Trade coverage
Falls from height, tear-off debris, and water intrusion make roofing one of the most severe and most frequently claimed trades. Weather concentration and steep-slope work amplify every exposure.
General liability responds to two different things for your trade. The first is injury or damage caused while you are working, which for roofing work is a tear-off dropping debris onto a parked vehicle. 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.
Very often surplus lines, especially for high-limit, steep-slope, or storm-concentrated operations, because of severity and weather aggregation.
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 minimum; $2M/$4M or higher is common and frequently required by homeowners, GCs, and property managers. 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 roofing is highest.
Very often surplus lines, especially for high-limit, steep-slope, or storm-concentrated operations, because of severity and weather aggregation.
In order of how often we see them: A tear-off dropping debris onto a parked vehicle; Water intrusion through an improperly installed or flashed roof; A fall from the roof, a ladder, or a scaffold.
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; Workers compensation; Umbrella and builders risk for new construction.
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.
