Roofing Contractors General Liability Insurance
Five US markets that publish roofing GL appetite: residential vs commercial, states, open roof and torch down options, loss runs and what to put in the submission.
Placement criteria
- Residential or commercial roofing
- The first split underwriters make. Greenwood's APEX program takes roofing but states that commercial roofing is not eligible; SHIELD and Prime list both residential and commercial.
- Hot work and open roofs
- Torch down, hot tar and roofs left open overnight drive the losses. SHIELD offers a Roofing Operations Warranty that allows full limits for open roof and torch down; Prime flags property damage from inadequate tarping and the fire risk of hot tar.
- Height and project type
- SHIELD's 2024 guide lists structural and exterior construction over 3 stories/35 feet, and new condo or townhome construction, as ineligible. Kinsale writes New York construction for interior operations only.
- Loss runs
- Kinsale's Construction division asks for five years of currently valued loss runs, with a description of every loss over $25,000.
- Prior insurance
- Not always required: DeCotis states no prior insurance is required on its comparative GL offer, and SHIELD lists new ventures and lapses in coverage as acceptable.
Who writes this risk
DeCotis Specialty Insurance
Wholesaler- Eligible classes
- Roofing, within artisan contractor GL classes
- Limits
- Liability limits up to $1M/$2M; excess liability available on request.
- Territory
- Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia
- Prior insurance
- No prior insurance required.
- Endorsements
- Blanket additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary non-contributory option.
- Process
- Comparative quotes from multiple A-rated markets in the PRIZM portal; submit for underwriter approval, binder the same day.
Note: Flyer dated 5.7.25 covering 150 GL classes; roofing is named in the artisan contractor classes.
Greenwood General Insurance Agency
MGA- Eligible classes
- Roofing exposures in the APEX Contractors GL program (residential only)
- Territory
- Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington
- Minimum premium
- Plumbing and roofing exposures start at $3,000.
- Excluded
- Commercial roofing is not eligible.
- Form and endorsements
- ISO occurrence form; blanket additional insured, blanket waiver of subrogation, blanket primary and noncontributory.
- Access
- No appointment required to request a quote; appointed brokers rate online in G-Tec.
Note: Greenwood describes itself as a wholesale commercial insurance MGA working only with retail agents and brokers.
Kinsale Insurance Company
Carrier- Eligible classes
- Roofing, among the trade contractor classes of the Construction division
- Limits
- Up to $10M excess capacity through the Excess Casualty division; deductibles from $0 to $25,000.
- Coverage
- Commercial general liability and products/completed operations liability; project specific, owner's interest and discontinued operations options.
- Forms
- ISO occurrence and claims-made forms; proprietary and manuscript forms available.
- Submission
- Signed applications describing operations, five-year currently valued loss runs with a description of losses over $25,000, website.
- New York
- Interior operations only.
Note: The division states that a typical contractor has over $2 million in revenue; this is not presented as a minimum.
Prime Insurance Company
Carrier- Eligible classes
- Residential roofing, Commercial roofing, New construction, Re-roofing
- Market
- E&S lines carrier writing in all 50 states.
- Lines
- Commercial general liability, completed products liability, commercial auto, umbrella and excess, among others.
- Submission timing
- Submissions more than 30 days from expiration are not accepted.
- Underwriting call
- A phone call with the business owner is required to finalize pricing; same-day quotes after the call.
Note: No GL limit is published on the roofing page.
SHIELD Commercial Insurance Services
Wholesaler- Eligible classes
- Residential roofing, Commercial roofing
- Territory
- Most states (state map in the guide)
- Market and forms
- Non-admitted, ISO occurrence forms, A-rated carriers; CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 available.
- Roofing Operations Warranty
- Available; allows full limits open roof and torch down coverage.
- Included
- Blanket additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary wording.
- Options
- Removal of prior work exclusion, defense outside limits.
- New ventures
- New ventures and lapses in coverage accepted.
- Ineligible
- Structural and exterior construction over 3 stories/35 feet; commercial multi-story construction over 3 stories/35 feet; new condo or townhome construction.
Note: 2024 product guide.
