The coverage questions that come up on every job
Many insurance disputes on a construction job start with contract wording, not with a claim. The articles in this category explain the coverage and endorsement terms that general contractors, owners and lenders write into subcontracts — additional insured endorsements, primary and noncontributory wording and why being named additional insured is not the same as being the certificate holder — so you can tell whether a certificate actually satisfies the contract before it goes out.
Other articles answer the questions behind a contractor's program as a whole: how much general liability a California contractor needs, the core coverage lines a typical California contractor ends up with, who should buy builders risk, and where pollution, cyber and wrap-up (OCIP/CCIP) coverage fit. Use them to prepare questions for a renewal or a contract review; the issued policy language and the carrier's underwriting always decide what is actually covered. Page 2 continues with trade-specific, professional liability and cyber articles.
Coverage & Endorsements
How Much General Liability Coverage Does a California Contractor Need?
There is no single required general liability limit for California contractors. CSLB does not set one, and the number that matters in practice is usually the one written into the s
By David Gleason · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
Additional Insured Endorsements: What Subcontractors Get Asked to Provide, and Why
A request to be named "additional insured" is one of the most common insurance requirements a subcontractor sees — and one of the most commonly misunderstood, because a certificate
By David Gleason · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
The Six Coverage Lines Most California Contractors Carry
There isn't one "contractor insurance policy" — there's a stack of coverage lines, each answering a different question, usually added in roughly the same order as a business grows.
By David Gleason · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
Primary and Noncontributory Wording: What It Means and Why GCs Ask for It
"Primary and noncontributory" shows up in almost every GC contract's insurance requirements — and most subcontractors sign off on it without knowing what it actually changes about
By David Gleason · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
Builders Risk: Who Usually Buys the Policy on a New Build
Builders risk covers the physical structure during construction — but who actually purchases it (the owner, the GC, or the developer) is a decision that has to be made explicitly,
By David Gleason · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
Additional Insured vs. Certificate Holder: Why They're Not the Same Thing
"Certificate holder" and "additional insured" appear on the same document and get confused constantly — but they describe two completely different relationships to a policy.
By David Gleason · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
What Cyber Liability Commonly Covers for a Construction Business
Construction businesses handle large, recurring payments and coordinate with dozens of vendors and subs — exactly the profile that makes them a real target for a specific kind of c
By David Gleason · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
Pollution Liability: The Coverage Most Contractors Don't Know They Need
Pollution liability is one of the most commonly skipped coverages in construction — largely because most contractors don't think of their own work as "environmental," right up unti
By David Gleason · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
OCIP vs. CCIP: What Changes for a Subcontractor on a Wrap-Up Project
Getting enrolled in a project's wrap-up insurance program changes how a subcontractor's coverage works for that job — and OCIP and CCIP, while similar, aren't identical.
By David Gleason · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
Mechanical and HVAC Contractor Insurance in California
Mechanical and HVAC work sits at an unusual intersection of exposures — pressurized systems, refrigerants, rooftop and mechanical-room access, and a service fleet that's constantly
By David Gleason · Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026