What general contractors require of electrical subcontractors: the insurance exhibit for electricians and how to prove you meet it

What a general contractor requires of an electrical sub

QUICK ANSWER

An electrical 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, an umbrella of $2M to $5M, an installation floater for material on site, and a current electrical licence.

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 per project, $2M products-completed operations, on an occurrence form with no action-over exclusion and no exclusion for the type of work (residential, solar, high-voltage) in the subcontract	Dec page limits, per-project aggregate endorsement and the exclusions page; electrical fire claims arrive after completion, so the completed-operations aggregate is the number GCs read first.
Additional insured, ongoing and completed operations	GC and owner as additional insureds under ISO CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 or an equivalent blanket form, primary and non-contributory	Both forms on the policy; a blanket form granting completed-operations status when required by written contract satisfies most GCs.
Waiver of subrogation	In favour of the GC and owner on general liability, auto, workers' compensation and umbrella	Waiver endorsement on each policy.
Commercial auto	$1M combined single limit on any auto, including the service vans that carry tools and material, with hired and non-owned	Auto dec page symbol and limit; personal auto policies on vans are rejected and leave the business uninsured for work use.
Workers' compensation and employers' liability	Statutory for the project state plus employers' liability of $1M / $1M / $1M, with a waiver; the GC checks that the electrical class code is on the policy	Information page: Item 3.A state, Part Two limits, the waiver endorsement and the classification lines.
Umbrella or excess liability	$2M to $5M following form, higher on hospital, data centre and public work	Umbrella dec page and underlying schedule; confirm it follows form on additional insured and completed operations.
Installation floater and tools	Coverage for switchgear, panels, wire and fixtures on site or in transit before installation, and for tools and equipment	An inland marine installation floater and contractors' equipment schedule; builder's risk often excludes a sub's materials until installed.
Licence and completed-operations tail	A current electrical contractor licence in the project state and completed-operations coverage maintained for the statute of repose, commonly three to ten years	The licence certificate; renewal of the general liability policy each year with the completed-operations endorsement in force.

Requirement

What they usually ask for

How to check what you have

Commercial general liability

$1M each occurrence / $2M general aggregate per project, $2M products-completed operations, on an occurrence form with no action-over exclusion and no exclusion for the type of work (residential, solar, high-voltage) in the subcontract

Dec page limits, per-project aggregate endorsement and the exclusions page; electrical fire claims arrive after completion, so the completed-operations aggregate is the number GCs read first.

Additional insured, ongoing and completed operations

GC and owner as additional insureds under ISO CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 or an equivalent blanket form, primary and non-contributory

Both forms on the policy; a blanket form granting completed-operations status when required by written contract satisfies most GCs.

Waiver of subrogation

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

Waiver endorsement on each policy.

Commercial auto

$1M combined single limit on any auto, including the service vans that carry tools and material, with hired and non-owned

Auto dec page symbol and limit; personal auto policies on vans are rejected and leave the business uninsured for work use.

Workers' compensation and employers' liability

Statutory for the project state plus employers' liability of $1M / $1M / $1M, with a waiver; the GC checks that the electrical class code is on the policy

Information page: Item 3.A state, Part Two limits, the waiver endorsement and the classification lines.

Umbrella or excess liability

$2M to $5M following form, higher on hospital, data centre and public work

Umbrella dec page and underlying schedule; confirm it follows form on additional insured and completed operations.

Installation floater and tools

Coverage for switchgear, panels, wire and fixtures on site or in transit before installation, and for tools and equipment

An inland marine installation floater and contractors' equipment schedule; builder's risk often excludes a sub's materials until installed.

Licence and completed-operations tail

A current electrical contractor licence in the project state and completed-operations coverage maintained for the statute of repose, commonly three to ten years

The licence certificate; renewal of the general liability policy each year with the completed-operations endorsement in force.

What the GC is protecting

Electrical work is the trade GCs associate with fires after completion and with the arc-flash injuries that trigger action-over claims. The exhibit reflects that: completed-operations additional insured status, no action-over exclusion, a real completed-operations aggregate, a tail for years after the job and an umbrella above it all.

The lines an electrical subcontract names

General liability is read on its exclusions and its completed-operations aggregate. The two additional insured forms cover ongoing and completed work. Waivers appear on every policy. Auto covers the vans. Workers' compensation must show the electrical class in the project state. The umbrella follows form. The installation floater covers switchgear and wire before they are installed, and the licence is a condition of the subcontract.

How to check your policies against the exhibit

Read the general liability exclusions page against the scope of work, then match limits and the per-project aggregate. Confirm both additional insured forms and primary wording by number. Check the waiver on each policy. Match auto, workers' compensation and umbrella. Confirm the installation floater limit against the material you stage on the largest job. Note the tail length and keep the licence with the certificates.

Keep the certificate current

GCs track certificates automatically and chase at every renewal for the length of the tail. A live certificate link stays current as policies renew and shows the completed-operations status, with the official PDF attached, so the tracker stops emailing.

Questions people actually ask

Why do GCs read the completed-operations line on an electrician's certificate first?

Because electrical defects show up as fires months or years after the job, and a completed-operations claim is paid from that aggregate under the policy in force when the claim is made. A thin or missing completed-operations aggregate is the first thing a GC's certificate tracker flags.

Our panels and wire sit on site for weeks before installation. Are they covered?

Not reliably by the GC's builder's risk, which often covers materials only once installed or only for the GC. An installation floater covers your materials on site and in transit and is what the exhibit means when it asks for it.

Does the umbrella need to cover completed operations too?

Yes, and most GC exhibits say so. Confirm the umbrella follows form over the general liability's completed-operations coverage and additional insured endorsements, otherwise the extra limit is not there when the defect claim arrives.

We do solar installs as well as commercial wiring. Does that change anything?

Carriers sometimes exclude solar or high-voltage work unless it is declared. The exhibit only cares that the work in the subcontract is covered, so read the exclusions page against the scope.