Hablamos Español Insurance Companies We Work With
Home›Contractors›Concrete & Masonry
Concrete & Masonry

Concrete and masonry are unforgiving. When it cracks or fails, it is your name on it.

You pour and lay the parts of a building that are supposed to last decades, so a failure is expensive and it shows up long after the job. Add heavy material, silica dust, and washout that the law does not let you rinse into a drain, and the trade needs a program built around structure and completed work, not just a cheap certificate.

Get a quote Compare your coverage

Ready for terms? Get a quote. Want to find the gaps first? Start with a coverage review.

A concrete or masonry contractor typically needs general liability with completed operations, workers compensation, commercial auto, and contractors equipment, plus an umbrella and often pollution coverage for washout and silica. The exposures that define the trade are structural and completed-operations claims when concrete cracks or fails, and the lifting and silica-dust risk on the crew. Completed operations and the class codes matter more than the sticker price.

Cutting, grinding, and mixing concrete and masonry release respirable crystalline silica, which OSHA regulates with a permissible exposure limit and required dust controls (OSHA silica standard). Silica claims can also fall in a policy's pollution exclusion, which is why the trade often carries pollution coverage.

Why the risk outlasts the pour

Concrete and masonry are structural. A slab, footing, foundation, or wall is supposed to carry load for the life of the building, so when it cracks, settles, or fails, the damage is significant and it usually shows up after you have moved on. That is why completed operations, the coverage that answers for your finished work, is the center of a concrete program, not an afterthought.

Your crew is rated for workers comp under the concrete and masonry class codes: 5213 for commercial concrete, 5221 for residential flatwork like floors and driveways, and 5022 for masonry. These are higher-rated construction codes because of the lifting and injury exposure, so the payroll split across them drives your premium.

What each coverage actually does for you

General liability is the base, written with completed operations so a failure after the job still responds. Workers compensation covers the crew and the real lifting and silica exposure. Commercial auto covers the trucks, mixers, and trailers.

Contractors equipment covers the mixers, saws, compactors, and forms, owned or rented, on site and in transit. Pollution liability handles concrete washout runoff and silica exposure that standard liability can exclude. An umbrella adds limit above the program, which commercial and structural contracts often require.

Silica and washout, the two hidden exposures

Two things bite concrete and masonry contractors that a brochure never mentions. First, silica: dry-cutting and grinding produce respirable crystalline silica, an OSHA-regulated hazard with required engineering controls, and silica claims can sit in a policy's pollution exclusion. Second, washout: the high-pH water left from rinsing mixers and chutes cannot legally be discharged to the ground or a storm drain, and that is a pollution and stormwater violation municipalities enforce. Dust controls and washout containment on the job manage the safety and legal side; pollution coverage answers the insurance side.

What it costs, and what moves the number

Concrete and masonry price higher than the finish trades, so treat any single figure with caution. As a reference point, a small concrete or masonry contractor often sees general liability from about $1,500 to $5,000 or more a year, with workers comp priced separately on the 5213, 5221, and 5022 codes. Your own number depends on real details:

  • Structural versus flatwork. Foundations and structural work price higher than driveways and patios.
  • Commercial versus residential. Commercial and public work carries higher limits and requirements.
  • Payroll and crew size. Workers comp is a rate on the concrete and masonry codes.
  • Silica and washout controls. Documented controls can help insurability.
  • Loss history. Structural and injury claims weigh on renewal pricing.

The exclusions that get concrete and masonry claims denied

The honest downside a brochure skips:

  • Pollution. Washout runoff and silica can fall in the pollution exclusion on a base policy.
  • Faulty workmanship. Redoing your own cracked slab is generally not covered, though resulting damage may be.
  • Completed-operations limits. Structural failures surface later, so the coverage has to stay in force at adequate limits.
  • Uninsured subcontractors. A sub without coverage lands on your audit as your payroll.

Licensing and standards, by state

Requirements vary across the western states we serve, so confirm yours rather than assuming. In Oregon, concrete and masonry contractors register with the CCB and carry general liability, with higher limits for commercial specialty contractors. In California, concrete falls under the CSLB C-8 classification and masonry under C-29, each with a $25,000 contractor bond (CSLB). OSHA's silica standard applies to the cutting and grinding work. Your state page below has the local specifics.

How a market check usually plays out

Concrete and masonry carry structural exposure, so carriers underwrite them carefully. The value of an independent agency here is reaching the markets that want the structural class and confirming the completed-operations, silica, and washout wording fits the work. On these accounts, the right coverage comes from the form and market access, not the lowest sticker price.

