About $119 a month
General liability
Insureon median for concrete contractors, $1 million/$2 million limits, updated July 2026
Contractors and trades
Concrete contractor insurance
For concrete contractors pouring flatwork, driveways, foundations and slabs: what coverage costs, which rules apply and what to have ready for a quote.
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What similar businesses pay
- General liability
- About $119 a month
- Workers’ comp
- About $240 a month
- Commercial auto
- About $413 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What concrete contractor insurance costs
About $240 a month
Workers’ comp
Insureon median for concrete contractors, updated July 2026
About $413 a month
Commercial auto
Insureon median for concrete contractors, updated July 2026
About $42 a month
Tools and equipment
Insureon median for inland marine, concrete and construction businesses, updated July 2026
Insureon’s medians for concrete contractors who apply for quotes through it come to about $1,423 a year for general liability, $2,874 for workers’ comp, $4,957 for commercial auto and $505 for tools and equipment cover. Together that is roughly $9,800 a year for a crew that owns a truck and has employees, before an umbrella (about $93 a month) or professional liability (about $67 a month). The general liability median is for a $1 million per occurrence, $2 million aggregate policy with a $500 deductible. Medians hide a wide spread: comp follows payroll and the type of concrete work, and auto follows trucks and drivers, so a structural contractor with a large crew pays far more than a one-truck flatwork outfit.
What moves your price
- Payroll and how it is classified: in New York, NYCIRB rates driveway and sidewalk flatwork under class 5221 but poured self-bearing floors separately under 5213
- The mix of work: flatwork, foundations, elevated slabs or decorative finishes
- Residential versus commercial jobs and the limits your general contractors demand
- Additional insured endorsements and how much you subcontract
- The number of trucks, trailers and drivers, and each driver’s record
- The value of mixers, power trowels, saws and forms you carry
- Your claims history and written safety program
Risks
The risks insurers price for
A fall onto uncapped rebar
A worker trips onto vertical dowels or protruding rebar. 29 CFR 1926.701(b) requires reinforcing steel that employees could fall onto or into to be guarded against impalement, and the injury is a serious comp claim.
Formwork or shoring gives way during the pour
Wet concrete loads forms and shores to their limit. OSHA’s 29 CFR 1926.703 requires shoring to be inspected before, during and immediately after placement, so a collapse can bring injuries, a tear-out and a dispute over whose fault it was.
Cement burns that show up hours later
Wet portland cement is caustic. OSHA says cement burns may not cause immediate pain and in severe cases can reach the bone and cause disabling scars, which is why finishers kneeling in wet concrete are a frequent comp exposure.
Silica dust from saw cutting and grinding
Cutting control joints, coring and grinding cured concrete release respirable crystalline silica. OSHA’s construction standard caps exposure at 50 micrograms per cubic meter over 8 hours and requires a written exposure control plan.
A bull float handle touches a power line
Long float handles on a driveway or slab can reach overhead lines. 29 CFR 1926.702(h) requires nonconductive or insulated handles wherever they might contact energized conductors.
Cracks, settling or a bad foundation after handover
An owner says your slab is uneven or a foundation was poured wrong. NEXT gives the example of a developer claiming a structural mistake cost it rental income, and Insureon lists uneven surfaces and project delays among professional negligence claims.
Coverage
Coverage to consider
General liability
Pays for injuries and property damage you cause to others, such as a customer who slips on wet concrete and breaks an ankle, Insureon’s own example. General contractors usually ask for it on a certificate before you start.
How general liability works →Workers’ compensation
Covers medical bills and lost wages for injured workers, including cement burns and respiratory illness. Most policies include employer’s liability. California C-8 license holders must carry it even with no employees.
How workers’ compensation works →Commercial auto
Covers trucks hauling forms, rebar, mixers and trailers. Insureon notes most states require it for business-owned vehicles; hired and non-owned auto covers personal or rented vehicles used for work.
How commercial auto works →Tools and equipment (inland marine)
Pays for stolen or damaged mixers, trowels, edgers and groovers on the truck or at the site. Insureon says items worth more than $2,500 may need to be scheduled separately.
Contractor’s professional liability
Responds to claims of negligent work, such as uneven surfaces or a foundation poured wrong. Insureon says concrete contractors can bundle it with general liability for about $150 a month.
How professional liability works →Builder’s risk
Covers a structure under construction against fire, vandalism and other damage when your contract makes it your responsibility. Insureon’s median is about $136 a month.
Umbrella or excess
Adds limits above general liability, auto and employer’s liability when a contract asks for more than $1 million. Insureon’s median is about $93 a month.
