General liability
Injury and property damage claims arising from your work in a client's property.
Business Insurance
Artisan contractor cover for the finishing trades.
Painters, tilers, drywall, flooring and finish carpentry. Smaller crews, interior work, and a risk profile that carriers price very differently from heavy construction.
Artisan contractor is the class carriers use for specialist trades that perform a defined scope rather than managing a whole build. It generally means smaller crews, limited or no structural work, and little or no work at height — and it is priced far more favourably than general construction. Being classified correctly is worth real money.
Classification decides your premium
Carriers rate artisan trades by class code, and the difference between codes is substantial. A finish carpenter and a framing carpenter are not the same risk. Neither are an interior painter and a contractor who paints exteriors from a lift.
Describe the work accurately at the outset. Being placed in a heavier class than your work justifies costs you money every year; being placed in a lighter one than your work justifies risks a declined claim, which costs far more once.
Working inside occupied homes
Most artisan work happens in property belonging to somebody else, often while they are living in it. That raises two exposures a general liability policy handles differently: damage to the part of the property you are actually working on, and damage to the rest of it.
Care, custody and control exclusions are where this gets technical. Damage to the client's kitchen while you are refinishing the floor may not respond the way you expect. It is worth understanding the boundary before a bucket goes over.
What it covers
The parts of a artisan contractor insurance policy
Tools and equipment
Compressors, sprayers, saws and hand tools, covered on and off site.
Commercial auto
The van, and hired and non-owned cover if crew use their own vehicles.
Completed operations
Claims from finished work — a floor that lifts, a finish that fails months later.
Additional insured
Wording for general contractors, builders and property managers who hire you.
Workers compensation
For crews, and frequently required before a general contractor lets you on site.
Working with us
What we do differently
We are an independent agency, so we place your artisan contractor insurance across several carriers rather than fitting you to one company's product. That means a genuine comparison, and someone to call who is not a call centre.
- Get the class code right — it is the single biggest lever on your premium
- Understand how care, custody and control affects work inside a client's home
- Add tools cover; a van policy will not pay for what is inside the van
- Keep certificates ready for the builders and property managers you work for
Common questions
Artisan Contractor Insurance, answered
What counts as an artisan contractor?
Specialist trades performing a defined scope rather than managing a build — painters, tilers, drywall, flooring, finish carpentry, cabinet fitters and similar. Carriers generally look for limited structural work and limited work at height.
Why is artisan cover cheaper than general contractor cover?
The risk is genuinely lower: smaller crews, less work at height, no structural responsibility and shorter jobs. That is why accurate classification matters — being rated as a general contractor when you are an artisan trade costs you every renewal.
Am I covered if I damage the client's property?
Damage to other parts of the property is generally covered by general liability. Damage to the specific item you were working on is where care, custody and control exclusions bite, so it is worth reviewing the wording for your trade.
Do I need a bond as well?
Some Dallas-area municipalities require licence or permit bonds for particular trades, and some clients ask for them. We can arrange bonds alongside the liability cover so it is one conversation.
Can I add a general contractor to my policy for one job?
Yes — additional insured endorsements are routine. Send us the contract wording so the certificate matches what was actually agreed, and we can usually turn it round the same day.
Related cover
Often arranged alongside this
Contractor Insurance
Most contractors do not buy insurance because they want it. They buy it because a general contractor, a client or a city will not let them start without a certificate.
Read moreHandyman Insurance
Doing a bit of everything is what makes handyman work useful to clients and awkward to underwrite. The scope you declare decides whether a claim gets paid.
Read moreGeneral Liability Insurance
Commercial general liability covers claims brought against your business by other people. It is also the policy almost every client contract and commercial lease requires you to hold.
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