Question 1

What does it cost, and how do you get me a good price?

Accepted Answer

There is no single answer — contractor general liability prices off your payroll, your receipts, your trade and your split between residential and commercial work, which is why the questionnaire asks for all four. What we can tell you is the method: we go to the carriers that write your class rather than sending one submission everywhere, and we go in knowing each one’s appetite and minimum premium. A market that was never going to write your risk does not produce a competitive number, it just produces a week of waiting.

Question 2

How quickly can you turn a submission around?

Accepted Answer

A complete submission usually comes back inside a few business days, and parts of the Oregon and Washington general liability market can be quoted and bound without a full submission cycle at all. What slows it down is almost never the carrier — it is a submission missing the payroll, the receipts or the loss runs, which is exactly what the questionnaire is designed to stop.

Question 3

I need a certificate for a job starting Monday. Can you do that?

Accepted Answer

Usually the same business day, provided you tell us who the certificate holder is and exactly what the contract asks it to show. Additional insured, waiver of subrogation and primary and non-contributory are three different endorsements, not wording choices — if the contract asks for them and the policy does not carry them, a certificate saying so would be worthless. Send the requirements and we will read them.

Question 4

Do I have to fill in the whole questionnaire?

Accepted Answer

For a firm quote, yes — an underwriter cannot price contractor general liability without the payroll, the gross receipts, the subbed-out cost and the residential/commercial split. It takes about eight minutes if you have those figures to hand. If you would rather talk it through, call and we will take it down with you.

Question 5

Do I need workers’ compensation in California if I have no employees?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your classification. C-8 concrete, C-20 warm-air heating/ventilating/air-conditioning, C-22 asbestos abatement, C-39 roofing and C-61/D-49 tree service must carry it whether or not they have employees. Every other classification needs it once it has employees — and from 1 January 2028 the requirement extends to all classifications regardless. That date was originally 2026 and was moved to 2028 by SB 1455.

Question 6

What changed in California on 1 January 2026?

Accepted Answer

SB 291 set minimum penalties for workers’ compensation violations — $10,000 for a sole proprietor and $20,000 for other contractors — and barred CSLB from renewing or reinstating the license of a contractor previously in violation until a current certificate of insurance or self-insurance is provided. The exposure moved from a coverage gap to a licensing one.

Question 7

Does Louisiana really require insurance to hold a license?

Accepted Answer

For part of the market, yes. Residential, home-improvement and mold-remediation applicants must file proof of general liability — $100,000 minimum for residential and home improvement, $50,000 for mold remediation — plus proof of workers’ compensation, before the license issues, and must keep it continuous while the license is active. Commercial license applications do not require proof of insurance, though owners and general contractors will still ask for it.

Question 8

Arizona does not require general liability. Should I still carry it?

Accepted Answer

The Registrar of Contractors licenses against a bond and does not make general liability a condition. Commercial contracts, public works projects and general contractor prequalification almost all do. Contractors who skip it in Arizona tend to discover the requirement at the point of bidding rather than at the point of licensing.

Question 9

What is a ghost policy, and how do I get one?

Accepted Answer

A ghost policy is the trade’s name for a workers’ compensation policy written for a contractor with no employees, usually an owner-operator or sole proprietor. It exists because general contractors, licensing boards and contracts often ask for a workers’ compensation certificate even from a firm whose only worker is the owner. It is not a way around covering employees: it is only for a business that genuinely has none, carriers can audit for payroll, and using workers who are not covered carries penalties — in California, SB 291 set minimums of $10,000 for a sole proprietor and $20,000 for other contractors. Whether one can be written depends on the state, the carrier and your classification, and in Washington it cannot be placed at all because workers’ compensation comes only from the state fund. To get one, tell us your trade, your state, whether you use subcontractors or day labor, and what the contract or license is asking for. We will tell you which markets will write it, and whether an exemption is the better route for you.

Question 10

How do I get the best rates on contractor insurance?

Accepted Answer

Rates follow the information more than the shopping. A carrier prices contractor insurance off your trade, payroll, gross receipts, the cost of work you sub out and your split between residential and commercial work, so the way to the best number is to get those right the first time. Classify the work correctly, because a roofer written as a carpenter gets a quote that falls apart at audit. Keep your subcontractors insured and hold their certificates, so their work is not charged back to you. Keep your loss runs clean, and send a complete submission. After that it is about which carriers want your class, which is why we go to the markets that write your trade rather than sending one submission everywhere. The best rate is not the lowest figure on a page; it is the lowest one that still stands up at audit and meets what your contracts require.

Specializing in contractors for 30 years.

We know the answer before we submit

Relationships, not portals

Bindable markets where they exist

What does your license actually require?

Your trade decides more than your state does

Roofing

General contractors & home builders

Framing & carpentry

Concrete

HVAC & mechanical

Electrical & plumbing

Five lines, quoted together

General liability

Workers’ compensation

Commercial auto

Excess liability

Professional liability

Five states, five different sets of rules

California

Oregon

Washington

Louisiana

Arizona

We know what we are good at, and where to place it

What contractors ask first

Tell us the trade, the state and the payroll