Questions to ask before you buy a concrete or masonry policy

  • Does my general liability include completed operations at the limits my structural work requires?
  • Are silica and concrete washout covered, or excluded as pollution?
  • Is my payroll split correctly across the 5213, 5221, and 5022 codes?
  • Is my owned and rented equipment covered on site and in transit?
  • Do I have the additional-insured and waiver endorsements my commercial jobs require?

Coverages this trade needs

The lines that make up a concrete & masonry contractor program. Each has its own page with limits, cost, and how it applies to you.

General Liability

The base policy, with completed operations for a slab, wall, or foundation that cracks or fails later.

Concrete GL →

Workers Compensation

Covers your crew, rated on concrete and masonry codes, with real lifting and silica exposure.

Contractor workers comp →

Commercial Auto

Trucks, mixers, and the trailers hauling material and equipment.

Commercial auto →

Contractors Equipment

Mixers, saws, compactors, and forms, owned or rented, on site and in transit.

Equipment coverage →

Pollution Liability

For concrete washout runoff and silica exposure standard liability can exclude.

Pollution liability →

Umbrella

Adds limit above the program, which commercial and structural contracts often require.

Umbrella →

Concrete & Masonry Contractor insurance by state

Licensing, bonds, and workers comp rules change by state. Pick yours for the local requirements and what we can place there.

OregonCaliforniaWashingtonIdahoUtahNevadaArizonaMontanaColoradoTexasNew Mexico

Go deeper in the Learning Center

In-depth articles on the exact issues your trade runs into. Straight answers, not sales pitches.

All contractor articles

Frequently asked

Concrete and masonry insurance questions

What insurance does a concrete or masonry contractor need?
Typically general liability with completed operations, workers compensation, commercial auto, and contractors equipment, plus an umbrella and often pollution coverage for washout and silica. The defining exposures are structural and completed-operations claims when concrete cracks or fails, plus the lifting and silica-dust exposure on the crew.
How much does concrete and masonry insurance cost?
It runs higher than the finish trades because of the structural and injury exposure. As a reference, a small concrete or masonry contractor often sees general liability from about $1,500 to $5,000 or more a year, with workers comp priced separately on concrete and masonry class codes. Structural and foundation work, commercial jobs, and prior claims move the number, so a real quote is built on your actual payroll and work.
What class codes are concrete and masonry work?
Concrete work generally falls under class code 5213 for commercial concrete construction and 5221 for residential flatwork such as floors, driveways, and yards, while masonry falls under 5022. Getting the right code and payroll split matters, because these are higher-rated construction codes and a misclassification shows up as a premium error at audit.
Is silica dust an insurance and safety issue?
Yes. Cutting, grinding, and mixing concrete and masonry release respirable crystalline silica, which OSHA regulates with a permissible exposure limit and required controls. Beyond the safety and compliance side, silica-related claims can be excluded from a standard general liability policy as pollution, which is one reason concrete and masonry contractors often carry pollution coverage.
Does general liability cover a cracked or failed slab?
It depends. Redoing your own defective concrete is generally not covered, but resulting damage to other property from a failure can be, subject to the policy and completed-operations coverage. Because a foundation or structural failure surfaces after the job and can be expensive, the completed-operations form and limits are the part of a concrete policy that matter most.
What is concrete washout and why does it matter?
Concrete washout is the high-pH water and slurry left when you rinse mixers, chutes, and tools. Discharging it to the ground or a storm drain is a pollution and stormwater violation that municipalities enforce, and standard general liability commonly excludes pollution. Proper washout containment on the job, plus pollution coverage, handle both sides of that exposure.
Do my contracts require certificates and additional insured status?
On commercial and general-contractor work, yes. They require a certificate of insurance and usually additional insured status and a waiver of subrogation. The additional insured endorsement behind the certificate is what actually protects the client, and we make sure it is in force, not just listed on paper.
What license do concrete and masonry contractors need?
In Oregon, they register with the CCB and carry general liability, with higher limits for commercial specialty contractors. In California, concrete falls under the CSLB C-8 classification and masonry under C-29, each with a $25,000 contractor bond. Verify your specifics with your state board.

Reviewed for insurance accuracy by Richard Sweet, Vantage Point Risk. Last reviewed July 16, 2026. How we review this.

Independent, contractor-first

Cover the structure, the silica, and the washout.

Tell us about your concrete and masonry work and we will confirm completed operations, equipment, and pollution coverage fit what you actually pour and lay.