Insurance for commercial roofing contractors
Commercial roofing brings larger buildings, hot work, occupied businesses below and contracts that dictate your insurance line by line. We place commercial and flat-roof contractors with carriers that write the class and meet the contract.
Single-ply, built-up, modified bitumen, metal and coatings.
What makes commercial roofing different
Hot work
Torches, kettles and heat welders start fires that are found hours after the crew leaves. Carriers price, restrict or exclude it, and many require a documented fire watch.
Occupied buildings
Water entering a store, office or warehouse damages inventory and equipment and interrupts the tenant's business. Those claims run far larger than a residential interior.
Contract requirements
Owners and general contractors specify limits, endorsements and wording. If your policy cannot provide them, you are in breach of contract before the job starts.
Equipment and materials
Hoists, welders and kettles, and materials stored on site or loaded on the roof before installation, need their own coverage.
Fumes and pollutants
Adhesives, primers, coatings and asphalt fumes can lead to injury claims that a standard liability policy excludes as pollution.
Multiple trades on site
An injury to another contractor's employee often ends up as a claim against the roofer whose work area it was.
Insurance terms commercial contracts ask for
Send us the insurance section of the contract before you sign it. These are the terms that most often cannot be met by a low-cost roofing policy:
| Contract term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Additional insured, ongoing and completed operations | The owner and general contractor are covered under your policy during the work and after it is finished. Many policies provide only the first. |
| Primary and non-contributory | Your policy pays first, before the owner's or general contractor's own insurance. |
| Waiver of subrogation | Your insurer gives up the right to recover from the other parties after paying a claim. |
| Per-project aggregate | Your policy limit applies separately to each job, so one claim elsewhere does not use up the limit for this one. |
| Umbrella or excess limits | Total limits above your primary policy, often several million dollars on larger buildings. |
| Completed operations period | How long after the job you must keep coverage in force, commonly several years. |
Check the umbrella too. An umbrella does not always cover everything the primary policy does. Confirm that it follows the additional insured and hot work coverage beneath it.
Torch-down and heat application
If you do torch-applied or hot-process work, tell us exactly how much and on what kinds of buildings. Underwriters want to see a written procedure, and most policies that cover hot work make that procedure a condition of coverage. A typical one includes:
- A fire watch that stays on the roof for a set time after the last flame is out
- Charged extinguishers within reach of each torch
- No torching near flashings, penetrations or combustible edges without protection
- A daily log signed by the foreman
Keep the logs. If there is a fire, they are how you show the condition was met. The exact requirements are in your policy, and they differ by carrier.
From bid to certificate
Review the contract
We read the insurance requirements before you sign and tell you what your policy can and cannot provide.
Market the account
We approach the specialty carriers that write commercial and hot-work roofing with a complete submission.
Build the tower
Primary liability, umbrella, auto, equipment and pollution, with limits and endorsements matched to your contracts.
Certificates and bonds
Same-day certificates with the endorsements attached, plus bid and performance bonds for the work that requires them.
Commercial roofing insurance questions
Do I need a separate policy for commercial and residential work?
Not always, but many carriers write only one or the other. If you do both, the policy must be classified and rated for both. A policy written for residential roofing may not respond to a commercial claim.
Does a manufacturer's roof warranty replace insurance?
No. A manufacturer's warranty covers the roofing system under its own terms. It does not cover injuries, damage to the building's contents or your liability as the installer.
The project has an owner-controlled insurance program. Am I covered?
A wrap-up program covers enrolled contractors for work at that project site, with limits and exclusions of its own. Your own policy may exclude wrap-up projects, and off-site work and completed operations may not be covered by either. Ask us to review both.
Can you provide bonds for public work?
Yes. We place bid, performance and payment bonds along with the insurance, and can tell you early what bonding capacity your financials support.
Insurance that meets your commercial contracts
Tell us the basics and a roofing specialist will follow up. If you have a contract in hand, we will review its insurance section.
- Carriers that write flat-roof and hot work
- Contract requirements reviewed before you sign
- Umbrella limits and bonds placed together
Coverage descriptions are general summaries for education. They are not legal, tax or coverage advice, a statement of coverage, an offer or a binder. Coverage, limits, pricing and eligibility are governed by the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies issued and are subject to underwriting. Policy wording varies by carrier, so read your own policy or ask us to review it with you.