General liability
Third-party injury and property damage, including completed operations on finished work.
Business Insurance
Construction insurance assembled as one programme.
A construction business needs several policies that have to work together. Buying them separately is how gaps appear between them.
Construction is one of the few sectors where the insurance programme is genuinely complex, because the exposures sit in different places: the people, the vehicles, the equipment, the site, the finished work and the contracts. Each needs a different policy, and the failures almost always happen in the seams between them rather than inside any one policy.
The contract usually sets the requirements
On commercial and public work, the contract specifies limits, additional insured status, waivers of subrogation and often a primary and non-contributory endorsement. These are not negotiable after the fact, and a certificate that does not match holds up the job.
Larger projects frequently require limits above what a general liability policy provides on its own, met with a commercial umbrella sitting above the primary policies. It is cheaper to arrange that in advance than to scramble when a contract lands.
Where the seams are
The structure under construction is builders risk. The tools and plant are inland marine. The trucks are commercial auto. The crew are workers compensation. The finished work is completed operations under general liability. No single policy covers a construction business, and a gap in any one of them tends to be discovered at the worst moment.
Placing the whole programme through one agency is not just administratively simpler — it means somebody is looking at the seams rather than at six unrelated renewals.
What it covers
The parts of a construction insurance policy
Builders risk
The project itself while under construction, plus materials on site and in transit.
Contractors equipment
Owned and hired plant, from excavators to compressors, on an inland marine form.
Commercial auto
Trucks, trailers and crew vehicles, including hired and non-owned exposure.
Workers compensation
Required on public contracts and by most general contractors, whatever Texas law permits.
Commercial umbrella
Extra limits above the primary policies, which larger contracts routinely demand.
Working with us
What we do differently
We are an independent agency, so we place your construction 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.
- Price the umbrella before a large contract requires it, not after
- Make sure builders risk, equipment and liability have no gap between them
- Track subcontractor certificates continuously — audit will find the gaps
- Match certificate wording to the contract exactly, including subrogation waivers
Common questions
Construction Insurance, answered
What insurance does a construction company need?
At minimum general liability, commercial auto and equipment cover, plus builders risk on projects and workers compensation for crews. Larger contracts usually add an umbrella. The right programme depends on what you build and who you build it for.
What is a waiver of subrogation and why is it in my contract?
It stops your insurer from pursuing the other party after paying a claim. Construction contracts request it routinely. It needs to be endorsed onto the policy — agreeing to it in a contract without telling your insurer creates a problem.
Do I need an umbrella policy?
If your contracts require limits above your primary policies, yes. Many commercial and public projects ask for several million in total limits, which is met by an umbrella sitting over general liability and commercial auto.
Is builders risk the same as general liability?
No. Builders risk covers damage to the project itself. General liability covers injury and damage you cause to other people and their property. A construction business needs both.
How is my premium calculated?
Typically on payroll and receipts, adjusted at audit against actual figures. Accurate class codes and clean subcontractor records are what keep the audit from becoming an unpleasant surprise.
Related cover
Often arranged alongside this
Builders Risk Insurance
A property policy covers a finished building. Builders risk covers one that does not exist yet — the structure as it goes up, and the materials waiting to become part of it.
Read moreContractor 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 moreWorkers Compensation Insurance
Texas is the only state that does not require most private employers to carry workers compensation. Choosing not to has consequences that are worth understanding before you decide.
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