Trade coverage
Roof work, high-voltage DC, and structural attachment create severe injury and water-intrusion exposures, and as a newer trade it has a shorter loss history for carriers to price against.
General liability responds to two different things for your trade. The first is injury or damage caused while you are working, which for solar contractor work is a roof penetration from a mounting foot causing a leak. 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.
Often surplus lines for commercial and utility-scale work because of the newer loss history and high limit requirements; residential solar is sometimes written by admitted carriers.
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 common; $2M/$4M is often required by utilities, financiers, and commercial property owners. 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 solar contractor is high.
Often surplus lines for commercial and utility-scale work because of the newer loss history and high limit requirements; residential solar is sometimes written by admitted carriers.
In order of how often we see them: A roof penetration from a mounting foot causing a leak; A fall from a roof while installing or servicing panels; An electrical fault or arc in a DC system causing a fire.
These four come up repeatedly: Additional insured with completed operations; Waiver of subrogation; Per-project aggregate; Pollution coverage for battery or electrolyte. 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; Professional liability / E&O for design-build 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.
