Contractor Insurance in Connecticut
Insurance for contractors and trades who need to be on the job, not on hold
If you are a contractor in Connecticut, insurance is not abstract. A general contractor will not let you on site without a certificate. The Department of Consumer Protection wants proof before it renews your registration. A homeowner in Avon wants to see your GL before signing a $60,000 kitchen remodel. And if a helper falls off a ladder, workers’ comp is the difference between a bad week and losing the business.
Contractor general liability insurance in CT is most of what The Beam Agency writes on the commercial side: electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, painters, roofers, landscapers, masons, remodelers, handymen and general contractors across the Farmington Valley and Hartford County. Brandon has spent more than a decade on this side of the business and knows which carriers actually want trade risks and which ones will surcharge you for having a ladder.
What a Connecticut contractor typically needs
General liability
The core policy. Covers bodily injury and property damage you cause to third parties: the homeowner’s floor you damage, the pedestrian who trips over your materials, the fire that starts from your work. Typical limits requested by GCs and towns are $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Watch for exclusions on roofing, work over a certain height, or subcontracted work, which vary by carrier and matter a lot.
Workers’ compensation
Required in Connecticut the moment you have an employee, and required by most general contractors even if you are a sole proprietor. Premium depends on payroll and the class code for each type of work, so having a framer classified as a framer and an office manager classified as clerical is where the money is. If you have no employees, we can talk through a policy versus a waiver.
Tools and equipment (inland marine)
Your GL does not cover your own stuff. A tools and equipment floater covers what is in the truck, on the job site or in a storage unit if it is stolen or damaged. If you have more than a few thousand dollars in tools, and most trades do, this is inexpensive and worth it.
Commercial auto
Work trucks and vans need a commercial policy. Personal auto policies are not written for business use, and a claim in a lettered van is a quick way to find out how the carrier feels about it. Hired and non-owned auto coverage handles employees who drive their own vehicles for work.
Umbrella
Larger GCs, municipalities and commercial property owners increasingly require $2 million to $5 million in liability. A commercial umbrella over your GL and auto is usually the cheapest way to meet that requirement.
Bonds
Some Connecticut trade licenses and most public projects require a bond. We place license and permit bonds and bid, performance and payment bonds. Surety bonds in Connecticut.
Certificates of insurance, same day
This is where most contractor relationships with an agent succeed or fail. You get an email at 3:00 on a Tuesday: the GC needs a COI naming them as additional insured with primary and non-contributory wording, waiver of subrogation, and you start Wednesday. At The Beam Agency that is a phone call or an email to Brandon, and the certificate comes back the same day. If the wording they are asking for is not on your policy, we will tell you before the GC does. More about certificates.
Connecticut specifics worth knowing
- Home improvement contractors working on residential property must register with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. Registration requires general liability of at least $20,000 and a $220 fee, and no surety bond. That $20,000 is a floor, not a plan; every GC and most homeowners will ask for $1 million. What the state requires vs. what clients require.
- If you hire subcontractors, collect their certificates of insurance. At your workers’ comp and GL audit, payments to subs who cannot show their own coverage are typically added to your payroll and charged to your policy.
- Snow plowing, roofing, and any work involving hot work or heights are rated and sometimes excluded differently by different carriers. Tell us everything you do, including the winter side business.
- Farmington, Avon, Simsbury and West Hartford permit offices may ask for a certificate before issuing a building permit. We can name the town as certificate holder in minutes.
Who this page is for
Sole proprietors getting their first GL policy so they can work for a builder. Two- and three-person shops adding their first employee. Established contractors in Bristol, Plainville, New Britain or Southington whose renewal just jumped and who want it shopped. If you are one of these, the conversation takes about fifteen minutes.
Contractor questions
How much does general liability insurance cost for a contractor in Connecticut?
It depends on trade, revenue and whether you have employees. A sole proprietor handyman or painter with modest revenue may pay under $1,000 a year for a $1 million/$2 million policy. Roofers, framers and anyone doing structural work pay considerably more because the claims are larger. Get us your trade, approximate revenue and payroll, and we will quote it.
Do I need workers’ comp as a one-person contractor in Connecticut?
The state generally does not require it if you have no employees. Most general contractors do, or they require a signed waiver. If you plan to work for GCs, it is usually easier to carry a minimum policy than to negotiate the waiver every time.
Can you add a general contractor as additional insured?
Yes, on most contractor GL policies, and we can issue the certificate the same day. Some GCs also require primary and non-contributory wording and a waiver of subrogation, which need to be endorsed on the policy. Send us the contract’s insurance section and we will check it against what you have.
What if I do more than one trade?
Tell us all of it. A landscaper who also plows snow, a carpenter who also does roofing, a handyman who does some electrical. Each affects rating and some carriers exclude specific operations. Leaving one out is how a claim gets denied.
Independent agent, direct line
Talk to Brandon directly
One agent, multiple carriers, and a policy read line by line before you sign it.