General Liability Insurance
General liability that satisfies your contracts and actually protects you
Third-party injuries, property damage, and the legal bills that follow — covered, with same-day certificates for the jobs you're trying to start tomorrow.
General liability is the base layer of nearly every commercial insurance program. It responds when your business causes bodily injury or property damage to someone outside your company, and when advertising or reputational claims are made against you. It is also the policy your customers, landlords, and general contractors ask about by name, because a certificate of insurance is how they verify you can pay for a mistake.
The part owners underestimate is defense cost. Most general liability claims never reach a verdict, but they still consume attorney hours, expert reports, and depositions. A policy pays those costs even when the allegation turns out to be baseless, which is why a business with no history of injuring anyone still benefits from carrying it. Defense is typically paid in addition to your limit on well-built policies — a detail worth checking before you sign.
Where general liability programs go wrong is in the exclusions and the endorsements. Contractors get hit with residential construction exclusions they never noticed. Businesses working under contract discover their additional insured endorsement covers ongoing operations but not completed work. We read those pages before you bind, and we tell you plainly what will and will not respond.
What's covered
- Third-party bodily injury. A customer, visitor, or passerby is hurt because of your operations or on your premises.
- Third-party property damage. You damage someone else's property while working — a dropped tool through a hardwood floor, water damage from a bad connection.
- Products and completed operations. Harm caused by a product you sold or work you already finished and turned over to the customer.
- Personal and advertising injury. Libel, slander, and copyright claims arising from your marketing or public statements.
- Legal defense. Attorney fees, expert witnesses, and court costs, generally paid on top of your policy limit.
- Medical payments. Small no-fault medical bills for minor injuries on your premises, paid without a liability finding.
What it doesn't cover
- Your employees' injuries. Those are workers' compensation claims and are specifically excluded here.
- Your own property. Damage to your building, tools, and inventory belongs under commercial property coverage.
- Professional mistakes. Bad advice, faulty design, or a missed deadline requires professional liability coverage.
- Auto accidents. Crashes involving owned or hired vehicles fall under commercial auto, not general liability.
- Data breaches. Stolen customer records and ransomware need a cyber liability policy — GL almost always excludes them.
How claims actually play out
The wet floor at closing
A customer stepped into a freshly mopped aisle without a cone in sight, fell, and fractured a hip. She required surgery and eight weeks of rehab, and hired an attorney within the month.
Outcome: The carrier paid $118,000 in medical costs and settlement plus $26,000 in defense. The store's out-of-pocket exposure stopped at the deductible.
The pipe behind the wall
A remodeling crew drove a screw into a concealed water line on a Friday afternoon. Nobody noticed until Monday, by which point two floors of a condo were soaked.
Outcome: Property damage coverage funded $73,500 in remediation, flooring, and drywall across three units. The contractor kept the client and finished the job.
The sign that came down
A landscaping trailer clipped a retail tenant's awning while backing into a shared lot, and falling debris dented two parked cars.
Outcome: General liability paid $9,800 for the awning and vehicle repairs, and the claim closed in three weeks with no litigation.
What drives your price
- Industry and operations
- A bookkeeping office and a roofing crew are priced on entirely different curves because their injury exposure is not comparable.
- Annual revenue and payroll
- Most carriers rate on sales or payroll as a proxy for how much work you do and how many people you interact with.
- Limits selected
- $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate is the market standard; higher limits or an umbrella add cost but often win contracts.
- Subcontractor use
- Uninsured subs are rated as your own payroll at audit. Collecting certificates directly reduces premium.
- Loss history
- Three to five years of clean loss runs unlock preferred carriers and meaningful credits.
General Liability questions
Ready to price general liability?
One application, shopped to up to 10 A-rated carriers. A licensed agent presents the options side by side — usually within one business day.