Contractor Insurance
General liability, commercial auto, equipment, workers’ comp, umbrella and bonds — one program, built by licensed agents who insure the trades every day.
- Serving contractors since 1976
- Licensed in 35 states
- Same-day COIs
- Insurance plus bond arrangement
This page provides general information only and is not a quote, binder, or offer of coverage. Talk to a licensed agent about your specific situation.
Contractor Insurance
Contractor insurance isn’t one policy — it’s a program assembled around how your business actually earns: the liability that follows your finished work for years, the trucks and vans you put on the road every morning, the equipment you can’t work without, the crew on your payroll, and the bonds and certificates your contracts demand before you’re allowed on site.
Every trade carries that risk differently. A paving contractor’s biggest exposure arrives a year after the mat cools, when a settling failure becomes a completed-operations claim. An electrician’s rides behind the walls until a fire investigator starts at the panel. An excavator’s sits three feet under the locate marks. A roofer’s is priced into some of the highest workers’ comp rates in construction. Carriers know these differences — they rate them, and they decline the shops that present them wrong.
That’s why generic business policies fail contractors: wrong class codes surface at audit, missing endorsements surface at contract signing, and coverage gaps surface at the worst possible time — in a claim. We quote by trade, with carriers that actually write your kind of work, and we handle the insurance and can arrange the bonds alongside it.
Coast has been a family-owned specialty agency since 1976, licensed in 35 states, with same-day certificates as standard practice. Pick your trade below for the coverage details, licensing requirements, and real cost factors specific to your work.
The Six Coverages Every Contractor Program Starts With
Trade by trade the details change, but nearly every contractor program is built from the same six blocks:
- General liability with completed operations — covers third-party injury and property damage from your work, including after you finish. The $1M/$2M floor is what every GC, property manager, and public agency verifies first.
- Commercial auto — liability and physical damage for everything from a service van to a tri-axle dump. Cost and coverage scale with vehicle weight, use, radius, and driver records.
- Equipment and tools (inland marine) — protects machines, tools, and attachments on the job, in transit, and in the yard. Theft off jobsites and out of vans is the most common contractor property claim.
- Workers’ compensation — medical costs and lost wages for injured crew, required in most states once you hire. Class-code accuracy is everything: misclassification unravels at audit or at a claim.
- Umbrella liability — $1M–$10M above your liability and auto limits. Commercial contracts increasingly require $2M–$5M totals; the umbrella is the affordable way to reach them.
- License and contract bonds — license bonds to hold your license, bid and performance bonds to win work. We can arrange them alongside the insurance; one call starts both.
Trade-specific layers go on top: contractors pollution liability for pavers, HVAC and applicators; builder’s risk for GCs; hot-work conditions for roofers. The trade pages below cover exactly what your work adds.
Find Your Trade
Paving Contractor
Asphalt, sealcoating and striping — completed ops, iron, dump trucks, DOT bonds.
Excavation Contractor
Dirt work, trenching and utilities — strikes, trench safety, heavy iron, lowboys.
Concrete Contractor
Flatwork to structural — late-arriving completed-ops claims, pumps, mixers.
Plumber
Water damage liability, service vans, tools and equipment, state licensing.
Electrician
Fire-origin claims, completed ops, service fleet, per-state license bonds.
General Contractor
Project-wide liability, subs and additional insureds, builder’s risk, bonds.
HVAC Contractor
Install and service liability, refrigerant handling, vans, tools, warranties.
Roofing Contractor
Height exposure, storm work, torch-down, comp rates, carrier selectivity.
Landscaping
Crews and mowers, pesticide application, trailers, seasonal operations.
How Our Quoting Process Works
Gather your information
Payroll, vehicles with GVWs, equipment schedule, work mix, and loss runs.
We shop our carriers
The ones that actually write your trade — presenting your operation at its strongest.
Quote, payment and binding
Plain-language review of the options; same-day binding is available.
Same-day certificates
COIs, additional-insured endorsements, and waivers processed the day you ask.
Start a contractor insurance quote
Tell us your trade and your state. A licensed agent shops multiple A-rated carriers and follows up same day.
