What insurance does a general contractor need?
There's no one-size answer. The right mix depends on how you work, who you work for, and what your contracts ask for. These are the coverages a general contractor typically looks at first:
General liability
The core policy on every subcontract. It covers third-party injuries and property damage, including completed operations, with the $1,000,000 per-occurrence limit most GC agreements and property owners require on the certificate.
Workers' compensation
Once you run a crew, job-site injuries like a nail gun kickback or a fall from a ladder are handled here, and larger GCs and owners typically want it listed on your certificate alongside general liability.
Commercial auto
Trucks hauling tools, materials, and trailers between sites are work vehicles, and personal auto policies typically exclude business use.
Business property
Tools, equipment, and materials staged at a shop or job trailer are a real loss if they're stolen or damaged, and this is designed to help you replace them.
Coverage always depends on your specific situation. The fastest way to see what fits is to get a quote and review your options.
Running smaller repair and remodel jobs instead of full builds? See our guide to handyman insurance.
What does it protect against?
The risks that matter aren't abstract. They're the everyday accidents of the work. A few scenarios that turn into real claims:
A sub's mistake floods a finished unit
A plumbing sub you hired lets a fitting go after their walkthrough, and water runs through drywall and flooring you just finished. The property owner's claim lands on the GC who ran the job, and completed-operations claims like this can surface long after the crew has moved to the next site.
A visitor is hurt on an active site
A property manager doing a walkthrough steps around framing lumber and trips over a stray extension cord. Third-party injuries on an active job site, whether the visitor is an owner, an inspector, or a passerby, are the core general liability claim.
Equipment damages a neighboring property
A skid steer backing out of a driveway clips a neighbor's fence, or a dumpster delivery cracks a section of sidewalk. Property damage caused by equipment on or around the job is exactly what general liability is built to help cover.
A framing error surfaces after the crew leaves
A load-bearing change made mid-project isn't caught until drywall goes up and a ceiling starts to sag weeks later. Claims tied to work you already finished and invoiced fall under products and completed operations, a standard part of general liability.
A crew member is hurt using a nail gun or saw
A framer takes a nail gun kickback to the hand, or a laborer is hurt feeding a table saw. Employee injuries like these are a workers comp claim, not a general liability one, which is why GCs with a crew are typically asked to carry both.
Certificates of insurance
Contractors get asked for a certificate of insurance more than almost any other trade. General contractors collect one from every subcontractor before they're cleared for a site, property owners and developers require one before signing a build contract, and many municipalities ask for proof before issuing a permit. The request is usually general liability at a set limit, with a workers comp line once you have employees. Olli's general liability policies include instant certificates, so a sub isn't held off a job waiting on paperwork.
New to certificates? Start with our guide to the certificate of insurance: what's on one, who asks for it, and how to provide yours.