- For Texas trades & construction
- The trades others won't write
Contractors Insurance
Contractors don't need one policy. They need a stack that holds up to the job site.
Contractors insurance is a coordinated set of policies (general liability, workers’ comp, commercial auto, tools and equipment, and more) built for the specific risks of trade and construction work. Aimbest places the trades many carriers refuse, including specialty work that needs E&S markets.
- Coordinated coverage across GL, WC, auto, tools, and inland marine
- Specialty markets for trades others won't quote
- COIs and additional insured language done right
- Surety bond placement for jobs that require them
🔨 Request your free contractor review
Tell us about your trade and operations. A licensed Texas advisor follows up. No obligation.
Trusted by Texas trades since 1983
Contractor programs since 1983
Higher-risk trades welcome
Additional insured language done right
One point of contact, year-round
The contractor coverage stack
One policy is not a program. Here's what a real contractor stack looks like.
Trade and construction businesses face stacked exposures that no single policy can handle. A real contractor program is a coordinated set of coverages, sized correctly and structured so they work together on a real job site.
- Core, almost always
General Liability
Third-party bodily injury and property damage from your operations and completed work.
- Core, almost always
Workers' Compensation
Employee injury costs. Texas allows non-subscriber status, but most GCs require subscriber coverage.
- Core, almost always
Commercial Auto
Trucks, vans, and fleets used on the job. Personal auto policies exclude business use.
- Specialty, often required
Tools & Equipment
Inland marine coverage for tools and equipment, including theft from trucks and job sites.
- Specialty, often required
Installation Floater
Materials and work-in-progress before they become part of a completed structure.
- Specialty, often required
Surety Bonds
Performance, payment, and license bonds. Required for many public and large private jobs.
- Often important
Commercial Umbrella
Excess liability above your GL and auto limits. Many large GCs require $5M to $10M.
- Often important
Pollution Liability
For trades with exposure to mold, lead, asbestos, fuel, or other contamination risk.
- Often important
Employment Practices (EPLI)
Claims from employees, important once your headcount and management layers grow.
The trades others won't quote
Specialty placement is where Aimbest earns its keep.
Many standard carriers refuse certain trades outright or quote them with terms that don’t work in the real world. Aimbest has the specialty and excess & surplus (E&S) market relationships to place trades that others walk away from.
Roofing
Residential, commercial, and storm restoration. Heavy exposure, fewer carriers, specialty placement.
Demolition
Selective and full structural demolition. High severity, requires specialty markets and tailored coverage.
Framing & carpentry
Higher heights, work-in-progress exposure, and frequent additional insured requirements.
Concrete & masonry
Foundation, structural, and decorative work. Often requires specialty GL placement.
Hot work & welding
Cutting, welding, and torch work at customer sites carries elevated fire and property damage risk.
Restoration & remediation
Water, fire, mold, and biohazard restoration. Pollution exposure usually requires specialty coverage.
Excavation & site prep
Underground utility strikes, slope and trench risk. Specialty markets often required for new firms.
Other higher-risk trades
From asbestos abatement to insulation installation, we work specialty markets others don't access.
markets built specifically for higher-risk trades. Send us the decline letter and your current loss runs if you have them.
Why contractors matter to us
The risks every Texas trade should plan for.
Contractor work creates exposures that office-based businesses simply don’t face. Sharp tools, heavy equipment, moving vehicles, work at height, work on other people’s property, and constant interaction with GCs and homeowners. The right program plans for all of it.
Job-site injuries
Falls, lacerations, equipment strikes, and back injuries are common on trade sites. Workers’ comp and proper GL are both essential.
Property damage to others
You damage a customer’s home, a neighboring building, or completed work by another trade. GL responds, with limits sized correctly.
Auto accidents
Driving between job sites, towing trailers, transporting materials. Commercial auto with the right limits is essential.
Tool & equipment theft
From job sites, trucks, and storage. Tools and equipment coverage (inland marine) replaces what GL won’t.
Contract requirements
GCs require specific COIs, additional insured language, waivers of subrogation, and primary & non-contributory wording. Getting these wrong loses jobs.
