General Liability Insurance in Connecticut
General liability insurance for Connecticut businesses that need proof of it today
General liability insurance is the first policy almost every Connecticut business buys and the one most people are asked to prove. A landlord in West Hartford wants a certificate before you sign the lease. A general contractor wants one before you park on the site. A town permit office in Farmington may ask for one before it stamps anything. The Beam Agency writes general liability for contractors, retail shops, offices, salons, landscapers and service businesses across Hartford County, and issues certificates the same day.
If you want the long version of what a GL policy does and does not do, read what general liability covers for a Connecticut small business. This page is the short version, plus what it costs and how to get it.
What it covers
A standard commercial general liability policy has four parts that matter to a small business.
Bodily injury and property damage
A customer trips on your step. Your crew cracks a homeowner’s granite counter. A ladder goes through a window. The policy pays the injured party’s medical bills or repair costs and defends you if they sue.
Products and completed operations
Damage that shows up after the job is done or after the product is sold. The deck you built in Avon fails two summers later. The sauce you bottled makes someone sick. For contractors, this is the part that is most often carved out or limited by a cheap policy.
Personal and advertising injury
Libel, slander, using someone’s photo without permission, a social post that costs a competitor business. Small businesses do not think about this until a lawyer’s letter arrives.
Medical payments
A small no-fault limit, usually $5,000 or $10,000, that pays a visitor’s minor medical bills without anyone having to prove you were at fault. It settles small incidents before they become claims.
Limits, additional insureds and the wording everyone asks for
The standard request from a GC, a landlord or a municipality is $1 million per occurrence and $2 million general aggregate. That is the default we quote. Higher limits, $2 million to $5 million, are usually met with a commercial umbrella rather than a bigger GL policy.
Contracts then ask for three things by name:
- Additional insured. The GC or property owner is added to your policy so your coverage responds to claims against them arising from your work.
- Primary and non-contributory. Your policy pays first, before theirs.
- Waiver of subrogation. Your carrier agrees not to chase the GC to recover what it paid.
All three have to be endorsed on the policy before a certificate can show them. If your current agent is typing wording on a certificate that is not on the policy, the certificate is worth nothing at claim time. How certificates of insurance work walks through it, and we turn them around the same day.
The $20,000 HIC minimum, and why it is not enough
Connecticut’s Home Improvement Contractor registration with the Department of Consumer Protection requires general liability of at least $20,000. That is the legal floor. It is also a number no GC, no homeowner’s attorney and no permit office will accept. A single water damage claim from a bad bathroom remodel can pass $20,000 before the drywall is replaced. Carry the $1 million/$2 million policy, register with the DCP, and keep both current. More on this in our guide to home improvement contractor insurance in Connecticut.
Exclusions that matter for trades
Every GL policy has exclusions, and some carriers add more for contractors. Read for these before you buy on price:
- Roofing, height or exterior work exclusions. Common on cheap contractor policies. A painter with a “no work over two stories” exclusion has no coverage on a Colonial in Simsbury.
- Subcontractor exclusions. If you use subs and your policy excludes their work, you are uninsured for the part of the job you did not do yourself.
- Your own work. GL pays for damage your work causes to other property, not for redoing the work itself.
- Professional advice, pollution, auto, employee injuries. Each has its own policy: professional liability, commercial auto, workers’ compensation.
- Your own property. Tools, inventory and the building need property coverage, which is why most small shops buy a business owner’s policy instead of GL alone.
What it costs in Connecticut
General liability is rated on your class of business and either revenue or payroll. A consultant or small retail shop in Farmington often pays a few hundred dollars a year for $1 million/$2 million. A handyman or painter with modest revenue is typically under $1,000. Roofers, framers, excavators and anyone doing structural work pay several times that because the claims are larger. Things that push the price up: prior claims, high revenue, use of subcontractors, work at height, and any hot work. We quote through Travelers and other A.M. Best-rated carriers, and use excess and specialty markets for classes the standard companies decline.
Who this is for
A cleaning company in New Britain whose commercial clients want a certificate. A remodeler in Bristol who needs GL to renew a DCP registration. A landscaper in Southington bidding a municipal contract. A salon opening in Farmington whose landlord put a $1 million requirement in the lease. A new business anywhere in Hartford County that needs its first policy this week. If you are a contractor, the contractor insurance page covers the full package.
General liability questions
How much general liability insurance do I need in Connecticut?
Most contracts, leases and GC agreements ask for $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Connecticut’s HIC registration only requires $20,000, but that will not satisfy anyone you actually work for. Carry $1 million/$2 million and add an umbrella if a contract asks for more.
Does general liability insurance cover my tools and equipment?
No. GL covers injury or damage you cause to other people and their property. Your own tools, inventory and building need property coverage, either as an inland marine floater or as part of a business owner’s policy.
What is the difference between general liability and professional liability?
General liability covers bodily injury and property damage. Professional liability covers financial loss from your advice, design or service being wrong. A contractor mostly needs GL. A consultant or designer mostly needs E&O. Some businesses need both.
How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?
Same day, usually within a few hours on a business day. If the contract asks for wording that is not on your policy, we will tell you and get the endorsement added first.
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One agent, multiple carriers, and a policy read line by line before you sign it.