Commercial Umbrella for contractors
Excess liability limits above your GL, commercial auto, and employers liability — protecting your contracting business from catastrophic claims and meeting the high umbrella limits GCs increasingly require in subcontracts.
What it covers
- Excess limits above GL per-occurrence limit
- Excess limits above commercial auto liability
- Excess limits above employers liability
- Defense costs above primary policy limits
- Follow-form coverage matching primary GL terms
- Additional-insured coverage through umbrella layer
Who it's for
- Contractors whose GC subcontracts require $2M–$5M total liability limits
- Firms doing high-value commercial projects with significant exposure
- Any contractor who wants meaningful protection at reasonable cost above primary limits
- Subcontractors required to name GCs as additional insureds through umbrella
Why CCA
- Umbrella placed with carriers that provide follow-form coverage through primary
- Additional-insured status extended through umbrella when required by subcontracts
- Limits from $1M to $10M+ depending on project and contract requirements
Common questions about commercial umbrella
A $1M GL limit can be exhausted by a single serious completed-operations claim, a significant property damage event, or a catastrophic jobsite injury with a long hospitalization. An umbrella provides the next $1–5M at a fraction of the cost of increasing primary limits.
$1M GL + $1M umbrella ($2M total) is a common floor; $2M GL + $3M umbrella ($5M total) is increasingly standard for commercial and institutional projects. Check your subcontract requirements before bidding.
Most commercial umbrellas are 'follow form' — they follow the terms and exclusions of the underlying GL. This means the umbrella responds to the same claim types, but not claims explicitly excluded by your GL (like pollution or professional errors).
Cost depends on trade, revenue, payroll, crew size, and loss history. We quote your actual operation in about 15 minutes — never a generic ballpark from a standard commercial form.
Yes. Contractors Choice Agency is licensed in all 50 states and writes contractor programs nationwide across every trade.
Typically 15 minutes on a call. We ask about your trade, revenue, payroll, loss history, and coverage needs — then come back with real quotes from specialty contractor markets.
Often yes. We have admitted and E&S markets for contractors with prior GL claims, workers' comp losses, or difficult project types. Tell us your situation and we'll find a market.
Usually yes. A coordinated program closes gaps between policies and is typically cheaper and cleaner than separate policies from separate carriers — especially at claim time.
A.M. Best ratings reflect a carrier's financial strength and ability to pay claims. We place coverage with A-rated carriers so the coverage is there when a completed-ops claim, a workers' comp injury, or a tools theft hits.
Yes. We write programs for GCs, specialty subs, design-build firms, and independent owner-operators across every trade. GL structure, umbrella limits, and professional liability needs differ — we build each program accordingly.
Yes. We review your subcontract requirements and structure your GL, umbrella, and additional-insured endorsements to meet them. Blanket additional-insured endorsements are available for contractors who work for multiple GCs.
Trade type, annual revenue, payroll and crew size, vehicles, tools value, project types, current coverage, and loss history. The more detail, the more accurate the quote.
GL covers bodily injury and property damage to occupants during your work. Additional care, custody, and control endorsements may be needed for high-value property in your care. Tell us your project types and we'll structure accordingly.
After binding, we issue certificates same-day. We can accommodate GC-specific language and additional-insured requirements. Call us with the specific certificate requirements.
Yes — and you should if you provide design-build, specifications, project management, or consulting services. GL doesn't cover errors in professional services; E&O/professional liability is a separate policy that does.
Yes. Most of our carrier programs offer monthly or quarterly installment payment options. We can structure your program payments to match your project billing cycle when possible.
New ventures are insurable — often at the same rates as established operations with clean loss histories. Some carriers require more information for startups; we know which markets are new-venture friendly.
Pair it with related coverage
Ready to protect your business?
Get a 15-minute quote from a contractor insurance specialist — GL, workers' comp, tools, professional liability, and everything your trade actually needs.