Legal Question in Construction Law in California

Typically owners need not be covered, so the answer is probably no. However, it may depend on the form of the business (partnership, corporation, LLC, etc.).

I think Mr. Berger is on the right track, but as I recall, even co-owners need to do something, such as maybe filing a formal declaration that they have elected to opt out of coverage. I don't think owners can simply ignore the workers' comp laws and sit back and rely on an automatic exemption. One way to get an expert opinion cheaply would be to have a sit-down conversation with a worker's comp insurance broker near you. The costs of making an erroneous assumption of automatic exemption could be disasterous.