Bar Insurance Companies and Nightclub Markets
Six US markets that publish bar or nightclub appetite: liquor liability, GL, assault and battery limits, excluded states and what to put in the submission.
Placement criteria
- Bar or nightclub
- Markets split here. Markel's wholesale primary casualty sheet targets restaurants, bars and taverns but lists nightclubs and gentlemen's clubs as ineligible. [Markel sheet](https://content.markel.com/api/public/content/a8f19eb68240486dbef1fa65d335d16d).
- Alcohol share of sales
- Underwriters want food and liquor revenue split out, by year. USLI and Greenwood General both publish appetite for venues with up to 100% alcohol sales. [Kinsale liquor supplemental](https://www.kinsaleins.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GC-Liquor-Liability-Supplemental-Application.pdf).
- Hours, promotions and entertainment
- Kinsale's supplemental asks for alcohol-service hours by day, drink specials (happy hour, 2 for 1, bottomless) and entertainment (dance floor, DJs, live bands, karaoke). USLI offers credits for early close time and ID scanners. [USLI June 2023 sheet](https://nextgenbrc.usli.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/HS-Liquor-customer.pdf).
- Security and service controls
- Server certification (TIPS, ServSafe Alcohol), door ID checks, ID scanning, written refusal-of-service policy, and whether bouncers are employed, contracted or armed. [Kinsale liquor supplemental](https://www.kinsaleins.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GC-Liquor-Liability-Supplemental-Application.pdf).
- Loss history and violations
- Kinsale asks for currently valued five-year loss runs, with claim detail for losses open or over $15,000, and any liquor-law fines or license suspensions. [Kinsale liquor supplemental](https://www.kinsaleins.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GC-Liquor-Liability-Supplemental-Application.pdf).
Who writes this risk
Burns & Wilcox
Wholesaler- Eligible classes
- Bars, taverns and nightclubs, Restaurants, Banquet facilities
- Limits
- Liquor liability limits up to $1M; higher limits may be available on request.
- Defense and deductible
- Defense costs outside the limit; no deductible.
- Assault and battery
- Available in most states.
- Training credit
- Credits for responsible vendors with a formal third-party server awareness training program.
Note: Liquor liability sheet dated July 2024; no issuing carrier named.
Greenwood General
MGA- Eligible classes
- Bars, taverns and pubs, Nightclubs, dance clubs and lounges, Karaoke bars and live entertainment venues
- Limits
- Up to $1,000,000 each common cause and $2,000,000 aggregate; assault and battery up to $250,000/$300,000, subject to venue controls and underwriting.
- Revenue
- Select markets may consider venues with up to 100% alcohol sales.
- Territory
- Licensed in 47 states, excluding Florida, Georgia and New York
- Also considered by select markets
- New ventures, late closing, live entertainment, happy hour, adverse loss history.
- Submission
- ACORD 125, ACORD 126, company supplemental (alcohol, entertainment, hours, security), currently valued loss runs, alcohol and food receipts breakdown.
Note: Wholesale MGA: access for retail agents and commercial brokers.
Kinsale Insurance Company
Carrier- Eligible classes
- Bars and lounges, Nightclubs and gentlemen's clubs, Restaurants
- Territory
- Liquor liability in all states except Georgia and Michigan
- Structure
- Liquor liability as a package with GL or monoline; occurrence and claims-made forms.
- Minimum premium
- Liquor liability starts at $2,500.
- Assault and battery
- No monoline A&B; may be added to eligible policies case by case.
Note: No supplemental application required; one is available on the site.
Markel
Carrier- Eligible classes
- Restaurants, bars and taverns (premises liability, wholesale)
- Limits
- Premises risks: $1M/$2M.
- Ineligible
- Nightclubs and gentlemen's clubs.
- Liquor liability
- Must be written in conjunction with GL.
- Minimum premium
- Premises risks: $5k.
Note: Markel US commercial primary casualty, wholesale sheet dated May 2026.
Prime Insurance Company
Carrier- Eligible classes
- Bars, nightclubs and taverns, Cocktail lounges and wine bars, Restaurants and cafes
- Limits
- Up to $10 million written in-house.
- Territory
- All 50 states (excess and surplus lines)
- Coverages
- GL, liquor liability, alleged assault and battery liability, property, umbrella and excess.
- Prior history
- Accounts canceled or denied in the past, or with a claims history.
- Minimum premium
- No minimum premium requirements.
USLI
Carrier- Eligible classes
- Bars, pubs and taverns, Nightclubs and lounges, Adult clubs
- Revenue
- Bars and taverns with up to 100% alcohol receipts.
- Structure
- Package (property, GL, liquor liability) or single line.
- Assault or battery
- Offered at full limits on many accounts.
Note: A June 2023 USLI sheet adds property up to $3M TIV and, in most states, nightclub new ventures for applicants with at least three years of nightclub management experience.
Public terms gathered from each market's own website, as of the date shown on each listing. Confirm with the market before binding coverage.
