GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE · VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA
General liability insurance, and the certificate that comes with it.
The policy people ask for by name, usually because a customer, a general contractor or a landlord asked for proof first. Written from South Hill for contractors, farms, shops and churches across Southside Virginia and northern North Carolina.
THE FIRST THING TO KNOW
It covers what your work does to other people. Not what happens to you.
General liability pays when your business injures someone who does not work for you, or damages property that is not yours. A customer trips over a cord in your shop. A ladder goes through a picture window. A load slips off the trailer onto somebody's truck. It pays the claim and, just as important, it pays the lawyer whether or not the claim was fair.
What it does not do is cover your own building, your own tools, your own trucks or your own employees. Those have their own policies, and the most common mistake we see is a business that bought general liability because a certificate was demanded and assumed it had bought insurance for everything.
WHAT IT PAYS FOR
Four kinds of claim, and the limits they share.
Bodily injury
Someone who is not your employee gets hurt because of your work or on your premises. Medical bills, lost wages, and the lawsuit.
Property damage
You or your crew damage something that belongs to someone else: their house, their equipment, the shop next door.
Personal and advertising injury
Libel, slander, copyright in your advertising, and similar claims. Rare for most of our customers, but included.
Products and completed operations
Damage or injury that shows up after the job is finished or after the product left your hands. The deck that fails two summers later.
Limits are written as two numbers: what the policy pays for one occurrence, and what it pays in total for the year. One million and two million is the pair most certificates ask for. The right pair depends on the contract in front of you, and we read those.
WHAT IT DOES NOT COVER
Six things people assume are in it, and the policy that actually covers each.
Your own building and contents
Fire, wind or theft at your own place is commercial property, or a business owners policy that packages the two together.
Your employees
An employee hurt on the job is workers' compensation, not general liability. Both states require it once you have a few people.
Your trucks and vans
Anything with a plate is commercial auto, including the pickup you also drive to church.
Your tools and equipment
Tools stolen from the truck overnight or a mower that falls off the trailer is equipment coverage, sometimes called inland marine.
Mistakes in your advice or design
Professional liability. Matters for anyone who designs, inspects, consults or certifies rather than builds.
Claims bigger than the limit
A commercial umbrella sits on top of general liability and auto and adds another layer when the claim is the one you were afraid of.
WHO ASKS US FOR IT
Who we write it for
● Contractors and trades, from one truck to a full crew
● Farms that sell to the public or host events
● Retail shops and storefronts
● Churches, for the building and the events
● Landscapers, tree and lawn services
● Cleaning, handyman and home services
● Caterers, food trucks and event vendors
● Anyone a lease or a contract has asked for a certificate
About that certificate
A certificate of insurance is a one page summary that proves the policy exists on the day it was printed. It does not change the policy. Naming the general contractor or the landlord as an additional insured does change it, and that is an endorsement the carrier has to issue. Call the office with the contract and we will read what it actually requires before anything is added.
THE STATE LINE
What each state requires, and what it does not
Virginia
The state does not require general liability to hold a contractor license. The general contractor hiring you, the locality issuing the permit and the landlord leasing you the shop almost always do. Workers' compensation is required once you have more than two employees, and Virginia counts your subcontractors' people toward that number.
North Carolina
No statewide general liability requirement to hold a general contractor license either, though some cities set their own. Workers' compensation is required at three or more employees, and corporate officers count toward the three.
Licensing and workers' compensation rules are set by the states and change. Confirm the current version with Virginia DPOR and the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission, or the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors and the North Carolina Industrial Commission.
QUESTIONS WE GET
Before you call
What does a certificate of insurance actually prove?
That the policy on it existed, at the limits on it, on the date it was printed. Nothing more. If you are the one asking for a certificate, ask for a new one at each renewal.
What is an additional insured, and do I need to add one?
It gives the other party, usually a general contractor or a landlord, rights under your policy for claims arising from your work. Most commercial contracts and leases require it. It is an endorsement, so it has to be requested and issued, not just typed onto the certificate.
How much do I need?
Read the contract. Most ask for one million per occurrence and two million aggregate. Some ask for more, and the cost of the higher limit is usually less than people expect. Bring us the contract and we will tell you what it requires.
Does it cover my subcontractors?
It covers claims against you for their work in some circumstances, which is why the general contractor above you wants your certificate. It does not insure them. Collect certificates from your subs the same way it is collected from you.
Can you add a certificate holder or a job through the form?
Call the office. A certificate is quick. An additional insured is a change to the policy, and coverage is not bound through the form or by email until somebody here has confirmed it.
Changing your coverage
For adding or deleting coverage, please call the office during business hours. Coverage is not bound through sending a request by email or using the contact form without explicit confirmation from an authorized agent or carrier.