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Business Insurance / General Liability

General Liability Insurance in Scranton, PA

General liability is the policy everybody asks you for and almost nobody explains. It responds when your work injures someone who does not work for you, or damages property that is not yours. It is the baseline a general contractor wants on file before you start, and in Scranton it is part of what the city wants before it issues a contractor licence.

What It Covers

The parts of the policy, in plain terms.

  • Third-party bodily injury

    Someone who is not your employee gets hurt because of your work or on your premises.

  • Third-party property damage

    You damage something that belongs to the client or a neighbour while working. The most common claim in the trades by a wide margin.

  • Products and completed operations

    A claim that shows up after you have finished and left. This is the part contractors forget exists, and it is often the one a contract requires by name.

  • Personal and advertising injury

    Libel, slander and a handful of related exposures. Rarely used, routinely required.

  • Defence costs

    The carrier defends a covered claim even when it has no merit. Being right is not the same as being able to afford to prove it.

  • Additional insured status

    Extends some protection to the general contractor or property owner for claims arising from your work. Nearly every commercial contract asks for it, and it has to be endorsed onto the policy rather than typed onto a certificate.

How it plays out

You are carrying material through a finished hallway and put a gouge in a plaster wall the homeowner had restored last year. Nobody is hurt and your tools are fine. The repair, and the argument about what the repair is worth, is what general liability is for.

Placed with

  • Next Insurance
  • Hiscox
  • Utica First
  • Travelers

Frequently Asked Questions

General Liability questions we get.

What limits does the City of Scranton require for a contractor licence?
The city's licensing checklist asks Master and Specialty Contractors for a certificate of insurance proving general liability, property damage and public liability of $500,000 per person and $1,000,000 per occurrence, plus proof of workers' compensation or an affidavit that you do not employ anyone. Requirements change, so confirm the current list with the City of Scranton licensing portal before you file, and we will build the certificate to match.
How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?
Usually the same day once the policy is bound, and often within the hour. Send us the exact entity name and any additional insured wording the contract asks for, because a certificate gets rejected for a wrong entity name more often than for anything else.
Is general liability the same as being bonded?
No, and the two get used interchangeably in conversation. Liability insurance responds when you cause harm. A bond is a financial guarantee that you will complete the work or meet an obligation. Many contracts want both.
I am a sole proprietor with no employees. Do I still need this?
Workers' compensation and general liability are separate questions. Not employing anyone can change the workers' comp answer. It does not change the fact that a general contractor, a landlord or a licensing body will still want general liability on file before you work.

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Also worth a look

Other coverage we write.

  • Workers' Compensation

    Required in Pennsylvania once you have employees, and priced on payroll and class code.

  • Commercial Insurance

    General liability, property, commercial auto and BOPs, sized to how the business actually runs.

  • Vacant Building

    For a building sitting empty, where a standard property policy quietly stops working.

Let's get you a real number.

Tell us what you're insuring and David will shop it across our carriers. No obligation, and no pressure if your current policy turns out to be the better deal.

Independent agency / 10 carriers on file