ROOFING CONTRACTOR
GENERAL LIABILITY
INSURANCE
One dropped bundle of shingles. One flooded ceiling. One lawsuit. General liability is the foundation of every roofing business — and most roofers have the wrong policy. We fix that.
WHAT IS ROOFING GENERAL LIABILITY?
General liability insurance is the bedrock policy for every roofing contractor, from sole proprietors to crews of fifty. It protects your business from third-party claims — meaning claims brought against you by clients, property owners, passersby, or anyone else who is not your employee.
On a roofing job, the exposure is constant. Materials falling from heights. Water getting under flashing during a repair. A visitor to the job site slipping on debris. A client discovering mold six months after you replaced their flat roof because the drains were not properly re-flashed. Each of these scenarios can generate a claim that runs from a few thousand dollars to several hundred thousand dollars in legal defense and damages.
The critical detail most roofers miss: roofing is specifically excluded from many standard contractor GL policies. Insurance carriers class roofing as high-hazard. If your policy was not specifically underwritten to include roofing operations, you may have a policy that collects your premium and denies your claim.
At Contractors Choice Agency, we place your GL with carriers who actively write roofing accounts and whose policies are written to cover the specific exposures of the roofing trade — including products and completed operations, which is where roofing claims often land.
WHAT ROOFING GL COVERS
THE ROOFING EXCLUSION PROBLEM
This is the thing we spend the most time explaining to roofers who come to us after a denied claim. Standard commercial GL policies often contain exclusions in the form of classification codes or specific trade exclusions. Here is how it plays out:
You buy a general contractor GL policy. The policy has a classification code of GC — buildings, general. You do roofing work. A claim comes in. The carrier reviews what work was being performed — roofing — and points to exclusionary language that says the policy does not cover roofing operations or high-hazard trades.
You just paid premiums for a policy that does not cover your actual work.
The fix is a policy specifically classified under roofing contractor codes with completed operations coverage included. That is exactly what we write. We do not take shortcuts on classification to get you a lower rate that blows up at claims time.
COMMON ROOFING GL CLAIM SCENARIOS
Shingles slide off pitched roof during installation, strike parked vehicle below
Improper flashing causes interior water damage discovered 8 months post-installation
Crew member knocks over HVAC unit on commercial flat roof
Debris from tear-off damages neighboring property fence or landscaping
Client trips over material staging area at base of building
Skylights improperly reseated during reroof — water intrusion during next rain event
Metal drip edge improperly nailed causes wood rot over 18 months
HOW MUCH GL COVERAGE DO YOU NEED?
SOLO OPERATOR
$1M per occurrence, $2M aggregate. Minimum for most residential work. Satisfies basic contract requirements.
SMALL CREW (2-10)
$2M per occurrence. Required for most commercial accounts, property management companies, and larger GC contracts.
COMMERCIAL CONTRACTOR
Large commercial jobs, school districts, municipal work, and high-value properties often require $5M+ in total limits via umbrella stacking.
GENERAL LIABILITY FAQ
WHAT DOES ROOFING GENERAL LIABILITY ACTUALLY COVER?
It covers bodily injury claims (someone gets hurt because of your work), property damage (you damage a clients property), and products/completed operations (damage discovered after you finish the job). It pays legal defense costs and settlements up to your policy limits.
WHY DO STANDARD GL POLICIES SOMETIMES EXCLUDE ROOFING?
Roofing is classified as a high-hazard trade because of the fall risk and the potential for water intrusion claims after the job is done. Many general contractor policies exclude roofing in the fine print. We place coverage with carriers that specifically write roofing operations.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OCCURRENCE AND CLAIMS-MADE GL?
An occurrence policy covers incidents that happen during the policy period, regardless of when the claim is filed. Claims-made covers claims filed during the policy period. For roofers, occurrence is almost always better because water damage and completed operations claims often surface months or years after the job.
DO I NEED PRODUCTS AND COMPLETED OPERATIONS COVERAGE?
Absolutely. This is one of the most critical coverages for roofers. If a roof you installed last year develops a leak that damages the interior of a home, that is a completed operations claim. Without it, you pay out of pocket for repairs and potential lawsuits.
HOW MUCH GL COVERAGE DO I NEED AS A ROOFER?
Most residential contractors need at least $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate. Commercial work often requires $2M per occurrence or higher. Large commercial GCs frequently require $5M+ umbrella on top. We help you match limits to the jobs you are bidding.
WHAT IS NOT COVERED BY GENERAL LIABILITY?
GL does not cover your own injuries (workers comp does), your vehicles (commercial auto does), or your tools (tools and equipment policy does). It also does not cover intentional damage or faulty workmanship correction costs — though products/completed operations covers resulting damage.
GET YOUR GL QUOTE TODAY
Stop operating without the right coverage. We will have your roofing GL policy bound and your COI issued before end of business today.