General Contractors Insurance
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Quick answer: General contractors usually need general liability with completed operations, workers' compensation, commercial auto, builders risk, an umbrella and bonds. Because GCs hire subcontractors, managing their certificates and endorsements is as important as your own policy.
Lions & Coventry Insurance Services, established in 2009 and licensed in all 50 states (CA Lic. #0G22084), places general contractor insurance nationwide. We work with residential builders, remodelers, commercial general contractors and construction managers.
Coverages general contractors usually need
- General liability with products and completed operations for injuries and property damage on and after your projects.
- Workers' compensation for your own employees, with payroll classified correctly for supervision, carpentry and other trades you self-perform.
- Builders risk for the structure, materials and equipment while a project is under construction.
- Commercial auto for company vehicles, plus hired and non-owned auto for employees who drive their own cars on business.
- Commercial umbrella to meet owner and lender limit requirements above your primary policies.
- Contractor bonds, including license, bid, performance and payment bonds where the project or state requires them.
- Contractors equipment (inland marine) for tools and owned, leased or rented equipment.
Managing subcontractor risk
Your subcontracts should require each subcontractor to carry its own coverage and to name you, and usually the project owner, as an additional insured on both ongoing and completed operations. Ask for primary and noncontributory wording and a waiver of subrogation, and collect the endorsements, not just certificates. Track expiration dates. If a subcontractor's coverage lapses, your own policy and your audit may pick up the cost.
Owner and lender requirements
Project owners, lenders and public agencies often set required limits, ask for per-project aggregates, require builders risk in a specific form and want their own entities named as additional insureds. We review the insurance section of the prime contract before you sign, so you know what it will take to comply.
Need a certificate for a general contracting contract? See same-day certificates and additional insured endorsements.
What drives your premium
We don't publish prices because every quote depends on underwriting. These are the main factors carriers weigh:
- Project types, values and your residential versus commercial mix
- How much work you subcontract and whether subcontractors are insured
- Self-performed trades and payroll
- Claims history and safety program
- Limits, endorsements and bonds your contracts require
We quote nationwide. Request a quote or call (916) 967-7715.
How to get a general contractors insurance quote
Five steps to prepare a general contractor insurance submission for projects anywhere in the U.S. This is brokerage guidance from Lions & Coventry Insurance Services, not legal advice and not a premium quote.
- Describe your projects and where you build — List the kinds of projects you take on (new homes, remodels, commercial tenant improvements or ground-up commercial), typical and largest project values, and the states where you work. Underwriters treat a residential remodeler very differently from a commercial builder, so an accurate mix matters.
- Separate self-performed payroll from subcontracted costs — Break out payroll by the trades your own crews perform, such as supervision and carpentry, and total the amount you pay subcontractors. General liability and workers compensation are often rated on these figures, and your audit will compare them with your records.
- Show how you manage subcontractors — Have a sample subcontract ready, with its insurance requirements, and explain how you collect certificates and additional insured endorsements and track expiration dates. Carriers ask whether your subcontractors are insured because uninsured subcontractors can end up on your policy.
- Gather loss runs and contract requirements — Request loss runs from your current or prior carriers, keep your current declarations pages handy, and collect the insurance sections of your prime contracts. Owners and lenders often set the limits, additional insured wording, builders risk responsibility and bonds you must carry.
- Send the submission to a licensed broker — Share the facts above with us. We compare available markets for your liability, workers compensation, builders risk, auto, umbrella and bond needs, and explain whether a placement is admitted or surplus lines. We do not quote a premium before underwriting reviews the risk.
Related pages: builders risk, contractor bonds and certificates of insurance. Ready to start? Request a quote or call (916) 967-7715.
General Contractors insurance FAQ
What insurance should a general contractor require from subcontractors?
Most GCs require subcontractors to carry general liability, workers' compensation and commercial auto, and to add the GC and the project owner as additional insureds for ongoing and completed operations, on a primary and noncontributory basis with a waiver of subrogation. Your contract should state the limits and wording.
Does a certificate of insurance prove my subcontractor named me as additional insured?
Not by itself. A certificate is a summary. Ask for a copy of the additional insured endorsement too, and check that it covers both ongoing and completed operations if your contract requires both.
Who buys builders risk, the owner or the general contractor?
It depends on the contract. Either party can buy it, and the contract usually says which one does. If you are responsible, the policy should cover the full project value and the materials stored on and off site.
Do general contractors need bonds as well as insurance?
Often, yes. Many states require a contractor license bond, and public and many private projects require bid, performance and payment bonds. Bonds back your obligations to project owners and the state; they are not insurance for your business.
How much does general contractor insurance cost?
We don't publish prices, because every general contractor quote depends on underwriting. Carriers look at the type of projects you build, your mix of residential and commercial work, how much you subcontract, your payroll and revenue, your claims history, the limits and endorsements your contracts require, and the states where you work. Request a quote or call (916) 967-7715 and a licensed producer will review your operations and shop the market.
Brokerage guidance, not legal advice. Coverage depends on the policy form, underwriting and carrier availability, and licensing and insurance rules vary by state.
State guides: Licensing and insurance rules for general contractors vary by state. See our Texas, Florida and Arizona contractor insurance guides, and download the free certificate of insurance (COI) checklist.
Request a quote
Tell us about your operations, locations, payroll or revenue, and the coverage or certificates you need. Lions & Coventry has placed commercial insurance since 2009 and is licensed in all 50 states (CA Lic. #0G22084).