About $162 a month
General liability
Insureon median for general contractors, updated July 2026
Contractors and trades
General contractor insurance
For general contractors and builders who run residential or commercial projects and hire subs: what you need to carry, what it costs, the license rules and what underwriters ask.
- Independent brokerage: we compare several insurers
- Licensed agents review every application
- No cost and no obligation to buy
Get general contractor insurance quotes
What similar businesses pay
- General liability
- About $162 a month
- Workers’ compensation
- About $196 a month
- Builder’s risk
- About $136 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What general contractor insurance costs
About $196 a month
Workers’ compensation
Insureon median for general contractors, updated July 2026
About $136 a month
Builder’s risk
Insureon median for general contractors, updated July 2026
About $287 a month
Commercial auto
Insureon median for general contractors, updated July 2026
Insureon’s figures are medians for general contractors who apply for quotes through it, most with fewer than five employees, revenue of about $50,000 to more than $200,000 and five years or less in business. Its general liability figure assumes $1 million per occurrence, $2 million aggregate and a $500 deductible. Insureon also reports medians of about $125 a month for a business owner’s policy, $140 for a commercial umbrella, $67 for professional liability, $42 for inland marine and $10 for a surety bond. A small GC with a crew, a pickup and one open project should budget for several of these lines at once; larger commercial builders pay considerably more.
What moves your price
- Residential versus commercial work, and new construction versus remodeling
- The maximum building height or number of stories you work on
- The share of revenue paid to subcontractors, and whether they carry their own insurance
- Payroll by class, with field payroll rated far higher than clerical
- Your state and its license minimums
- Liability limits, deductibles and five years of loss history
Risks
The risks insurers price for
A fall from an unguarded floor opening
A framing sub leaves an opening unguarded and a drywall hanger falls through it. The injured worker usually names the GC along with the sub. The BLS counted 1,032 fatal injuries among construction and extraction workers in 2024, 370 of them from falls, slips and trips, and OSHA calls falls the leading cause of death in construction.
An uninsured subcontractor’s injured employee
When a sub has no workers’ comp, its injured employee can become your claim. Florida Statute 440.10 makes a contractor liable for compensation to the employees of a subcontractor that has not secured it, and your own insurer may charge premium for that sub’s work at audit.
A defect that surfaces after handover
Water intrusion through window flashing, a settling foundation or a deck collapse can appear years after you hand over the keys. These completed operations claims follow the GC long after the project file is closed.
Fire, theft or storm on an open project
Materials, fixtures and the partly built structure sit exposed until completion. A fire, a copper theft or a windstorm can wipe out weeks of work before the owner takes possession.
Visitors and the public on site
A delivery driver trips over debris or a neighbor’s car is hit by falling material. A GC answers for the whole site, not just its own crew.
Coverage
Coverage to consider
General liability with completed operations
Pays for injury and property damage on and around the site and for claims after the project is finished. Owners and lenders will ask to be added as additional insureds.
How general liability works →Workers’ compensation
Covers your employees, and at audit may pick up the payroll of subs who cannot show their own coverage.
How workers’ compensation works →Builder’s risk
Covers the structure, materials and fixtures under construction against fire, theft, wind and other named or open perils until the project is complete. The contract decides whether the owner or the GC buys it.
How commercial property works →Inland marine or contractor’s equipment
Covers tools, generators, scaffolding and rented equipment moving between job sites.
Commercial auto
Covers pickups, trailers and any vehicles that haul crews and materials.
How commercial auto works →Umbrella or excess
Adds limits above general liability, auto and employer’s liability when a contract calls for more than your primary limits.
How umbrella / excess works →Professional liability
Responds to design and construction management errors, which matters most for design-build work.
How professional liability works →Surety bonds
License bonds, plus the performance and payment bonds public owners require.
