General liability insurance for California contractors

California does not treat every contractor classification the same way. Some licensing/entity situations have specific insurance rules, and most meaningful project work requires GL by contract even when the state minimum is not the practical driver.

$1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate is the common starting point. Larger commercial, public works, multi-family, and wildfire-exposed jobs may require higher primary limits or umbrella.

GL isn't required by law in most states, but it is required by virtually every commercial contract, GC sub-contract, license bond, or project owner. In practice, if you want to work, you need it. Limits of $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate are the common baseline; large commercial jobs may demand $2M/$4M or higher.

Contractor GL typically costs $600-$3,000+ per year for a small-to-mid-size operation. Your trade class code is the single biggest driver, roofers and demolition contractors can pay 3-5x what a painter pays for the same limits. Revenue, claims history, and the state you work in also factor in. We shop 10+ carriers to find the right rate for your exact profile.

Workers' comp covers injuries to your own employees. General liability covers injuries and property damage to third parties, clients, passers-by, other subs, project owners. You typically need both, and they cover completely different claims.

No, GL is strictly for third-party claims. For theft or damage to your own tools, trailers, or equipment, you need inland marine / tools & equipment coverage. We place both lines together when it makes sense.

Yes, adding a general contractor, property owner, or lender as additional insured is standard on a commercial GL policy. Most contracts also require primary/non-contributory wording and sometimes a waiver of subrogation. Send us the contract's insurance schedule and we'll confirm exactly what needs to be endorsed.

Primary/non-contributory is contract language that requires your GL policy to respond first on a claim and not contribute alongside the additional insured's own coverage. Most commercial owners and GCs require it. It's a simple endorsement, we add it at no extra cost when a contract calls for it.

Once your policy is bound and holder details are available, we typically issue COIs in under sixty seconds.

One or two closed-without-payment claims rarely disqualify you. Larger paid losses or open claims narrow the market but don't necessarily close it, carriers specializing in non-standard risks will still quote. Tell us your claim history up front and we'll tell you realistically where it lands.

Contractor GL is almost always written on an occurrence form, meaning a claim is covered if the incident happened while the policy was in force, even if the claim is filed years later. Claims-made forms are common in professional liability but rare for trade contractor GL.

Yes. If you hire subs, you should require proof of their own GL at the limit your contract with the project owner calls for. Without that, the sub's exposure falls on your policy. Most commercial GC contracts explicitly forbid using un-insured subs.