Trade coverage
A GC controls the overall job and coordinates subcontractors, so liability follows them for subs' defective work and for jobsite conditions they supervise. That combination of vicarious liability and completed-operations exposure makes severity high even when their own hands-on work is limited.
General liability responds to two different things for your trade. The first is injury or damage caused while you are working, which for general contractor work is a subcontractor's defective work causes property damage and the gc is named because they hired and supervised the sub. The second is a claim that surfaces after you have finished, known as completed operations, and it is the half of the policy most often missing from a cheap quote.
Small residential GCs are usually written by admitted carriers; larger, mixed-commercial, or heavy-construction GCs often move to surplus lines because of high limits, subcontractor exposure, and construction-defect history.
These are the loss scenarios that drive claims for this trade, in the order we see them.
Each of these changes what the policy actually pays. Request them at quote stage.
General liability on its own leaves gaps that show up as denied claims rather than as missing coverage.
$1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate is the baseline; many carry $2M/$4M or higher plus an umbrella for commercial work, and GC contracts and lenders often mandate elevated limits. That is the limit, not the premium. The premium depends on your payroll, your state, your subcontractor use and your claims history, and it moves most with the hazard of the trade itself, which for general contractor is high.
Small residential GCs are usually written by admitted carriers; larger, mixed-commercial, or heavy-construction GCs often move to surplus lines because of high limits, subcontractor exposure, and construction-defect history.
In order of how often we see them: A subcontractor's defective work causes property damage and the GC is named because they hired and supervised the sub; A jobsite injury from an unsecured excavation, fall hazard, or unmarked opening the GC was responsible for maintaining; Damage to an adjoining property or a neighbor's structure during a remodel or addition.
These four come up repeatedly: Additional insured with completed operations; Waiver of subrogation; Per-project aggregate; Primary and non-contributory wording. Get them written into the quote rather than requested after binding, because that is where the delays come from.
Alongside general liability: Commercial auto; Inland marine for tools and equipment; Workers compensation; Builders risk and umbrella.
Yes. Their policy defends them, not you. If your work causes damage, their carrier can pay the claim and then pursue you to recover it.
Classification and carrier appetite differ by trade, so it is worth seeing how yours compares.
Tell us your payroll, state and what your contract requires.
