Colorado General Contractor Insurance
GCs carry everyone else's risk on top of their own. Your subs' mistakes, your contracts' indemnity clauses, and your projects' timelines all land on your policies. We build GC programs that hold the line, for remodelers up through commercial builders.
The general contractor program
A GC's insurance has to do three jobs: satisfy owners and lenders, absorb what subs pass up to you, and survive completed operations claims years after the ribbon cutting.
- General liability with completed operations limits that match your project values, and without residential, EIFS, or subsidence exclusions you did not know you had.
- Sub-compliance structure: additional insured status from every sub, waivers of subrogation, and a certificate file that protects your rates at audit.
- Builders risk per project or on a master reporting form for steady pipelines.
- Commercial auto and inland marine for trucks, trailers, and equipment across sites.
- Workers' comp structured around your direct payroll and your sub costs. See our Colorado workers' comp page.
- Umbrella at the limits owner contracts increasingly demand.
Read the contract before you bid
Indemnity clauses, primary and non-contributory wording, OCIP and CCIP wrap-up credits, and per-project aggregates change what your program must do. We review contract insurance requirements with you at no charge.
Residential GCs in Colorado
Construction defect exposure makes some carriers shy about residential GC work, especially multifamily. We know which markets still want it and what they need to see from your subcontracts.
Trade work on the side
If your crews self-perform framing, concrete, or roofing, say so. Undeclared self-performed work is a classic claim-denial setup. Trade-specific programs live under our contractor hub.
GC insurance FAQs
What limits do project owners usually require?
Commonly $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate GL with the owner as additional insured, plus umbrella bringing total limits to $2M to $5M on larger work. Public work and lenders often add more. Send the requirements and we will match them line for line.
How does subcontractor insurance protect me?
When subs name you as additional insured with a waiver of subrogation, their carrier defends claims arising from their work before yours does. Without that paper, every sub claim is your claim. We help you build the collection habit.
What is builders risk and who buys it?
Builders risk covers the structure while under construction. The contract dictates whether owner or GC buys it. Either way it should exist before mobilization, and we can issue it quickly per project.
What is subcontractor default versus additional insured protection?
Additional insured status puts a sub's carrier in front of claims from their work; subcontractor default insurance covers the cost when a sub fails to perform. Most GCs need the first on every job and consider the second at larger scale.
How does builders risk interact with my general liability?
Builders risk covers the structure under construction; GL covers injuries and damage you cause. A project needs both, and the contract dictates who buys the builders risk. We make sure neither is assumed and missing.
Are warranty repairs covered by my policy?
Redoing your own defective work is a business cost, not a claim, but resulting damage from that work is where completed operations coverage responds. Understanding that line helps you price warranties sanely.
Do municipalities require GC license bonds in Colorado?
Many do, with amounts varying by city and license class. We issue municipal license bonds quickly and track renewals so a lapsed bond never holds up a permit.
Get your GC quote
Project mix, revenue, sub costs, and a sample contract. We will build the program to fit.