General Liability Insurance
General liability covers third-party injury and property damage tied to your fencing jobs — a neighbor's sprinkler line hit while digging post holes, a passerby injured by an open trench, or damage to a client's landscaping. It's the baseline policy almost every fencing contract requires.
General Liability for Fencing Contractors
General liability (GL) is the foundation of a fencing contractor's insurance program. It responds to third-party claims of bodily injury and property damage arising from your job sites and operations — the utility line nicked while augering post holes, the fence panel that falls and damages a parked car, or a customer who trips over material staged in their yard.
What GL Covers
- Job-site bodily injury: A customer, neighbor, or bystander hurt around your work area
- Property damage: Damage to a client's landscaping, driveway, irrigation lines, or existing structures while you install or remove fencing
- Products-completed operations: Base coverage for claims tied to the fence after the job is done (layered with dedicated completed operations coverage)
- Personal & advertising injury: Disputes over advertising claims or property-line marketing
- Medical payments: Minor injury costs handled without a lawsuit
Why Fencing Contractors Need It
Beyond the everyday risk of a post-hole auger catching a hidden line or a gate swinging into a vehicle, GL is the policy your customers and general contractors contractually demand. HOAs, commercial property managers, and general contractors routinely require a certificate of insurance — typically $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate — and to be named as additional insured before they'll let you on the property.
What GL Does NOT Cover
GL does not cover your own tools and equipment (tools & equipment / inland marine), employee injuries (workers compensation), your trucks and trailers (commercial auto), or a fence that fails months after installation due to workmanship (completed operations, layered on top of GL). It's third-party job-site coverage — one piece of a complete fencing contractor program we build around you.
What's Covered
Frequently Asked Questions
How much general liability insurance does a fencing contractor need?
$1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate is the standard most homeowners, HOAs, property managers, and general contractors require before you can start work. Larger commercial fencing jobs sometimes require higher limits backed by a commercial umbrella.
Does general liability cover damage to a utility line while digging post holes?
Yes, in most cases — third-party property damage from a struck utility line during normal fencing operations is a core GL exposure. Always call 811 before digging; a documented locate request also helps demonstrate reasonable care if a claim happens.