Completed operations claims
Claims that come months or years after the work is done. Coverage continuity matters more in construction than almost any other industry.
Texas contractor requirements
What general contractors typically require from subs.
If you work as a subcontractor on Texas construction projects, the general contractor’s insurance requirements often go well beyond carrying a basic policy. Aimbest knows the language and handles the certificate process so you don’t lose work over a paperwork issue.
Specific GC requirements vary. We review your contracts and confirm your program meets what’s actually being required.
GL often $1M / $2M, auto often $1M CSL, umbrella often $5M to $10M.
The GC, owner, and others listed as additional insured on your GL.
Required on GL and workers' comp for many large jobs.
Your policy must respond first, ahead of the GC's coverage.
Extended completed operations coverage for additional insureds.
Specific advance notice requirements to the additional insureds.
Why work with Aimbest
We've been placing Texas contractors since 1983.
Trade and construction insurance has rules of its own. The carriers that quote well in soft markets disappear in hard markets, specialty trades get shuffled to E&S, COI language errors lose jobs, and a single bad claim can move a contractor to a much harder placement. After more than four decades, we know how to navigate it.
Markets built for higher-risk trades and post-claim placements.
We review GC requirements and confirm your program actually complies.
GL, WC, auto, tools, umbrella, and bonds aligned, not bought piecemeal.
"We got declined by our previous carrier after one bad year. Aimbest placed us with a specialty market within a week and lined up the COIs for our biggest GC on the same call."
How it works
From first call to covered contractor, four steps.
Share your trade, your team, and your current coverage or decline letter. We follow up.
We identify the coverages you need, the contract requirements you face, and the carriers that fit.
Coverage, limits, deductibles, and pricing across standard and specialty markets.
Bind the policies, get same-day COIs, and keep a Texas advisor for the long haul.
Common questions
Contractors insurance, answered.
Can you place my trade if standard carriers keep declining me?
Often, yes. Standard carriers narrow their appetite in hard markets, and certain trades (roofing, demolition, restoration, framing, hot work, and others) frequently end up in specialty or excess & surplus markets. We work those markets every week. If you have a decline letter, a loss run, or specifics on the trade, send them along, that gives us the fastest path to placement.
Is workers' comp required for Texas contractors?
Texas does not generally require workers’ comp by law for most private employers, including contractors. However, most general contractors require their subs to carry workers’ comp, and most large project owners require GCs to carry it. In practice, workers’ comp is essentially required for contractors who want to work on commercial or large residential projects, even when it’s not legally mandatory. See our Workers’ Compensation page for the subscriber vs. non-subscriber discussion.
What's the difference between tools coverage and a BOP?
A BOP’s business personal property coverage often has tight limits for tools, restricts coverage to your business premises, and may exclude theft from vehicles. A contractor’s tools and equipment policy (an inland marine coverage) is built specifically for tools that move between job sites, are kept in trucks, and face theft and damage exposure that BOPs aren’t designed for. Most working contractors need the dedicated coverage.
How quickly can you issue a certificate of insurance (COI)?
For straightforward COIs once you’re a client, usually same day during business hours. Complex additional insured requests with specific endorsement language may take a bit longer if the carrier needs to issue specific endorsements. We never charge for routine certificates.
Do I need a surety bond?
It depends on your work. Many public projects, larger private commercial jobs, and certain Texas licenses require surety bonds (performance, payment, license, or other types). Surety bonds are different from insurance, they’re a financial guarantee to a third party, and qualifying for them involves credit and financial review. We place bonds through specialty surety markets and can walk you through what’s required for your jobs.
Can you help if I'm just starting out as a contractor?
Yes. New contractors face appetite restrictions from many standard carriers, but specialty markets and program facilities exist specifically for newer operations. We help you build the right starter program, then upgrade to standard carriers as you build claims-free experience and revenue.
Related coverage
What completes a contractor program.
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The trades others won't write. We will.
Request a free, no-obligation cyber review. We’ll explain first-party vs. third-party, sub-limits, and what your current policies actually cover.