General contractors and remodelers typically need general liability, workers compensation, commercial auto, tools and equipment, often builders risk, and an umbrella, plus disciplined subcontractor risk transfer. The biggest exposures are completed operations, subcontractor work, and contract requirements you agreed to but may not actually carry.
Why a GC's risk is different
You are responsible for work you did not always perform yourself. A sub's mistake, a completed-operations claim that surfaces years after the job, or a defect allegation can all come back to the general contractor. Your general liability has to include completed operations, your contracts have to push risk down to subs correctly, and your subcontractor certificates have to be real, not just on file. The GC who collects COIs but never checks the additional insured endorsement is the one who pays.
The coverages the role requires
Start with general liability built for construction: premises and operations, products and completed operations, and the additional insured and per-project aggregate wording contracts demand. Add workers compensation for your crews, commercial auto for trucks and trailers, and tools and equipment for the gear that travels. Builders risk covers the structure under construction, often required by the lender or owner, and an umbrella raises limits to what large contracts require.
Subcontractor risk is the GC's quiet exposure
If you use subs, their insurance is part of your insurance. Uninsured or underinsured subs can fall to your general liability and your workers comp audit. The fixes are contractual and procedural: require the right limits, get named as additional insured on a completed-operations basis, collect and verify certificates and endorsements, and confirm subs carry their own workers comp. We help you set the requirements and check that they are met.
How we handle it
We build a general liability form that fits construction and the way you actually work, residential, commercial, or both. We read your contracts and confirm the limits, additional insured, waiver, and per-project aggregate are really there. We set up subcontractor requirements so risk transfers cleanly. And we coordinate workers comp, auto, builders risk, and an umbrella so the program holds together across every job.
