General liability
Third-party injury and property damage arising from your work, and the policy your contracts name.
Business Insurance
Contractor insurance that gets you on site.
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.
Contractor insurance is less a single policy than a set of documents you have to be able to produce on demand. The general contractor wants a certificate naming them as additional insured. The city wants proof before it issues a permit. The client wants to know that if something goes wrong on their property, it is not their problem. Getting that paperwork right is most of the job.
Additional insured wording is where jobs are lost
Almost every construction contract requires you to name the general contractor or property owner as an additional insured. What varies — and what causes rejected certificates — is whether the wording needs to cover ongoing operations only, or completed operations as well, and whether it must be primary and non-contributory.
Send us the contract before you sign it. We will read the insurance clause and tell you whether your current policy satisfies it, rather than issuing a certificate that gets bounced back the day before you were due to start.
Your tools are not covered by the van policy
This surprises trades constantly. A commercial auto policy covers the vehicle. It does not cover the several thousand dollars of tools inside it, and a general liability policy does not either. Tools and equipment belong on an inland marine policy, which follows them to job sites, into storage and between vehicles.
The same policy usually covers equipment you hire in, and installation floater cover for materials you have bought but not yet fitted — which is a real exposure on any job where materials sit on site overnight.
Subcontractors become your problem at audit
If you use subcontractors and cannot produce certificates showing they carried their own cover, your insurer will typically treat their payroll as yours at audit and charge accordingly. On a busy year that adjustment can be substantial and arrives long after the work was priced.
Collecting a certificate from every sub before they start is the entire fix. It is administratively dull and it protects both your premium and your liability position.
What it covers
The parts of a contractor insurance policy
Tools and equipment
Inland marine cover that follows your tools to site, into storage and between vehicles.
Commercial auto
Trucks and vans, plus hired and non-owned cover for crew driving their own vehicles.
Workers compensation
Optional in Texas, but required by most general contractors and every public contract.
Surety bonds
Licence, permit, bid and performance bonds, arranged alongside the liability cover.
Completed operations
Claims arising from finished work, which can surface years after you left the site.
Working with us
What we do differently
We are an independent agency, so we place your 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.
- Send us the contract — the insurance clause dictates the limits and wording
- Insure tools separately; neither the auto nor the liability policy covers them
- Collect subcontractor certificates before work starts, not at audit
- Keep cover continuous — completed operations claims depend on it
Common questions
Contractor Insurance, answered
What insurance do I need to work as a contractor in Texas?
There is no single state requirement, but in practice you need general liability to get on almost any commercial site, commercial auto for your vehicles, and often workers compensation because the general contractor or public contract demands it. Some trades and cities also require licence or permit bonds.
How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?
Usually the same day. Tell us who it needs to be addressed to and what the contract requires, and we will issue it with the correct additional insured wording. Call (817) 540-2947 if a start date is waiting on it.
Does general liability cover my tools?
No. General liability covers damage and injury to other people. Your own tools and equipment need inland marine cover, which travels with them rather than being tied to a premises or vehicle.
Do I need workers comp if it is just me?
Texas does not require it, but many general contractors will not allow an uninsured sole trader on site, and public contracts generally require it. A ghost policy or a sole-proprietor arrangement is often the practical answer.
What happens if my subcontractors are uninsured?
Their payroll is typically added to yours at audit and charged as if they were your employees, and their liability can fall back on you. Collect certificates from every sub before they start work.
Related cover
Often arranged alongside this
Artisan Contractor Insurance
Painters, tilers, drywall, flooring and finish carpentry. Smaller crews, interior work, and a risk profile that carriers price very differently from heavy construction.
Read moreBuilders 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 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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