Who writes bars and nightclubs
Standard package carriers often decline bars once alcohol passes a share of sales, the venue closes late, or there is a dance floor and door staff. The reason is the liability tail: licensed establishments answer under state dram shop laws, which are separate from social host rules (NCSL), and fights on premises drive assault and battery claims. Most of this business goes to E&S carriers and wholesale markets. Six publish appetite, listed alphabetically.
Burns & Wilcox (wholesaler): its liquor liability sheet lists bars, taverns and nightclubs, limits up to $1M (higher on request), defense outside the limit, no deductible, and A&B in most states. Server training programs earn credits.
Greenwood General (wholesale MGA): its bar and nightclub page covers bars, nightclubs, dance clubs, karaoke and live entertainment. Select markets consider new ventures, late closing, adverse loss history and up to 100% alcohol sales. Limits up to $1M each common cause and $2M aggregate, A&B up to $250,000/$300,000. Not licensed in Florida, Georgia or New York.
Kinsale Insurance Company (E&S carrier): General Casualty writes bars, lounges, nightclubs and gentlemen's clubs. Liquor liability is monoline or packaged with GL, from $2,500 minimum premium, in all states except Georgia and Michigan. No monoline A&B; it can be added case by case.
Markel (wholesale): its primary casualty sheet targets restaurants, bars and taverns at $1M/$2M with a $5k premises minimum. Liquor must be written with GL. Nightclubs and gentlemen's clubs are ineligible, so this one is for the neighborhood bar, not the club.
Prime Insurance Company (E&S carrier, all 50 states): its bar and restaurant page includes nightclubs, taverns, lounges and wine bars, with GL, liquor, alleged assault and battery, property and excess. Prime considers accounts previously canceled or denied, or with claims, writes up to $10 million in-house and has no minimum premium.
USLI (carrier): its hospitality and liquor page names bars, nightclubs, lounges and adult clubs, bars with up to 100% alcohol receipts, and A&B at full limits on many accounts. Its June 2023 product sheet adds nightclub new ventures in most states for applicants with at least three years managing a nightclub. That sheet is three years old: confirm the threshold with the underwriter.
What the underwriter looks at
Kinsale's liquor supplemental is a good map of the questions every market asks:
- Sales split: food and liquor revenue for the upcoming year, the last 12 months and three prior years.
- Hours and promotions: alcohol-service hours by day, happy hour, 2 for 1, bottomless drinks.
- Entertainment: dance floor, DJs, live bands, karaoke, mechanical bulls.
- Controls: TIPS or ServSafe Alcohol certified servers, ID checks at the door, ID scanners, a written policy to refuse service to minors and visibly intoxicated guests.
- Security: employed or contracted bouncers, hold-harmless and COI from the contractor, off-duty police, armed guards.
- History: currently valued five-year loss runs, claim detail on losses open or over $15,000, liquor-law fines or license suspensions.
Greenwood's submission list is similar: ACORD 125, ACORD 126, a supplemental on alcohol, entertainment, hours and security, currently valued loss runs and a food and alcohol receipts breakdown. Collect all of it before quoting: an unanswered security or hours question sends the file back. An intake agent can chase those documents from the insured.
Read the A&B terms line by line
A liquor liability quote does not tell you how assault and battery is handled. Here, A&B ranges from a sublimit (Greenwood, $250,000/$300,000) to full limits on many accounts (USLI), and Kinsale adds it only case by case. On a nightclub, ask for A&B limit, defense inside or outside, and any security-related exclusion before comparing premiums. For commercial lines agencies placing several venues, that comparison is where the real price difference sits.
Preparing and entering the same submission across several carrier portals takes time. Covera's AI carrier quoting agents fill those portals.
Frequently asked questions
Do all these markets accept nightclubs?
No. Markel's wholesale primary casualty sheet lists nightclubs and gentlemen's clubs as ineligible; it targets restaurants, bars and taverns. Burns & Wilcox, Greenwood General, Kinsale, Prime and USLI all name nightclubs.
Does liquor liability include assault and battery?
Not automatically. Kinsale does not offer monoline A&B and adds it case by case; Greenwood publishes an A&B limit of up to $250,000/$300,000; USLI offers A&B at full limits on many accounts. Ask for the A&B limit and wording on every quote.
Can a bar with 100% alcohol sales get coverage?
Yes. USLI writes bars and taverns with up to 100% alcohol receipts, and Greenwood General says select markets may consider venues with up to 100% alcohol sales. Expect questions on hours, promotions and security.
Can a new nightclub get insured?
Greenwood General says select markets may consider new ventures. USLI's June 2023 sheet lists nightclub new ventures in most states for applicants with at least three years of nightclub management experience. Document the owner's or manager's prior venues in the submission.
Which states are excluded?
Kinsale writes liquor liability in all states except Georgia and Michigan. Greenwood General is licensed in 47 states, excluding Florida, Georgia and New York. Prime writes E&S business in all 50 states.