Why Contractors Work With Coast
Coast is a family-owned specialty insurance agency, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, focused on commercial risk since 1976 and licensed in 35 states. We built our book on heavy vehicles and the businesses that run them — which means contractor programs where the trucks, the iron, and the liability are quoted together instead of bolted together.
The service model is built for how contractors actually work: certificates the same day you ask — most within two hours — additional-insured endorsements and waivers handled without a project delay, and bond arrangement alongside the insurance so winning public work doesn’t mean starting over with a second broker.
Every quote is handled by a licensed agent, not a call center. We present your operation to the carriers that actually write your trade, at its strongest — documented safety programs, accurate class codes, clean submissions — because that’s what moves the premium.
Licensing, Certificates & Contract Requirements
Contractor licensing runs state by state — some states license nearly every trade through state boards with bonds and insurance minimums attached; others regulate at the city or county level. What’s universal: plumbing and electrical are licensed almost everywhere, every state licenses commercial pesticide applicators, and workers’ comp obligations start with the first hire in most of the country.
Contracts add their own layer on top of the law: certificates of insurance naming the GC or owner as additional insured, waiver of subrogation on workers’ comp, per-project limits, and — on public work — prevailing-wage payrolls and performance bonds sized to the contract. These requirements have to be in place before your crew is allowed on site, which is why same-day certificate service isn’t a luxury in this business.
Each trade page below covers the licensing rules, bond amounts, and insurance minimums for that trade, and we track the exact requirements where you work.
What Affects Contractor Insurance Cost?
Seven levers drive nearly every contractor premium:
- Trade and class codes: every trade carries its own liability grade and comp rates — roofing and excavation price very differently than service plumbing.
- Payroll and receipts: liability and comp rate on payroll; GC programs rate heavily on gross receipts and subcontractor costs.
- Vehicles and weights: fleet size, GVW ratings, radius, and driver records drive the auto line — often the biggest premium after comp.
- Equipment values: the scheduled iron, machines, and tools set the inland marine premium.
- Work mix: residential vs. commercial vs. public, new construction vs. service, self-performed vs. subbed — carriers rate the mix, not the label.
- Loss history: your 3–5 year claims record is the single biggest pricing lever in every trade.
- Limits and deductibles: contract-driven limits, umbrella totals, and the deductibles you choose.
Contractor insurance FAQ
How much does contractor insurance cost?
It’s rated on your trade’s class codes, payroll, receipts, vehicles, and equipment — so a two-man flatwork crew and a GC running subs price completely differently. Each trade page carries the real cost factors for that trade, and a quote pins down your number.
What insurance do I need to sign a typical contract?
The standard ask on most commercial jobs is $1M/$2M general liability with additional-insured wording, auto liability on your vehicles, and workers’ comp with waiver of subrogation. Commercial and public work adds umbrella limits and bonds on top.
What's the difference between general liability and completed operations?
They’re two sides of one policy: premises/operations covers claims while you’re working; completed operations covers your finished work after you leave — the side where most serious contractor claims actually land, sometimes years later. Verifying completed ops is step one when comparing quotes.
Do I need workers’ comp if I only use subs or 1099 labor?
In most states, uninsured subs and 1099 workers get treated as your employees at audit or at a claim — their labor cost lands on your policy at your class rates. Collecting current comp certificates from every sub is the cheapest insurance discipline in the business.
Can you handle my bonds and my insurance together?
Yes — we can arrange license, bid, and performance/payment bonds alongside your insurance program. One call starts both.
Do you cover my trucks too?
Yes — commercial auto from service vans through heavy dumps is core to what we do. Heavy-vehicle rating is where this agency has specialized since 1976, and for iron-heavy trades it’s often the difference in the whole program.
How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?
Same day is standard — most COIs within two hours during business hours, including additional-insured endorsements and waivers.
Reviewed by Scott W. Powers, Licensed Insurance Agent (NPN 9719382). Last reviewed August 2026.
Start A Quote Today
Tell us your trade and your state — a licensed agent shops multiple A-rated carriers and follows up same day.