How umbrella / excess works →Rules
Requirements and filings
Concrete work answers to OSHA’s Subpart Q rules for concrete and masonry, the silica standard and, in some states, license rules that reach even one-person companies. Contracts often add their own insurance terms.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Workers’ comp for C-8 license holders | Every active California C-8 Concrete contractor | Must carry workers’ comp or a self-insurance certificate whether or not it has employees, and cannot file an exemption, per CSLB and Business and Professions Code 7125. |
| Rebar impalement protection | Employers with protruding reinforcing steel on site | Steel that employees could fall onto or into must be guarded to eliminate impalement, under 29 CFR 1926.701(b). |
| Formwork and shoring | Cast-in-place concrete work | Formwork drawings must be kept at the jobsite and shoring inspected before, during and immediately after placement, under 29 CFR 1926.703. |
| Respirable crystalline silica | Construction employers whose workers cut, grind or drill concrete | Exposure limit of 50 μg/m3 over 8 hours, a written exposure control plan and medical exams every 3 years for workers who wear a respirator 30 or more days a year, under 29 CFR 1926.1153. |
| Power trowels and bull floats | Finishing crews | Walk-behind power trowels need a switch that cuts power when the operator lets go, and bull floats near energized lines need nonconductive handles, under 29 CFR 1926.702(c) and (h). |
| Contract certificates | Work for general contractors, developers and public agencies | Customers commonly set limits and ask to be named as additional insureds. Insureon notes these endorsements are one of the factors in your general liability price. |
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Pay less
How to lower the cost
- Check your payroll classes at every audit: flatwork, foundations and structural floors can fall in different workers’ comp codes with different rates.
- Bundle general liability with contractor’s professional liability; Insureon says concrete contractors pay about $150 a month for the pair.
- Cap rebar, keep formwork drawings on site and log shoring inspections so you can show underwriters how you meet Subpart Q.
- Use wet cutting or vacuum dust collection and keep a written silica plan to cut lung-claim exposure.
- Supply waterproof gloves and boots, and keep washing facilities with clean water and non-alkaline soap on site, which OSHA requires where crews handle portland cement.
- Compare quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- Contractor license number and classification, such as a California C-8
- Revenue split between flatwork, foundations, elevated slabs and decorative work
- Payroll by job type and what you pay subcontractors, with their certificates
- Vehicle and driver list with VINs, license numbers and dates of birth
- Equipment schedule with values for mixers, power trowels, saws and pumps
- Loss runs from your current and prior insurers
- Sample contracts showing required limits, additional insureds and waivers
- Your written safety program, including the silica exposure control plan
Common questions
Concrete contractor insurance: questions
Do I need workers’ comp as a one-person concrete company?
In California, yes: CSLB requires every active C-8 Concrete contractor to carry workers’ comp or a self-insurance certificate whether or not it has employees. Other states set their own rules, so check with your state workers’ comp agency.
Does general liability pay to redo a slab that cracked?
Usually not. General liability is built for injuries and damage to other people’s property, not the cost of fixing your own work. Insureon says claims of negligent work, such as uneven surfaces, are what contractor’s professional liability is for, subject to the policy’s terms.
How much is general liability for a concrete contractor?
Insureon’s median for concrete contractors is about $119 a month, or $1,423 a year, for $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate with a $500 deductible.
Does my policy cover a stolen mixer or power trowel?
Not under general liability. You need tools and equipment (inland marine) coverage, which Insureon says concrete and construction businesses buy for a median of about $42 a month.
Can a concrete contractor get a business owner’s policy?
Some can. Insureon’s median BOP for concrete contractors is about $140 a month, but it says only small, low-risk businesses qualify, and a BOP does not include workers’ comp or auto.
Which OSHA rules apply to concrete work?
The main ones are 29 CFR 1926 Subpart Q, covering rebar, equipment and formwork, and the silica standard at 29 CFR 1926.1153 for cutting, grinding and drilling. State-plan states may add their own rules.
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Sources (10)
- Insureon: concrete contractor insurance cost (updated July 27, 2026)
- NEXT Insurance: concrete contractor insurance
- CSLB: workers’ compensation requirements
- eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.701, general requirements for concrete and masonry
- eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.702, requirements for equipment and tools
- OSHA: 29 CFR 1926.703, requirements for cast-in-place concrete
- OSHA: 29 CFR 1926.1153, respirable crystalline silica
- OSHA: silica in construction
- OSHA 3351: preventing skin problems from working with portland cement (2008)
- NYCIRB: class 5221 phraseology and description
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated November 2026.