General Contractor Insurance in Florida: GL, Workers' Comp & Builders Risk
What insurance does a Florida general contractor actually need?
To keep a Florida license active, a general or building contractor must carry at least $300,000 in public liability and $50,000 in property damage, with the Florida DBPR listed as certificate holder. In practice, owners, GCs and municipalities almost never accept that minimum. Most contracts require $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate general liability. Add workers' compensation from your first employee (Florida construction rule), commercial auto, builders risk on ground-up and renovation work, and tools & equipment coverage. That full program, not the state minimum, is what gets you on the job.
Speed up your quote: send these first. Email adolfo@nextguardinsurance.com with:
- Your current dec page (policy declarations), if insured
- Loss runs for the last 3 years
- Gross receipts, payroll by class, and cost of subcontracted work
- The insurance requirements from the contract or COI request you need to satisfy
- Sample sub COIs, if you use subcontractors
- A short, accurate description of the work you actually do
Please don't send the same submission to other brokers. Duplicate submissions block carrier markets and slow your quote. Send us one complete submission and we take it to the markets that fit Florida contractors.
Florida's state minimum is not what your contract requires
Florida law (Chapter 489) ties your license to insurance: general and building contractors need $300,000 public liability / $50,000 property damage, and letting coverage lapse is one of the fastest ways to trigger DBPR discipline. But no serious owner, lender, condo association or municipality in Florida awards work at the state minimum.
- Standard contract floor: $1M / $2M general liability, per-project aggregate on larger jobs
- Additional insured + waiver of subrogation for the owner and upstream GC, on ongoing and completed operations
- Workers' comp: required in construction with 1 or more employees, including corporate officers and LLC members unless they hold a valid exemption (officers/LLC members generally need at least 10% ownership, max 3 exempt per business)
- Financial responsibility: if your FICO-derived score is under 660, Division I contractors need a $20,000 surety bond or the board-approved financial responsibility course
Coverage we place for Florida general contractors
General Liability
$1M / $2M standard, per-project aggregate available. Completed operations is the part that matters in Florida, because defect claims surface years after you leave the site.
Workers' Compensation
Florida construction employers need it from employee #1. We place it selectively and structure payroll and class codes correctly the first time, since misclassified payroll is where audits get expensive.
Excess / Umbrella
Up to $1M of excess over your GL, auto and employers liability when a contract asks for limits above your primary policy.
Builders Risk
Ground-up, renovation and addition projects, including wind exposure. In coastal Florida, check the wind / named-storm deductible before you sign, not after a storm is named.
Commercial Auto
Pickups, vans, dump and service trucks, plus hired & non-owned auto for supervisors running personal vehicles to sites.
Tools & Equipment (Inland Marine)
GL does not cover your tools when they are stolen from a truck or a site. Inland marine does.
Surety Bonds
License and financial-responsibility bonds, plus bid, payment and performance bonds when a public job requires them.
Policy traps we check before you bind
Uninsured subcontractors
In Florida, if your sub has no workers' comp, their injured workers can become your workers' comp problem, and your GL audit will pick up their payroll. We check sub COIs before the carrier does.
Subcontractor warranty
Some low-cost forms condition coverage on every sub carrying limits equal to yours. Miss one sub and a claim can be denied.
Classification limitation
Only the operations listed on the policy are covered. If you GC, self-perform carpentry and do roofing repairs, all three need to be described.
Residential / condo exclusions
Cheap forms often exclude condo, townhome or tract work, which is a large share of Florida GC work.
Wind and water damage gaps
Builders risk and property forms in Florida carry separate wind deductibles and flood exclusions. We flag them in writing before binding.
What Florida general contractors typically pay for GL
South Florida usually prices above North Florida for the same profile. Wind, litigation and condo work all push it up.
| Contractor profile | Typical annual GL premium* |
|---|---|
| Owner-operator GC, no employees, under ~$250K receipts | ~$1,800 to $4,000 |
| Small crew (1 to 5 employees), residential / remodel, $250K to $1M receipts | ~$4,000 to $9,000 |
| Mid-size GC, $1M to $5M receipts, work through subcontractors | ~$9,000 to $25,000+ |
| Condo, coastal or higher-hazard work | Priced individually, often the highest |
*Estimates for general liability only, based on typical Florida pricing. Not a quote. Receipts, payroll, subcontracted costs, trade mix and loss history drive the final number. Workers' comp, auto, builders risk and excess are additional.
Watch: Florida contractor insurance explained
Short videos on GL limits, workers' comp for crews, and certificates from our YouTube channel.
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Client reviews
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Contractors across Florida and New York trust NextGuard to get their GL, workers' comp and builders risk placed fast, in English, Spanish or Portuguese. Read what they say on Google.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum general liability a Florida general contractor must carry?
$300,000 in public liability and $50,000 in property damage for general and building contractors, with the DBPR listed as certificate holder. Most contracts require $1M / $2M, well above the state minimum.
When does a Florida contractor need workers' compensation?
In the construction industry, with 1 or more employees. Corporate officers and LLC members can apply for an exemption only if they meet the ownership rules (generally at least 10% ownership, no more than 3 exempt officers/members per business). The exemption covers only that person, not your crew.
Am I responsible if my subcontractor has no insurance?
You can be. Under Florida law a contractor can be liable for workers' compensation benefits for a subcontractor's employees if the sub has no coverage, and carriers will audit you for uninsured sub costs. Collect and verify sub COIs on every job.
How fast can I get a certificate?
With a complete submission, standard Florida markets often quote in 1 to 3 business days. Specialty placements can take around 48 hours longer. Once bound, certificates are issued the same day in most cases.
Do you work in Spanish?
Yes. We explain coverage, exclusions and certificates in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
Working in South Florida? See our Miami general contractor insurance page. También en español: seguro para contratistas generales en Florida.