Rules
Requirements and filings
Many states tie insurance or bonds to a contractor license, and owner contracts usually ask for far more: higher limits, an umbrella, additional insured status, waivers of subrogation and builder’s risk. Read the insurance exhibit before you bid. Rules below were checked in October 2026.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Florida general or building contractor liability | Certified and registered general and building contractors in Florida | $300,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, with an affidavit at issuance and renewal; a lapse is a violation (Fla. Admin. Code 61G4-15.003) |
| Florida residential contractor liability | Residential contractors in Florida | $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage (Fla. Admin. Code 61G4-15.003) |
| Florida construction workers’ comp | Construction employers in Florida with one or more employees, counting corporate officers and LLC members | Coverage required, compared with four or more employees in other industries (Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation) |
| Washington contractor registration | General contractors registering in Washington | $30,000 bond ($15,000 for specialty contractors) plus $250,000 combined single limit or $200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage (Washington L&I) |
| California contractor bond | Every CSLB licensee | $25,000 contractor bond (California CSLB) |
| California LLC licensee insurance | Contractors licensed as an LLC in California | $100,000 employee and worker bond and at least $1 million of liability insurance, plus $100,000 per personnel member beyond five, up to $5 million (CSLB) |
Compare general contractor insurance options.
One application, quotes from several insurers, reviewed by a licensed agent. Start with your email and finish later if you need to.
Pay less
How to lower the cost
- Collect a certificate of insurance from every sub before work starts and keep it for audit; Travelers says a valid certificate shows the carrier, policy number, dates, named insured and you as certificate holder.
- Use written subcontracts that require the sub to name you as an additional insured and to indemnify you.
- Run a written fall protection program covering guardrails, floor openings, ladders and scaffolds.
- Split clerical and estimating payroll from field payroll so it is not rated at construction rates.
- Buy builder’s risk per project or on an annual reporting form matched to the values you actually have open.
- Keep license insurance continuous; in Florida a lapse violates rule 61G4-15.003.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- License numbers and the states you work in
- Your mix of residential, commercial, new construction and remodeling work
- Annual revenue, the share paid to subcontractors and your largest project value
- Maximum building height or stories, and any condominium or multifamily work
- Payroll by class
- Certificates of insurance collected from subcontractors
- Your written safety program and subcontract insurance requirements
- Five years of loss runs, including any construction defect claims
Common questions
General contractor insurance: questions
Am I liable if my subcontractor’s worker is injured?
You can be. Florida Statute 440.10 makes a contractor liable for workers’ comp for the employees of a subcontractor that has not secured coverage, and other states set their own rules.
Do my subcontractors need their own insurance?
They should. Travelers says it may charge premium for work done by a subcontractor that cannot show a valid workers’ comp certificate, so uninsured subs can raise your audit bill.
Who buys builder’s risk, the owner or the contractor?
Either one, depending on the contract, so read the insurance section of the owner contract. Insureon reports a median of about $136 a month for general contractors who buy it.
Does general liability cover my faulty workmanship?
Generally it covers injury and damage your work causes to other property, not the cost of redoing the defective work itself. Policy wording varies, so read the exclusions for your own work and for damage to work in progress.
How much liability insurance does a Florida general contractor need?
Florida rule 61G4-15.003 requires $300,000 of public liability and $50,000 of property damage coverage for certified or registered general and building contractors. Project contracts usually require higher limits than these minimums.
Do I need workers’ comp if I only use subcontractors?
Often yes. In Florida, construction employers with one or more employees must carry it, counting corporate officers and LLC members, and insurers may charge premium at audit for any subs who cannot prove their own coverage.
Where can I compare general contractor insurance quotes?
Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers. Have your payroll by class, subcontracted costs and loss runs ready so each insurer quotes the same exposure.
Get covered.
Tell us about your business once. We compare options and a licensed agent follows up, usually the same day.
Sources (9)
- Insureon: general contractor insurance cost (updated July 2026)
- BLS: Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries summary, 2024
- OSHA: fall prevention campaign
- Florida Statutes section 440.10: liability for compensation
- Travelers: workers’ compensation premium audit
- Florida Administrative Code rule 61G4-15.003: public liability insurance
- Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation: coverage requirements
- Washington L&I: register as a contractor
- California CSLB: licenses for limited liability companies
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated October 2026.