What contractors actually need
Contractor insurance is a stack — not a single policy.
A "contractor insurance" search returns a thousand sites selling a single general liability policy as if that's all you need. For most California contractors, GL alone is exactly the kind of coverage that ends with a denied claim and a personal lawsuit. The real coverage stack varies by trade — but for most contractors it's eight policies, not one.
This is what a complete California contractor program looks like:
- General Liability — bodily injury, property damage, completed operations, and the additional-insured certificates your clients and GCs demand.
- Workers' Compensation — required by California law, the single most expensive piece, and the one carriers underwrite most carefully.
- Commercial Auto — your trucks, vans, and any vehicles used for work. Personal auto policies exclude commercial use, which means a denied claim if you're in an accident on the job in a vehicle insured personally.
- Tools & Equipment — inland marine coverage for the tools and equipment you take from site to site. Theft from a job-site truck is the most common contractor claim we see.
- Builders Risk — coverage for the building under construction, separate from the GC's or owner's policy. Required on many California commercial projects.
- CSLB Contractor Bond — the $25,000 bond required by the California Contractors State License Board for every licensed contractor.
- Commercial Umbrella — extra liability limits above your GL and auto policies. Most California contracts now require $2M+ in combined limits.
- Performance & Payment Bonds — project-specific surety bonds required on public works and many private commercial jobs.
We don't sell these one at a time. We map your operation against the full stack and place each policy with the carrier that prices it best for your trade, your size, and your claims history.