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 roofing GL
Most standard contractor programs exclude roofing or cap it hard, so roofers usually land in the E&S market through a wholesaler or an MGA. Five markets publish roofing appetite on their own sites:
- DeCotis Specialty Insurance (wholesaler): roofing is one of 150 GL classes quoted side by side in its PRIZM portal, limits up to $1M/$2M, no prior insurance required, in 21 states plus DC. Flyer.
- Greenwood General (MGA): APEX Contractors GL in AZ, CA, NV, OR and WA. Roofing starts at a $3,000 minimum premium. Commercial roofing is not eligible. APEX page.
- Kinsale (carrier): roofing is a named class of the Construction division, GL with products/completed operations, occurrence or claims-made. New York is interior work only. Construction page.
- Prime Insurance Company (E&S carrier): residential, commercial, new construction and re-roofing. Owner phone call required before pricing. Roofing page.
- SHIELD (wholesaler): residential and commercial roofing, non-admitted, new ventures and lapses accepted, Roofing Operations Warranty for full limits open roof and torch down. 2024 guide.
These are published appetites. Terms on a given account come from the underwriter.
Why roofers get declined
The class is not the issue so much as the details the application leaves blank. Underwriters decline or rate up on four things:
- Commercial work. Flat and low-slope commercial roofs mean larger jobs and bigger water damage claims. Greenwood excludes commercial roofing outright. Give a revenue split, residential vs commercial, not a single "roofing" line.
- Hot work. Torch down and hot tar carry fire exposure; Prime flags the fire risk of hot tar applications. Say which methods the crew uses and on what share of jobs.
- Open roofs. Rain on a stripped roof is the classic property damage claim (Prime cites inadequate tarping). Some forms limit open roof coverage unless a specific provision applies, which is what SHIELD's Roofing Operations Warranty addresses.
- Height and project type. SHIELD lists exterior and structural work over 3 stories/35 feet and new condo or townhome construction as ineligible. Kinsale only writes interior construction in New York.
What to prepare before you submit
- ACORD 125 and 126, plus the market's roofing or contractor supplemental if it has one.
- Five years of currently valued loss runs, with a short description of any claim over $25,000. That is Kinsale's stated requirement and a safe default for everyone else.
- Operations narrative: residential vs commercial split, new roofs vs re-roofs, materials (shingle, tile, metal, modified bitumen, TPO), hot work, maximum building height, states worked.
- Subcontracting: share of work subbed out and whether subs carry their own GL and name the insured as additional insured. Many roofers run 1099 crews, and uninsured subs get picked up in the premium audit.
- Contract requirements: the AI wording the GCs ask for (CG 20 10 for ongoing work, CG 20 37 for completed operations), waiver of subrogation, primary and noncontributory. SHIELD and Greenwood include these blanket; confirm on every quote.
- Prior coverage: for a new venture or a lapse, say so up front. DeCotis and SHIELD both state they accept it.
- Timing: Prime does not accept a submission more than 30 days before expiration, so plan renewals accordingly.
A document collection agent can chase the loss runs and supplementals while you work the markets.
Compare the quotes line by line
Two roofing GL quotes at the same $1M/$2M can be very different policies. Check:
- completed operations included, and whether a prior work exclusion applies (SHIELD offers its removal);
- open roof, hot work and height exclusions against the work actually done;
- AI, waiver and primary wording against the contracts;
- defense inside or outside limits, and the deductible.
A quote comparison sheet keeps these side by side. Roofers almost always need workers' comp too, and it is a different market with different underwriting: see roofing workers' comp insurance.
Preparing and entering the same submission on several carrier portals takes time. Covera's AI carrier quoting agents fill those portals.
Frequently asked questions
Does Greenwood's APEX program write commercial roofers?
No. The APEX page states that commercial roofing is not eligible. Residential roofing exposures start at a $3,000 minimum premium, in AZ, CA, NV, OR and WA.
Is open roof or torch down coverage automatic?
Not necessarily. SHIELD offers a Roofing Operations Warranty that allows full limits open roof and torch down coverage. Check every quote for open roof and hot work wording before binding.
Can a roofer with no prior GL get a quote?
Yes, with some markets. DeCotis states that no prior insurance is required on its comparative GL offer, and SHIELD's guide accepts new ventures and lapses in coverage.
What loss runs does Kinsale ask for?
Five years of currently valued company loss runs, with a description of each loss over $25,000, plus signed applications describing operations and the contractor's website.