What general contractors require of subcontractors: the insurance exhibit in a subcontract and how a trade contractor proves it meets it

What a general contractor requires before a subcontractor starts

QUICK ANSWER

A general contractor's subcontract typically requires general liability of $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate per project with $2M products-completed operations, the GC and owner as additional insureds for ongoing and completed operations on a primary and non-contributory basis, waivers of subrogation on every policy, commercial auto of $1M combined single limit, statutory workers' compensation with $1M employers' liability, and an umbrella of $2M to $5M, with completed-operations coverage kept for years after the job.

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
Commercial general liability	$1M each occurrence / $2M general aggregate applying per project, $2M products-completed operations aggregate, written on an occurrence form with no residential, subsidence, EIFS or action-over exclusions that apply to the work	Dec page limits, the per-project aggregate endorsement, and the exclusions page; exclusions matter more than limits on a construction certificate.
Additional insured, ongoing and completed operations	GC, owner and others named in the contract as additional insureds for ongoing operations and for completed operations, on ISO CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 or an equivalent blanket form	Both endorsement forms on the policy; a blanket form that grants completed-operations status 'when required by written contract' satisfies most subcontracts, a form that covers ongoing only does not.
Primary and non-contributory	The subcontractor's liability responds first and the GC's policy does not share	An endorsement form or wording within the blanket additional insured endorsement; the certificate box reflects it only when the form exists.
Waiver of subrogation	In favour of the GC and owner on general liability, auto, workers' compensation and umbrella	A waiver endorsement on each policy; blanket where the carrier offers it, scheduled otherwise.
Commercial auto	$1M combined single limit on any auto or on owned, hired and non-owned autos, with the GC as additional insured and a waiver	Auto dec page symbol and limit; personal auto policies are not accepted.
Workers' compensation and employers' liability	Statutory for the state of the project plus employers' liability of $1M / $1M / $1M, with a waiver; some states add the GC's exposure for uninsured subs' employees	Information page of the policy with the project state in Item 3.A, the Part Two limits and the waiver endorsement.
Umbrella or excess liability	$2M to $5M following form over general liability, auto and employers' liability, with the same additional insureds and waiver	Umbrella dec page, its underlying schedule and whether it follows form on additional insured status.
Completed operations tail	Coverage and additional insured status maintained for the statute of repose, commonly three to ten years after completion	A condition on the subcontractor, met by renewing the general liability policy with the completed-operations endorsement each year; a live certificate shows the GC it is still in force.
Pollution and builder's risk where the trade requires	Contractors' pollution liability for excavation, demolition, abatement and mechanical trades; builder's risk is usually the owner's or GC's policy with the sub's work covered	A pollution policy or endorsement where the trade creates the exposure; confirm the builder's risk policy covers your installed work before you rely on it.

Requirement

What they usually ask for

How to check what you have

Commercial general liability

$1M each occurrence / $2M general aggregate applying per project, $2M products-completed operations aggregate, written on an occurrence form with no residential, subsidence, EIFS or action-over exclusions that apply to the work

Dec page limits, the per-project aggregate endorsement, and the exclusions page; exclusions matter more than limits on a construction certificate.

Additional insured, ongoing and completed operations

GC, owner and others named in the contract as additional insureds for ongoing operations and for completed operations, on ISO CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 or an equivalent blanket form

Both endorsement forms on the policy; a blanket form that grants completed-operations status 'when required by written contract' satisfies most subcontracts, a form that covers ongoing only does not.

Primary and non-contributory

The subcontractor's liability responds first and the GC's policy does not share

An endorsement form or wording within the blanket additional insured endorsement; the certificate box reflects it only when the form exists.

Waiver of subrogation

In favour of the GC and owner on general liability, auto, workers' compensation and umbrella

A waiver endorsement on each policy; blanket where the carrier offers it, scheduled otherwise.

Commercial auto

$1M combined single limit on any auto or on owned, hired and non-owned autos, with the GC as additional insured and a waiver

Auto dec page symbol and limit; personal auto policies are not accepted.

Workers' compensation and employers' liability

Statutory for the state of the project plus employers' liability of $1M / $1M / $1M, with a waiver; some states add the GC's exposure for uninsured subs' employees

Information page of the policy with the project state in Item 3.A, the Part Two limits and the waiver endorsement.

Umbrella or excess liability

$2M to $5M following form over general liability, auto and employers' liability, with the same additional insureds and waiver

Umbrella dec page, its underlying schedule and whether it follows form on additional insured status.

Completed operations tail

Coverage and additional insured status maintained for the statute of repose, commonly three to ten years after completion

A condition on the subcontractor, met by renewing the general liability policy with the completed-operations endorsement each year; a live certificate shows the GC it is still in force.

Pollution and builder's risk where the trade requires

Contractors' pollution liability for excavation, demolition, abatement and mechanical trades; builder's risk is usually the owner's or GC's policy with the sub's work covered

A pollution policy or endorsement where the trade creates the exposure; confirm the builder's risk policy covers your installed work before you rely on it.

What the GC is protecting

A general contractor passes the owner's requirements down to every trade and adds its own. The exhibit protects the GC from three claims: an injured subcontractor employee who sues the GC, damage or injury during the work, and a defect that appears years later. Each clause maps to one of those: additional insured for ongoing and completed operations, primary and non-contributory wording, waivers, and a completed-operations tail.

The lines a subcontract names

General liability is judged on its exclusions as much as its limits; residential, subsidence, EIFS and action-over exclusions fail certificates on jobs where they apply. The two additional insured forms cover the GC during and after the work. Auto, workers' compensation and the umbrella each carry the waiver. Pollution appears for trades that disturb soil or materials. Builder's risk is usually the GC's policy, but confirm your installed work is covered before relying on it.

How to check your policies against the exhibit

Start with the general liability exclusions page, then match the limits and confirm the per-project aggregate. Confirm both additional insured forms and the primary and non-contributory wording by form number. Check the waiver on every policy. Match the auto symbol and limit, the workers' compensation state and Part Two limits, and the umbrella's underlying schedule. Note the completed-operations tail length in the subcontract and set the renewal reminder that goes with it.

Keep the certificate current

GCs require a compliant certificate before mobilization and at every renewal for the life of the tail, and most use certificate-tracking services that chase you automatically. A live certificate link stays current as policies renew and shows the completed-operations status without a new PDF each year.

Questions people actually ask

What is the difference between CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 and why do GCs want both?

CG 20 10 adds the GC as an insured for your ongoing work; CG 20 37 adds them for claims that arise after the work is complete. Construction defect claims come years later, so a GC wants the completed-operations form and wants it renewed.

Why does the subcontract ask for a per-project aggregate?

Because a $2M aggregate shared across all your jobs can be used up by a claim on someone else's project. A per-project aggregate endorsement gives each job its own $2M.

Our carrier added an action-over exclusion. Does that matter?

Yes. It removes coverage when your injured employee sues the GC and the GC tenders to you, which is the most common construction liability claim. Many GCs reject certificates that show it.

How long do we keep insurance after the job is done?

The subcontract usually says, often three to ten years to match the state's statute of repose. In practice it means keeping general liability with the completed-operations endorsement in force year after year.