What general contractors require from subcontractors: insurance in the subcontract

What the general contractor's subcontract actually requires

QUICK ANSWER

A general contractor's subcontract requires general liability with completed operations, additional insured status for the GC and owner covering both ongoing and completed work, a waiver of subrogation on liability and workers' compensation, primary and non-contributory wording, commercial auto, and usually an umbrella. The limits and the exact endorsement forms are in the subcontract's insurance exhibit.

Reviewed by Michael LaBarbera, Licensed property & casualty agent, Provident Financial Group · Reviewed Oct 11, 2026 Updated Oct 14, 2026

Typical requirements and how to check them
Requirement	What they usually ask for	How to check what you have
General liability with completed operations	Per-occurrence, general aggregate and products–completed operations aggregate, commonly $1M / $2M / $2M, sometimes with a per-project aggregate	Three limits on the dec page; a per-project aggregate endorsement in the forms list when the contract asks for one.
Additional insured — ongoing and completed operations	The GC, the owner and often the lender, for work in progress and after completion	Two endorsement forms or one combined blanket form in the forms list; a certificate note alone does not create the status.
Primary and non-contributory	Your coverage responds first; the GC's policy does not contribute	Endorsement form on the general liability policy, often part of the blanket additional insured form.
Waiver of subrogation	On general liability, auto and workers' compensation in favour of the GC and owner	A blanket waiver endorsement on each policy; the workers' compensation waiver is a separate form with its own charge.
Workers' compensation and employers' liability	Statutory, with employers' liability limits often $1M / $1M / $1M	Information page Part Two for the three employers' liability limits; owner-excluded policies are common for one-person subs.
Commercial auto	Combined single limit, commonly $1M, any auto or scheduled plus hired and non-owned	Auto dec page limit and symbols; hired and non-owned present.
Umbrella or excess	A layer above GL, auto and employers' liability, commonly $1M to $5M depending on the job	Umbrella dec page scheduling the underlying policies; follow-form wording for the additional insured and waiver.
Notice of cancellation	Thirty days' written notice to the GC	Endorsement if the carrier offers it; a live certificate notifies the GC when a line changes.

Requirement

What they usually ask for

How to check what you have

General liability with completed operations

Per-occurrence, general aggregate and products–completed operations aggregate, commonly $1M / $2M / $2M, sometimes with a per-project aggregate

Three limits on the dec page; a per-project aggregate endorsement in the forms list when the contract asks for one.

Additional insured — ongoing and completed operations

The GC, the owner and often the lender, for work in progress and after completion

Two endorsement forms or one combined blanket form in the forms list; a certificate note alone does not create the status.

Primary and non-contributory

Your coverage responds first; the GC's policy does not contribute

Endorsement form on the general liability policy, often part of the blanket additional insured form.

Waiver of subrogation

On general liability, auto and workers' compensation in favour of the GC and owner

A blanket waiver endorsement on each policy; the workers' compensation waiver is a separate form with its own charge.

Workers' compensation and employers' liability

Statutory, with employers' liability limits often $1M / $1M / $1M

Information page Part Two for the three employers' liability limits; owner-excluded policies are common for one-person subs.

Commercial auto

Combined single limit, commonly $1M, any auto or scheduled plus hired and non-owned

Auto dec page limit and symbols; hired and non-owned present.

Umbrella or excess

A layer above GL, auto and employers' liability, commonly $1M to $5M depending on the job

Umbrella dec page scheduling the underlying policies; follow-form wording for the additional insured and waiver.

Notice of cancellation

Thirty days' written notice to the GC

Endorsement if the carrier offers it; a live certificate notifies the GC when a line changes.

Where the requirement hides

Subcontracts carry insurance in an exhibit or schedule, with an indemnity clause in the body that explains why. Read the exhibit for the numbers and forms, and the indemnity clause for what the GC expects your insurance to back up. Larger GCs also publish a subcontractor insurance manual that overrides anything less specific.

Reading the forms language

GC exhibits are unusually specific about endorsement forms because the difference between ongoing-operations and completed-operations additional insured status is the difference between being covered during the job and being covered after it. When an exhibit names form numbers, your certificate should list the forms your policy actually carries so the GC's compliance team can match them.

Workers' compensation from one-person subs

A GC whose sub has no workers' compensation can be charged for that sub's payroll at the GC's own audit. That is why GCs ask even sole proprietors for proof. Most carriers will write a policy that excludes the owner from benefits while satisfying the contract.

What to send the GC

A certificate listing general liability (with the completed-operations aggregate), auto, workers' compensation with employers' liability limits and umbrella, with the GC and owner shown as additional insured and the applicable endorsement forms referenced. Attach the endorsements when the compliance portal asks for them. A live certificate link lets the GC's team verify status on their own schedule instead of emailing you every renewal.

Questions people actually ask

Why does the GC want additional insured for completed operations?

Most construction claims arrive after the job is done: a leak, a failure, a fire traced to the work. Ongoing-operations status ends when you leave the site; completed-operations status keeps the GC covered under your policy for claims from that work later.

What is a per-project aggregate and do I need one?

A normal general aggregate is shared across all your jobs in a year. A per-project aggregate gives each job its own, so a loss on one site does not use up the limit on another. Larger GCs ask for it; it is an endorsement.

My policy has scheduled forms naming my last GC. Does that work for a new one?

No. Scheduled forms cover only the named party. Blanket forms cover any party you are required by written contract to add, which is what makes certificates for new GCs instant.

Can an umbrella satisfy a higher general liability limit?

Usually yes, if the subcontract allows limits to be met by a combination of primary and umbrella and the umbrella follows form on the additional insured and waiver provisions. Many do; read the exhibit.

The GC's form says 'ISO CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 or equivalent'. What is that?

Form numbers for additional insured endorsements covering ongoing operations and completed operations respectively. Your carrier may use its own forms; 'or equivalent' means they must provide the same coverage, and the certificate should list the form numbers.