, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S98.
  53. Labor Code 3550: Posting of notice, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S99.
  54. Insurance Code 11730: WC rating definitions, California Legislature via california.public.law, current. Manifest S138.
  55. Insurance Code 11732: Rate adequacy and anti-monopoly standard, California Legislature via california.public.law, current. Manifest S139.
  56. Insurance Code 11734: Classification system / rating bureau, California Legislature via california.public.law, current. Manifest S140.
  57. Insurance Code 11760: False statements affecting workers' comp premium (premium fraud), California Legislature via california.public.law, current. Manifest S141.
  58. Insurance Code 11760.1: Employer access to payroll records for audit; triple-premium consequence, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S146.
  59. Insurance Code 11735: Insurer rate filings 30 days before use, California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S147.
  60. Insurance Code 11750.3: Purposes of the workers' compensation rating organization (WCIRB), California Legislature via california.public.law (cites leginfo), current. Manifest S148.
  61. Business & Professions Code 6155: Lawyer referral services, California Legislature via california.public.law, updated 2026-01-01. Manifest S142.
  62. 8 CCR 15575 Penalty Assessment Orders, DIR (regulation text), current. Manifest S13.
  63. 8 CCR 10844 Reasonable Attorney's Fee, DIR (regulation text), current. Manifest S78.
  64. 8 CCR 9792.6.1 Utilization Review Standards - Definitions, DIR (regulation text), amended operative 2026-04-01. Manifest S79.
  65. 8 CCR 9767.1 Medical Provider Networks - Definitions, DIR (regulation text), current. Manifest S80.
  66. 8 CCR 14001 Employer (Form 5020 five-day filing), DIR (regulation text), current. Manifest S81.
  67. 8 CCR 30 QME Panel Requests, DIR (regulation text), current. Manifest S82.
  68. 8 CCR 9881 Posting of Notice to Employees, DIR (regulation text), current. Manifest S83.
  69. 8 CCR 9880 Written Notice to New Employees, DIR (regulation text), current. Manifest S84.
  70. 8 CCR 10139 Workers' Compensation Claim Form (DWC 1) and Notice of Potential Eligibility, DIR (regulation text), current. Manifest S85.
  71. 8 CCR 9805 Schedule for Rating Permanent Disabilities, Adoption, Amendment, DIR (regulation text), current. Manifest S86.
Richard Vaughn
Richard Vaughn CPCU, ARM, AIS

Richard Vaughn spent 35 years in commercial property and casualty insurance, most of it in workers' compensation: running a self-insured group, auditing premiums, and implementing claims systems for carriers and third-party administrators. He is not an attorney. dickvaughn.com