The contractor insurance stack
Most Colorado contractors need some combination of five coverages. We build the stack around your trade, your payroll, and the contracts you sign.
- General liability: the policy your GCs, permits, and contracts require. Watch the exclusions: roofing operations, open flame, subsidence, and residential work exclusions hide in cheap policies.
- Workers' compensation: required in Colorado for nearly all employers, including many part-time and family situations. Penalties for going bare are severe.
- Commercial auto: trucks, trailers, and tools in transit. Personal auto policies routinely deny business-use claims.
- Inland marine (tools and equipment): covers your tools on the job, in the trailer, and overnight.
- Bonds and umbrella: license and permit bonds where municipalities require them, umbrella when contracts demand higher limits.
Find your trade: roofers, electricians, general contractors, plumbers, HVAC, flooring, painters, landscaping & lawn care, handyman, and concrete. On the road instead? See trucking and box trucks. Every trade needs workers' compensation done right.
Certificates, fast
Certificates of insurance for GCs, lenders, and municipalities turned around quickly, with additional insured and waiver wording handled correctly the first time.
Hard-to-place trades welcome
Roofers, new ventures, claims history, or high-hazard work: our specialty and surplus markets write what standard carriers decline.
Audit support
Workers' comp and GL audits go better with clean payroll classifications and sub documentation. We help you set that up before the audit, not after the bill.
Contractor insurance FAQs
What do GCs and project owners usually require?
Commonly $1M per occurrence GL with the GC as additional insured, a waiver of subrogation, workers' comp, and sometimes an umbrella. Read the contract before you bid: we will review the insurance requirements section with you at no charge.
Do my subs need their own insurance?
Yes, and you should collect certificates proving it. Uninsured subs land on your policy at audit and your premium goes up to match. We help clients build a simple sub-compliance habit.
I am a one-person shop. Do I need workers' comp?
Sole proprietors with no employees can often elect out for themselves, but many GCs require comp anyway to put you on site. There are affordable minimum-premium policies for exactly this situation.
How much does contractor insurance cost in Colorado?
A one-person low-hazard trade might pay a few hundred dollars a year for general liability; crews with comp, auto, and tools typically run into the low thousands. Trade, payroll, and revenue drive it, and monthly payment plans are standard.
Can a brand-new contracting business get insured?
Yes. New ventures pay more for the first year or two while building history, but we have markets for day-one contractors, and certificates can be ready the week you need them.
How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?
Same day for standard requests once your policy is active, including additional insured and waiver wording. Send the contract language and we match it exactly.
Does my personal auto policy cover my work truck?
If the truck hauls tools, trailers, or crew for business, you need commercial auto or at minimum a business-use rating. Personal policies routinely deny business-use claims, and the truck is most contractors' biggest single asset on the road.
Get your contractor quote
Tell us your trade, payroll, and the contracts you need to satisfy. We do the rest.