General liability insurance in the Capital Region
The policy your landlord, your clients and your general contractor all ask to see. Here's what it actually covers, what it doesn't, and how to buy the right amount. I place it for shops, offices and contractors in Albany, Clifton Park, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady and Troy.
What general liability covers
- Bodily injury — a customer slips in your shop, a passer-by is hit by a falling tool, a client's employee is hurt on your job site.
- Property damage — you damage a client's building, a customer's car, a neighbor's property.
- Products and completed operations — harm caused by something you sold or work you finished, after the fact.
- Personal and advertising injury — libel, slander, copyright infringement in your advertising, wrongful eviction.
- Medical payments — small medical bills for injured non-employees paid without arguing over fault.
- Defense costs — the lawyers, paid on top of the limit in most policies, which is often the most valuable part.
What it doesn't cover
Every GL policy has exclusions, and this is where cheap quotes hide their price:
- Injuries to your own employees (see workers' compensation)
- Your own property, tools and stock (see property)
- Vehicles (see commercial auto)
- Bad advice or professional mistakes (see professional liability)
- Data breaches (see cyber)
- Liquor-related claims unless liquor liability is added
- Specific operations the carrier won't write — roofing, work over a certain height, certain products. These classification exclusions matter enormously for contractors.
Labor Law 240 and 241 change everything
New York's "Scaffold Law" (Labor Law §240) holds owners and contractors liable for height-related injuries on job sites where safety protection was inadequate, with very limited defenses. It's why contractor GL in New York costs more than anywhere else, why many carriers won't write it, and why the policy you're offered may quietly exclude the exact work you do. Read the contractors page before buying on price.
How it's priced
Premiums are based on your class of business (what you do), a rating basis — usually revenue, payroll or square footage — your location, limits, and claims history. Most policies are auditable: the carrier checks actual revenue or payroll at year end and adjusts the premium. Under-estimating to get a low quote just produces a bill later.
Standalone or in a BOP?
If you also own property — stock, equipment, a fit-out — a business owners policy bundles GL and property for less than buying them separately, and is what most shops, offices, salons and restaurants end up with. Standalone GL suits contractors and service businesses with little property, or businesses whose class doesn't qualify for a BOP.
What I need to quote
- What the business does, in your own words, and anything unusual about it.
- Estimated annual revenue and payroll.
- Location(s) and whether you own or lease.
- Years in business and any claims in the last five years.
- Who needs to be named as additional insured, and any contract wording.
Send those over or call and I'll come back with quotes from several carriers — and a plain explanation of what each one excludes.
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
Still have a question? Call (518) 902-8822 or book a call.
What limits do I need?
$1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate is the standard most landlords and contracts ask for. Some larger clients, municipalities and general contractors require $2 million / $4 million or an umbrella on top. Bring me the contract and I'll match it.
What is an additional insured?
A landlord, client or general contractor added to your policy so that your insurance responds if they're sued because of your work. Almost every commercial lease and subcontract requires it. It's added by endorsement and shown on the certificate of insurance.
Does general liability cover my employees' injuries?
No — that's workers' compensation, which New York requires separately. General liability covers injuries to people who aren't your employees: customers, passers-by, a client's staff.
Does it cover my own work if I have to redo it?
Generally no. GL covers damage your work causes to other things — a leaking pipe you installed damaging the client's floor — not the cost of redoing the pipe itself. That's a business risk, not an insured one.
How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?
Usually the same day once the policy is bound. Tell me who needs to be named and what wording they require; I'll add the endorsement the policy needs and issue a certificate that matches it.
Get a quote for your business
Tell me what you do, where, and roughly what payroll looks like. Quotes come from the private carriers I represent, usually within days.
Where I work
I'm based in Clifton Park and work in person across six counties, the four on the map plus Warren and Washington, or by phone.
Close to the Clifton Park office: Clifton Knolls, Country Knolls, Rexford, Vischer Ferry, Jonesville, Groom's Corners and Halfmoon across Route 9 — I'll come to you at home.
Auto, home and business insurance by town
Medicare has its own county and town pages.