Roofing Contractors
Roofing is one of the hardest trades to insure — and one of the easiest to get quoted badly. We connect you with independent agents who write roofing accounts every week and know which carriers still want the class.
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Why It's Different
Underwriters price roofing contractors on exposures most generic business policies never account for. These are the ones that move your premium.
Falls drive roofing workers' comp rates, and the class codes carry some of the highest loss costs in construction. Carriers price your documented safety program, height limits, and experience mod — not just your payroll.
If a sub can't produce a certificate at audit time, their payroll usually gets rolled into yours and you pay the premium. Collecting COIs year-round is the cheapest premium control you have.
The most common general liability claim in roofing isn't a fall — it's an open deck and an unexpected storm. Interior water damage, ruined inventory, and business interruption for the building owner add up fast.
Compressors, nail guns, ladders, and staged bundles walk off jobsites and out of trucks. That needs inland marine and an installation floater, not general liability.
Loaded trucks, dump trailers, and crew members driving their own pickups to the job all create auto exposure. Hired and non-owned auto is the coverage most roofers find out about after a claim.
Torch-applied and kettle work is excluded or heavily restricted on many policies. If you do low-slope commercial work, the hot-work language in your policy matters more than the price.
Coverage Types
A complete program is usually six policies working together, not one general liability certificate.
Third-party bodily injury and property damage — including water intrusion during tear-off. Also the policy GCs are looking at when they ask for additional insured and primary & non-contributory endorsements.
Medical bills and lost wages for injured crew. The largest line item on most roofing programs, and the one where safety documentation and your experience mod move the price the most.
Trucks, trailers, and dump runs — plus hired and non-owned auto for crews driving personal vehicles between jobs.
Covers tools, compressors, and equipment on the job, in transit, and in the truck overnight — where they actually get stolen or damaged.
Covers shingles, membrane, and materials you've staged or partially installed but haven't handed over yet. Most GL policies won't touch them.
Sits above GL and auto. Commercial GCs and property managers routinely require $2M–$5M in total limits before you can start work.
Pricing
Workers' comp is priced per $100 of payroll by class code, so how your crew is classified — and whether office and sales payroll is split out correctly — has a real dollar impact.
Steep-slope residential, low-slope commercial, and new construction each underwrite differently. So does the share of work you subcontract out.
Many roofing policies restrict work above two or three stories or exclude torch-down entirely. Higher limits usually mean a different carrier, not just a higher price.
Three clean years is the single biggest lever on a roofing renewal. A mod above 1.0 narrows the list of carriers willing to quote you at all.
Storm-chasing into another state without adding it to your policy territory is a common — and expensive — gap. Every state you work in needs to be listed.
Additional insured, waiver of subrogation, and primary & non-contributory wording get required by GCs constantly. Getting them added at binding is cheaper than mid-term.
By State
Licensing, workers' comp thresholds, and storm exposure all change at the state line. Pick yours for the local details.
Common Questions
There's no honest flat answer — roofing premiums are driven by payroll, your split of residential versus commercial work, height and hot-work restrictions, the states you operate in, and your claims history. Two roofers with the same revenue can be priced very differently. The fastest way to a real number is a licensed agent running your payroll and loss runs through several carriers at once.
Generally no. General liability covers damage you do to someone else's property or person. Tools, compressors, ladders, and staged materials are covered by inland marine (tools and equipment) and an installation floater. This is one of the most common gaps we see on roofing policies.
It depends on the state, and roofing is often treated more strictly than other trades because it's classified as construction. Some states require coverage at the first employee, others at three or more, and general contractors usually require it by contract regardless of the legal threshold. Check your state's page for specifics and confirm with a licensed agent.
At audit, an uninsured sub's payroll typically gets treated as yours, and you pay the premium on it — sometimes at your class rate. Collect certificates of insurance before the crew starts and keep them on file until the audit closes.
Yes. Your policy has a coverage territory and, for workers' comp, a schedule of states. Chasing storm work into a neighboring state without adding it is a common way to find out a claim isn't covered. Tell your agent before the crew crosses the line, not after.
Because their own insurance requires it. Additional insured status, waiver of subrogation, and primary & non-contributory wording push a claim toward your policy first. Most roofing contracts require all three, and you'll get pulled off the job without them.
Tell us about your business and an independent agent who works with roofing contractors will reach out within one business day.