Contractor General Liability Insurance in PA
The foundation policy every Pennsylvania contractor needs — and what the certificate actually has to say.
General liability is the base policy for any contractor: it covers third-party bodily injury and property damage arising from your work — a client tripping over a tool, a saw cutting a water line, damage to the part of the structure you were not working on. For most Pennsylvania trades it is the first coverage a general contractor or property manager asks to see before you set foot on the job. Our contractor insurance always starts here.
The number that matters on the certificate is the limit structure: $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate is the standard most GCs require before subs can start. Per-occurrence is the most paid for any one claim; aggregate is the most for the policy year. Higher-hazard work — roofing, excavation, anything structural — sometimes needs higher limits or an umbrella on top. We match the limit to what your contracts actually demand so you are not turned away at the gate or over-buying.
Two endorsements decide whether your GL is actually useful on commercial jobs: additional insured (naming the GC or owner on your policy) and waiver of subrogation. Most commercial contracts require both, and a policy without them gets the COI rejected. We confirm your forms carry them, and once a policy is bound, certificate requests go to the front of our line so a job is not held up waiting on paper.
GL pairs with workers' comp and, for many trades, tools and equipment coverage. Start a Pennsylvania contractor quote and tell us your trade and the limits your contracts require.
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Frequently asked questions
What is primary and non-contributory wording?
It means your policy pays first for claims arising from your work, before the GC's or owner's own insurance, and does not ask their policy to share the loss. Many commercial contracts require it alongside additional insured and waiver of subrogation. It has to be added to the policy by endorsement; a certificate alone cannot create it.
Does GL cover a claim that shows up after the job is finished?
That is the products-completed operations part of the policy: injury or damage that happens after your work is done, such as a deck that fails a year later or a leak from a fitting you installed. It usually has its own aggregate limit. Check that it is not excluded or sub-limited for your trade.
Do I need a per-project aggregate?
If you run several jobs at once for GCs who ask for it, yes. A per-project aggregate endorsement gives each job its own aggregate limit, so one large claim on one site does not use up the limit for every other job.
What do I need to send for a GL quote?
Your trade and a plain description of the work, last year's gross receipts and payroll, the share of work you subcontract, current certificates from your subs, and recent loss runs. If a contract is driving the purchase, include its insurance section so we quote to it.