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Insurance for roofing contractors

General liability, workers compensation, commercial auto and tools coverage for roofers in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma — written by an agency that knows the class is hard to place.

Review my roofing coverageCall 417.623.8300Certificates issued immediately upon binding.

Roofing is a hard class, and that is the point

Height, heat, power tools and weather exposure make roofing one of the more difficult classes to insure. Plenty of carriers decline it outright, and the ones that write it price it accordingly.

That difficulty is also why an independent agency matters more here than in almost any other trade. One submission can go to the markets that actually want roofing work rather than collecting declines one company at a time.

What a roofer needs

General liability, including completed operations. Roofing claims frequently surface after the job — a leak discovered the following spring, interior water damage traced back to a flashing detail. Completed operations is the part that responds, and it is the part general contractors ask to see. Workers compensation. In Missouri, construction employers generally need coverage at one or more employees rather than five. Roofing class codes carry some of the highest rates in the system, which makes correct classification and clean payroll records worth real money. Commercial auto for trucks and trailers, plus hired and non-owned for crew running to the supply house in their own vehicles. Tools and equipment on an inland marine policy. Compressors, nail guns, ladders, jacks and safety equipment live on job sites and in trucks, not at your described premises — which is where commercial property coverage stops. Installation floater for materials delivered to a job and not yet installed, which on a reroof can be a substantial value sitting in a driveway overnight.

The two things that cost roofers the most

Uninsured subcontractors. If a sub cannot produce a workers compensation certificate for the period they worked, those payments can land on your payroll at audit and be rated at a roofing class — one of the most expensive outcomes in commercial insurance. The certificate rule that prevents it. Damage to your own work. General liability generally covers damage your faulty work causes to other property, but not the cost of redoing the defective work itself. On a reroof that distinction decides whether a claim pays. How the exclusions apply depends on the policy form, the work and who performed it.

Certificates and GC requirements

We issue certificates immediately upon binding, by phone or email, and send them directly to the general contractor, property owner or lender. A slow certificate costs you the start date.

Contracts commonly require additional insured status including completed operations, primary and non-contributory wording, and waivers of subrogation. Agreeing to those in a contract does not make your policy comply. Send us the contract before you sign it.

Storm chasing, and why carriers ask

Carriers will ask what share of your work is storm restoration, how far you travel from home, whether you use subcontracted crews, and whether you do commercial or only residential. Those answers affect both eligibility and price.

Honest answers get better placements. A carrier that learns about a storm-chasing operation after a claim is a carrier that non-renews.

Common questions

Can you insure a roofing contractor?

Yes. Roofing is a hard class and many carriers decline it, which is exactly why being independent matters — we take one submission to the markets that write roofing instead of collecting declines.

Do I need workers comp for a roofing crew in Missouri?

Construction employers generally need coverage at one or more employees rather than five, with some exceptions depending on entity type and owner treatment. Call us with your headcount and structure.

Are my tools covered at the job site?

Generally not under commercial property, which is tied to your described premises. Tools and equipment away from your location typically need inland marine coverage.

Does my policy cover a leak that shows up months later?

That is what completed operations coverage is for, and it is why contracts often require additional insured status including completed operations. Whether a specific claim is covered depends on the policy form and the circumstances.

How fast can I get a certificate?

Immediately upon binding. We send it straight to whoever needs it.

Review my contractor coverage

Tools, subcontractors, GC requirements and certificates. Send what you have and we will tell you what is missing.