Commercial Contractor Insurance — Line By Line

General liability protects the buyer if you damage their property or hurt someone during the work. Standard commercial minimums:

Small commercial (strip malls, HOAs, small offices): $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate.
National property managers (Greystar, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, JLL): $2M / $4M.
Federal + hospital + industrial: $5M+ (usually met via umbrella, not a bigger GL).

If your current policy is $500K/$1M, you're eligible for maybe 20% of commercial work. Bumping to $1M/$2M typically costs $400–$900/year more and unlocks the other 80%. Best ROI move in your business.

An additional insured endorsement adds the buyer (property manager, HOA, or owner) as covered under your GL policy for your work on their property. Almost every commercial buyer requires this on the certificate of insurance (COI).

Buyers often demand specific ISO forms: CG 20 10 (ongoing operations — covers you mid-job) and CG 20 37 (completed operations — covers latent damage after the job). Both together is the safe bet. If the RFP names those forms, they must appear on your COI verbatim.

Ask your agent, in writing: "Please issue a COI naming [Buyer Legal Name] as additional insured on both CG 20 10 and CG 20 37, primary and non-contributory, with waiver of subrogation." That one sentence gets you through 90% of commercial insurance requirements.

Even solo LLCs are usually required to carry workers' comp or produce a state-issued exemption letter. Federal work: WC is non-negotiable. Never lie about WC coverage — commercial buyers verify with the carrier directly and mid-contract audits do happen.

If you sub any work, your subs must carry their own WC. Get their COI naming you as certificate holder before they start. Otherwise your carrier will re-classify their payroll as yours at year-end audit and hand you a five-figure back-premium bill.

An umbrella policy sits on top of your GL and adds $1M–$5M of extra coverage. Cheap — often $400–$700 per $1M — and unlocks bids that require $2M+ limits without upgrading the underlying GL. Most commercial contractors carry $1M–$2M umbrella by year two.

Ask for the umbrella to follow form, meaning it inherits the same additional-insured and waiver-of-subrogation endorsements as your GL. Without follow-form, buyers can reject the umbrella coverage on the COI.

Your Certificate of Insurance (COI) — an ACORD 25 form — is what you actually submit. It has to match the RFP requirements exactly. Here's what each block needs, top to bottom:

Save that description block in a note file. Pasting it into every request to your agent cuts COI turnaround from days to hours.

Use an independent commercial insurance agent, not the direct-to-consumer online carriers. Independent agents shop 5–10 carriers and know which underwriters like contractors in your trade. Ask specifically for a "commercial contractor package" — GL + WC + auto + tools + umbrella bundled. Bundled quotes are usually 15–25% cheaper than piecing coverage together.

Trade associations often have preferred-carrier programs at real discounts. Landscapers: check NALP. Pressure washers: check PWNA. Ask three agents for quotes on the same spec — most contractors leave 20% on the table by buying from the first one who answers the phone.