Umbrella / Excess Liability for contractors
Layered limits above your general liability, auto, and employers' liability — essential when a stolen-equipment loss, a jobsite injury, or a multi-party claim could otherwise exhaust your primary coverage and your gear investment.
What it covers
- Additional limits above GL, commercial auto, and employers' liability
- Limits from $2M up to $10M+ for catastrophic claims
- Protection for multi-party jobsite losses
- Coverage that follows the underlying policy form
- Defense contributions on large complex claims
Who it’s for
- Contractors whose GC contracts require higher limits
- Crews on commercial, multifamily, or public projects
- Operations with significant assets or gear investment to protect
- Any contractor whose primary limits no longer match exposure
Why CCA
- Limits layered cleanly above your underlying program
- Up to $10M+ available for high-exposure operations
- Priced for contractors, not generic small business
Common questions about umbrella / excess liability
An umbrella adds liability limits above your general liability, commercial auto, and employers' liability. If a serious jobsite injury, a multi-party loss, or a large property claim exhausts your primary policy, the umbrella pays the layers above — protecting your assets and your contracts.
It's driven by your largest realistic loss and your contract requirements. Many commercial and multifamily GCs require $2M-$5M total limits. We model your worst-case scenarios and size the umbrella to what your work actually demands.
No — an umbrella sits over liability policies (GL, auto, employers' liability), not over property/inland marine coverages like a tools floater. It protects you from large liability claims, while your tools floater protects your gear itself. They address different exposures.
Large projects and commercial contracts shift risk down to subcontractors and require proof of high limits — often $2M-$5M. Carrying an umbrella lets you bid that work and protects you from a catastrophic liability claim that would otherwise threaten your business.
Umbrella premium is a fraction of your underlying liability cost and reflects your operations, underlying limits, and the umbrella layer chosen. It's one of the most cost-effective ways to add protection — often hundreds of dollars per million of additional limit.
Often yes. If a new project requires higher limits, we can frequently increase the umbrella (subject to underwriting) so you can take the work. Tell us the requirement and we'll move fast.
A true umbrella can drop down to cover some claims not covered by underlying policies; a straight excess policy simply adds limits on top of the same coverage. We place the form that fits your exposure and budget.
No. An umbrella covers liability claims, not the theft of your own gear. Stolen tools and equipment are covered by your tools & equipment floater. The umbrella protects you from large third-party liability claims that could otherwise exhaust your primary coverage.
Most contractors pay $500-$2,500 a year for a scheduled tools floater, typically 1-3% of the total scheduled gear value, modified by deductible and theft-loss history. We quote the full program in about 15 minutes and show every market's price.
Yes. Contractors Choice Agency is licensed in all 50 states and writes tools & equipment programs for contractors from the highest-theft markets to the storm-rebuild surge zones.
About 15 minutes for a standard scheduled-tools program. Once bound, we turn around certificates, schedules, and additional-insured endorsements usually within minutes.
No. GL covers third-party injury and damage, not your own gear. Tools are covered under a tools & equipment (inland marine) floater — which is what we build to close the gap GL leaves open.
We write tools & equipment at replacement cost so stolen or destroyed gear is replaced new, not depreciated. ACV policies can pay pennies on the dollar for a $600 nailer — replacement cost keeps you working.
Yes — a scheduled tools floater covers theft from your truck, trailer, and jobsite, subject to the policy terms and deductible. Some policies carry a higher theft-from-unattended-vehicle deductible, which we review carefully.
Schedule anything of meaningful value — nail guns, miter and circular saws, lasers, generators, compressors, mobile equipment, and specialty gear. We help you build the schedule with make, model, serial number, and replacement value, and update it as you add gear.
Yes. High-value mobile equipment should be scheduled separately at agreed value so a total loss pays what it's really worth. Generic policies undervalue this gear — we list each unit individually.
Often, yes. We have excess-and-surplus (E&S) inland marine markets for contractors with loss runs, prior thefts, or cancellations that standard markets decline. Bring your loss runs and gear schedule.
If you haul material packages that could be lost, damaged, or stolen in transit or before installation, yes. An installation floater covers materials from the supplier's truck until they're installed and accepted — closing a real gap.
You reach a person with context, not a queue. We respond within 2 hours, help you document the loss (police report for theft, photos, schedule), and manage the claim with the carrier so it's paid correctly and you can replace gear fast.
Tools and equipment coverage lives in the inland marine market — a specialty class most generic agents don't understand. A specialty broker knows which carriers write scheduled gear at replacement cost and how to manage a tools-theft claim so it pays.
Pair it with related coverage
Ready to protect your tools and equipment?
Get a 15-minute quote from specialists who understand contractor gear — scheduled tools floaters, mobile equipment, installation floaters, equipment breakdown, and commercial auto.