Coverage
General Liability Insurance in Florida
Florida’s construction licensing board sets minimum liability limits for contractors, and most landlords and clients ask for proof as well. We write general liability for Northeast Florida businesses and issue the certificates a licensing audit expects.
Audit-ready Certificatesin the licensing board's formatWhat’s Covered
What General Liability Covers for Florida Businesses
Bodily Injury
Injuries to customers, visitors, or the public caused by your operations, including legal defense when someone sues. For contractors, Florida’s licensing board sets the floor at $100,000 or $300,000, depending on the license.
Property Damage
Damage you or your crew cause to a client’s home, building, or belongings while working. Licensing sets property damage minimums too, $50,000 for general and building contractors and $25,000 for most specialty trades.
Completed Operations
Claims that surface after the job is finished and your crew has left. Florida allows construction defect suits for up to 7 years after the certificate of occupancy or completion, so this coverage outlasts the job.
Advertising Injury
Claims of libel, slander, or copying another business’s advertising, whether they start from a website, a mailer, a sign, or a social media post. It answers the claim against your business, not the cost of pulling the ad.
Medical Payments
Small medical bills for a visitor hurt on your premises, paid regardless of fault. Covering a customer’s urgent care visit quickly can keep a minor fall from turning into a bodily injury lawsuit.
Licensing Certificates
For a licensing audit, the certificate must name the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board, as holder and show 30 days’ notice of cancellation. We issue them in that format.
Employee Injuries
General liability does not cover injuries to your own workers. Florida requires workers’ compensation for construction employers with one employee and most other private employers with four, so we quote it separately.
Bundle in a BOP
Smaller, lower-risk businesses can pair general liability with property and business income in a business owner’s policy. Contractors with heavy equipment exposure usually stay on a standalone liability policy instead.
Who It’s For
Businesses That Need General Liability
General Contractors
State licensing requires general and building contractors to carry at least $300,000 in liability and $50,000 in property damage, and many project owners ask for more.
Specialty Trade Contractors
Roofing, plumbing, air conditioning, pool, solar, and similar licenses require at least $100,000 in liability and $25,000 in property damage to stay active.
Shops With Customer Traffic
Slip-and-fall claims start on your floor, and medical payments coverage handles small injuries before they grow into a bodily injury suit.
Commercial Tenants
Most landlords require a certificate naming them as an additional insured before you move in, and many check it again at each lease renewal.
Our Process
How We Quote General Liability
Send Your License and Operations
Tell us your license type, annual revenue, payroll, and the work you do. The license class decides whether Florida’s floor is $300,000 or $100,000 in liability before any client or lease requirement.
We Match Limits to Contracts
We quote at least the licensing minimum and price higher per-occurrence limits for the general contractors, landlords, or clients whose contracts call for them, with completed operations included for construction work.
Bind and Send Certificates
Once you choose a quote, we bind it and issue certificates in the format the licensing board, your landlord, or a general contractor expects, then keep copies on file for audit letters.
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Common Questions
Florida Liability and Licensing, Explained
General liability covers injuries and property damage your business causes to other people, plus claims that surface after a job is done, advertising injury, and small medical bills for visitors. It does not cover your own employees. For licensed contractors, Rule 61G4-15.003(2)(h), F.A.C., sets the minimum at $300,000 or $100,000 in liability, depending on the license class.
Florida contractors need $100,000 to $300,000 in liability, depending on the license. Under Rule 61G4-15.003(2)(h), F.A.C., general and building contractors need $300,000 in liability and $50,000 in property damage. Residential, roofing, plumbing, air conditioning, mechanical, sheet metal, pool, underground utility, solar, and other specialty contractors need $100,000 and $25,000. Many general contractors require subcontractors to carry $1 million per occurrence.
It must name the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board, as certificate holder and give 30 days’ notice of cancellation. Those requirements come from Rule 61G4-15.003(2)(i) and (j), F.A.C. The board checks them when it audits a license, so we issue certificates in that format on request and keep copies on file for when the audit letter arrives.
Up to 7 years in most cases. Under s. 95.11(3)(b), F.S., a suit over the design or construction of an improvement to real property must be filed within 7 years of the temporary certificate of occupancy, certificate of occupancy, or certificate of completion. Completed operations coverage responds to those claims, which is why we suggest keeping it in force after you slow down or retire a license.
No, injuries to your own employees fall under workers’ compensation, not general liability. Under s. 440.02(20)(b)2., F.S., Florida requires workers’ compensation for construction employers with even one employee and for most other private employers with four or more. Exemption rules for corporate officers in construction are narrow, so we check your exemption status before quoting either policy.
Partly. Since March 24, 2023, s. 768.81(6), F.S., bars recovery in most negligence cases when the injured person bears more than 50% of the fault, and s. 95.11(5)(a) gives plaintiffs two years instead of four to file. Neither change reduces what your policy pays when you are mostly or entirely at fault, so the licensing minimums remain a floor rather than a target.
Get Started
Quote My Liability Coverage
Send your license type, annual revenue, payroll, and a short description of your work. We reply with general liability quotes and a sample certificate for your file.