Coverage
Every coverage, explained the way we explain it on the phone.
Ten pages. Each one starts with a scenario from a real job, then the exclusions in plain English, then the tradeoff we would usually make and why.
The ten
In the order most contractors buy them.
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Coverage 1 of 10General liability
Pays when your work hurts someone else or their property. The one every GC asks about first. What it does on your job -
Coverage 2 of 10Commercial auto
Covers the dump truck, the plow truck, and the crew pickup on the road. Personal auto typically won't. What it does on your job -
Coverage 3 of 10Contractor's equipment (inland marine)
Insures your own iron: theft, rollover, fire, transit. Pays what you scheduled, so the schedule matters. What it does on your job -
Coverage 4 of 10Workers' compensation
Pays your employee's medical and lost wages when they get hurt. Required at the first hire in Colorado. What it does on your job -
Coverage 5 of 10Umbrella and excess
Stacks on top of GL, auto, and employer's liability for the claim that blows past $1M. What it does on your job -
Coverage 6 of 10Pollution liability
Covers the fuel spill, the brine runoff, the herbicide drift. GL excludes all three under most forms. What it does on your job -
Coverage 7 of 10Builder's risk and installation floater
Insures the wall, the pavers, and the pipe before the owner accepts them. Your equipment policy doesn't. What it does on your job -
Coverage 8 of 10Commercial property and BOP
Insures the shop, the yard, the tool crib. A BOP bundles it if your outfit fits. Most dirt outfits don't. What it does on your job -
Coverage 9 of 10Bonds
A bond is credit, not insurance. License, permit, and performance bonds, and how you build capacity. What it does on your job -
Coverage 10 of 10Cyber and employment practices
Wire fraud, ransomware, wrongful termination. Neither is required, and some three-person crews still need one. What it does on your job
Read this first
Two things to know before you read. First, a coverage is not a product you pick off a shelf; it is a policy form with exclusions, and the form controls. Second, the order above is the order most excavation, landscaping, and snow removal contractors in Colorado end up buying them. Start at the top.
Sorting it by trade
Not sure which bucket you are in? Who we serve sorts it by trade, and the glossary covers the terms a GC or HOA will throw at you.
Which of these do I actually need?
Most dirt, landscape, and snow outfits carry general liability, commercial auto, equipment coverage, and workers comp, then add an umbrella when a contract asks for it. The rest depends on what you do and who you sign with. Here is how we figure that out.
Can you look at what I already have?
Yes. Send us your dec pages and we will tell you what is missing, what is over-scheduled, and what your contracts are asking for that is not there. Policy review.
Do you quote coverage online?
No, on purpose. Commercial coverage for this kind of work has to be built around the operation: equipment list, payroll, routes, contracts. That takes a fifteen-minute conversation, not a form with a price at the end.
Statutes and numbers on this page last verified September 2, 2026 by a licensed Colorado producer. How we verify.