General Liability Insurance

Protect Your Business From Everyday Liability Risks.

A customer slips. Your work damages someone else's property. A lawsuit alleges your business caused an injury. General liability insurance is one of the foundations of a business insurance program — and Briteline can compare coverage across multiple commercial insurance markets.

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What Does General Liability Cover?

Commercial general liability insurance can help protect a business against several common third-party liability exposures, subject to the terms, limits and exclusions of the policy.

Bodily Injury

Can respond when your business is legally liable for bodily injury to a third party, such as a customer injured at your premises or because of your operations.

Property Damage

Can help protect your business when covered operations cause damage to property belonging to someone else.

Personal & Advertising Injury

May provide protection for certain covered claims involving offenses such as libel, slander and qualifying advertising injuries.

Legal Defense

Subject to policy terms, general liability insurance can provide a defense against covered liability lawsuits — an important benefit even when allegations are ultimately unfounded.

Liability Claims Can Happen to Almost Any Business.

A customer could fall at your location. An employee could accidentally damage property while performing work. A product or completed job could allegedly cause an injury after you've left the site.

Even a relatively small incident can turn into medical bills, property damage allegations, attorney fees and litigation. General liability coverage is designed to address many of these common third-party exposures.

Don't Forget

A Certificate Isn't the Coverage.

Customers, landlords and general contractors may require a Certificate of Insurance, but the certificate is only evidence of the underlying policy. Limits, endorsements, exclusions and additional-insured requirements are what determine how the actual insurance responds.

Liability Details Worth Reviewing

Two policies can both say “general liability” while providing materially different protection. These details can matter.

Products & Completed Operations

Can address certain covered bodily injury or property damage claims arising from products you've sold or work you've completed.

Additional Insured

Contracts may require another party — such as a landlord, property owner or general contractor — to receive additional insured status under your policy.

Primary & Noncontributory

Some contracts require your insurance to respond on a primary and noncontributory basis for qualifying additional insureds. This generally requires the appropriate policy language or endorsement.

Waiver of Subrogation

Certain contracts require a waiver of subrogation. Availability, wording and cost can vary by carrier and policy.

Medical Payments

General liability policies may include limited medical payments coverage for certain qualifying injuries, regardless of fault, subject to policy terms.

Damage to Rented Premises

General liability policies commonly contain a separate limit for certain covered damage to premises rented to the insured. Businesses leasing space should review this carefully.

General Liability Doesn't Cover Every Business Risk.

General liability is important, but it is only one piece of a commercial insurance program. Depending on your business, other policies may be just as important.

Professional Liability

Errors, omissions and allegations involving professional services can require professional liability or E&O coverage.

Workers Compensation

Employee work-related injuries are generally handled through workers compensation rather than general liability.

Commercial Auto

Liability arising from owned business vehicles generally requires commercial auto insurance.

Cyber Liability

Data breaches, ransomware and many technology-related exposures require dedicated cyber insurance.

Employment Practices

Allegations involving discrimination, harassment or wrongful termination generally require employment practices liability coverage.

Commercial Property

General liability does not replace insurance for your own building, equipment, inventory and other business property.

Who Needs General Liability Insurance?

Most businesses have some degree of third-party liability exposure, even if they don't own a building or have employees.

Contractors

Contractors can face bodily injury, property damage and completed-operations exposures at customer and job sites.

Retail Businesses

Customer traffic, products and physical premises can create a variety of everyday liability exposures.

Restaurants

Customer injuries, premises exposures, food-related claims and other risks make liability coverage an important part of a restaurant insurance program.

Landlords

Commercial property owners can face premises liability claims involving tenants, customers and visitors.

Service Businesses

Businesses performing work at customer locations can create third-party bodily injury and property damage exposures.

Offices & Professional Firms

Even lower-hazard office businesses can have premises and general liability exposures separate from professional liability.

Why Businesses Work With Briteline

Commercial insurance isn't just about finding a policy. The carrier, forms, endorsements and business classification all matter.

Multiple Markets

Briteline can compare available commercial carriers instead of limiting your business to one company's underwriting appetite.

Contract Requirements

We can review insurance requirements involving limits, additional insureds and other requested endorsements to help identify what your policy needs to provide.

Complete Protection

General liability can be coordinated with property, commercial auto, workers compensation, umbrella and other business coverage.

General Liability FAQ

Is general liability insurance required by law?

Requirements depend on the business and jurisdiction. Even when it is not specifically required by law, landlords, customers, lenders and contracts frequently require businesses to maintain general liability insurance.

What does a $1 million / $2 million liability limit mean?

A common general liability structure includes a $1 million per-occurrence limit and a $2 million general aggregate, although actual policy limits and how they apply should always be confirmed from the specific policy.

What is an additional insured?

An additional insured is another person or organization that receives certain coverage rights under your policy through applicable policy language or endorsement. The scope of that protection depends on the actual policy wording.

Can you issue Certificates of Insurance?

For policies serviced through Briteline, our team can provide Certificates of Insurance and process applicable certificate requests based on the policy and carrier procedures. Requested endorsements must actually be provided by the policy or carrier; a certificate itself cannot create coverage.

Does general liability cover my employees if they get hurt?

Employee work-related injuries are generally addressed through workers compensation coverage rather than commercial general liability insurance.

Does general liability cover mistakes in professional services?

Not necessarily. Businesses providing advice, consulting or professional services may need professional liability or errors and omissions insurance for those exposures.

Can I package general liability with other coverage?

Yes. Many eligible businesses can combine general liability with commercial property and other coverages through a Business Owners Policy or Commercial Package Policy. The appropriate structure depends on the business and available carrier.

Protect Your Business Before a Claim Tests It.

Tell Briteline what your business does, where you operate and what insurance requirements you need to meet. We'll compare available general liability options and help build coverage around your actual operations.