General contractors
Residential or commercial, new construction or remodeling and how much of the work you subcontract. Bring the insurance terms from your owner and subcontract agreements.
For the trades
Contractor
insurance.
Liability, workers’ comp, work trucks and tools for contractors who work on other people’s property, from a one-person shop to a crew.
Contractor coverage
Tell us your trade, the work you take on and the contract requirements you have been sent. One intake covers the whole business.
Start with the work
What does your crew actually do?
Underwriters price the work, not the job title. Describe your projects in plain terms. These are examples of what to bring to a review, not a promise of eligibility.
Electricians, plumbers & HVAC
Service calls versus new installs, gas or refrigerant work and whether you design systems or install someone else’s plans.
Roofers
Roof types, building heights, torch or other hot work and the share of residential versus commercial jobs. Expect more detailed questions here.
Landscapers
Mowing and maintenance, hardscaping, tree work, irrigation and chemical application each carry different exposures.
Handymen
List every kind of job you take, including occasional electrical, plumbing or roofing work. Licensing rules for those tasks vary by state.
Specialty trades
Painters, carpenters, concrete, flooring and more. Tell us about subcontractors, equipment and the largest job you expect this year.
The core coverages
What contractors usually carry.
General liability
Injury or damage to other people and their property from your operations. Products-completed operations coverage extends that to damage your finished work causes later. Check that limit separately from the per-occurrence limit.
Workers’ compensation
Medical care and lost wages for employees hurt on the job. Requirements are set by each state, and payroll by job classification drives the premium.
Commercial auto
Trucks, vans and trailers used for work, plus employees driving their own cars on business. See the commercial auto guide.
Tools & equipment
Inland marine coverage, often called an equipment floater, for tools and machinery that move between jobsites. Your auto policy insures the vehicle, not what is inside it.
Umbrella & builder’s risk
Extra liability limits when a contract asks for more, and coverage for a structure while it is being built. Who buys builder’s risk is usually set by the contract.
Surety bonds
Some states and project owners require license, permit, performance or payment bonds. A bond guarantees your obligations to others; it is underwritten separately and is worth raising in the same conversation.
Contract requirements
Certificates, additional insureds and waivers.
Most contracts arrive with an insurance exhibit. Send it with your request; the wording decides which endorsements you need.
Certificate of insurance
A certificate summarizes your coverage for a general contractor, owner or property manager. It does not change your policy or grant anyone coverage on its own.
Additional insured
Gives the other party coverage under your liability policy for claims arising from your work. It is added by endorsement, and contracts may ask for ongoing and completed operations or primary and noncontributory wording.
Waiver of subrogation
Stops your insurer from recovering what it paid from the party named in the waiver. Contracts often require it on general liability, auto and workers’ comp, and it usually needs its own endorsement.
What a certificate of insurance shows →Get contractor coverage.
One intake for liability, workers’ comp, vehicles and equipment.
Workers’ comp
Owners, employees and subcontractors.
Each state writes its own rules, and construction is often treated more strictly than other industries. Some examples:
- Florida requires construction employers with one or more employees to carry coverage, counting corporate officers and LLC members. No more than three officers with at least 10% ownership can elect an exemption.
- Texas lets most private employers opt out as non-subscribers, with notice obligations.
- In California, workers of an unlicensed contractor doing licensed work are presumed to be employees of whoever hired that contractor.
Uninsured subcontractors can also show up on your bill. Under NCCI audit rules, payments to subcontractors without proof of workers’ comp may be added to your payroll at audit. Collect certificates before work starts, not at audit time.
Is workers’ comp required for an LLC with no employees? →Cost
What contractor insurance costs.
Insureon’s July 2026 figures for its construction customers, most with fewer than five employees, give a starting point: about $89 a month for general liability, $175 for workers’ comp, $268 for commercial auto, $42 for tools and equipment and $9 for surety bonds.
What moves your price
- Your trade and the riskiest work you take on
- Payroll, revenue and how much you subcontract
- Where you work and the states you operate in
- Claims history and years in business
- Limits, deductibles and contract-required endorsements
- Vehicles, drivers and the value of tools and equipment
Common questions
Contractor insurance questions.
How much does contractor insurance cost?
Insureon reports typical monthly costs for its construction customers of about $89 for general liability, $175 for workers’ compensation and $268 for commercial auto. Most of those customers have fewer than five employees. Your trade, payroll, revenue, location, claims history and limits can put your price well above or below those figures.
Do I need workers’ comp as a contractor if I work alone?
It depends on your state and your business structure. Some states let owners or officers exclude themselves, and some do not require coverage at all, but construction rules are often stricter. General contractors frequently require subcontractors to show coverage or an exemption before work starts.
Is a certificate of insurance the same as being an additional insured?
No. A certificate summarizes your coverage for someone else. It does not change the policy. Additional insured status has to be added to the policy itself, usually by endorsement, so check that the endorsement matches what the contract asks for.
Does general liability pay to redo my own faulty work?
Generally not. General liability is built for injury and damage to other people and their property, including damage your completed work causes later. The cost of fixing your own work is often excluded or limited, and the exact wording matters.
Are my tools covered by my auto or business policy?
Not reliably. Commercial auto insures the vehicle, and standard property policies often limit coverage away from your listed premises. Tools and equipment, sometimes called an equipment floater or inland marine coverage, is written for gear that moves between jobsites.
Can Florin help with surety bonds?
You can raise license, permit or contract bonds in the same review. Bonds are underwritten separately from insurance and guarantee your obligations to others, so approval and terms depend on the surety’s review.
Hauling for hire with your own authority? See trucking insurance. Own a shop or yard in a flood-prone area? See commercial flood insurance.
Keep reading
Practical guides for contractors.
How much does landscaping business insurance cost in 2026?
Landscapers often pay about $50 a month for general liability, with workers’ comp and auto costing more. See 2026 costs, pesticide rules and ways to save.
What insurance does a California contractor license require?
California contractors need a $25,000 bond and workers’ comp or an exemption; LLCs also need liability insurance. See the CSLB rules and the 2028 change.
Does homeowners insurance cover a home-based business?
Homeowners insurance pays little for business property and usually excludes business liability. See typical limits, the gaps and three ways to fill them.
Get covered.
Florin reviews your business and compares options. Any coverage must be separately confirmed.