Contractor insurance in Pennsylvania — coverage by county
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Pennsylvania contractor insurance
Contractor insurance in Pennsylvania is bundled by trade. A roofer, an electrician, and a finish carpenter all need general liability, but the carriers that price each well are not the same. Class code is the single largest premium input. A roofer in Allegheny County and a finish carpenter in Chester County can pay 4x different rates for the same $1,000,000 GL limit because the trade-level loss frequency and severity are that different. Pricing well means starting with the right class code and the right carrier.
Pennsylvania contractors face two licensing layers that affect insurance: HICPA (Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act) registration with the Attorney General's office for residential work over $5,000, and a patchwork of municipal and county licensing for commercial work. HICPA registration requires a minimum $50,000 GL limit on file. Most general contractors and subs we write run $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate because the larger COI numbers are what general contractors and property owners actually require, not the statutory minimum.
New to contractor coverage? Start with our Contractor insurance overview, then drill into a county below — many clients begin with Chester County or Philadelphia.
Contractor insurance by Pennsylvania county
- Allegheny County
- Armstrong County
- Beaver County
- Berks County
- Blair County
- Bucks County
- Butler County
- Cambria County
- Chester County
- Clearfield County
- Clinton County
- Columbia County
- Crawford County
- Dauphin County
- Delaware County
- Elk County
- Erie County
- Fayette County
- Lackawanna County
- Lancaster County
- Lawrence County
- Lebanon County
- Lehigh County
- Luzerne County
- Lycoming County
- McKean County
- Mercer County
- Montgomery County
- Northampton County
- Northumberland County
- Philadelphia County
- Schuylkill County
- Venango County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Westmoreland County
- York County
Frequently asked questions
What insurance do I need to register under Pennsylvania HICPA?
HICPA requires a minimum of $50,000 in general liability coverage on file with the registration. Most contractors carry $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate because that's what residential customers and commercial GCs actually ask for on the COI. The statutory minimum is a floor, not a ceiling.
Do I need workers' compensation if I'm a sole proprietor with no employees?
Pennsylvania law doesn't require workers' comp for a sole proprietor with no employees, no subcontractors, and no 1099 labor. The moment you bring on a helper — W-2 or 1099 in many cases — you need it. Most general contractors in Pennsylvania require subs to carry their own workers' comp and provide a current COI before any work starts.
What's the difference between general liability and workers' compensation?
General liability covers third parties — bodily injury or property damage you cause to a customer, the public, or someone else's property. Workers' compensation covers your own employees' on-the-job injuries: medical, lost wages, disability. They are completely separate policies. A claim under one doesn't trigger the other.
Can you write a Business Owners Policy (BOP) for a contractor?
Sometimes — depends on the trade and the operation. BOPs bundle GL with commercial property and business interruption. They price well for low-hazard trades (interior finish, painting, light remodel) operating from a fixed shop. Higher-hazard trades (roofing, structural, demolition) and operations without a fixed business location are usually better served by a monoline GL plus a separate inland marine policy for tools and equipment.