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Small Business General Liability Insurance Policy Information

Small Business General Liability Insurance

Small Business General Liability Insurance. General liability insurance is a type of insurance that protects a business from claims related to accidents or injuries that occur on their property or as a result of their operations. This type of insurance can cover medical expenses, property damage, legal fees, and other costs associated with such claims.

It is often required by law for businesses to have general liability insurance, especially if they have employees or customers on their premises. This insurance can provide financial protection for a business in the event of a liability claim, helping to protect the business's assets and reputation.

General liability insurance can also cover claims related to defamation, false advertising, or other damage to a third party's reputation. It can also provide coverage for products that are sold or provided by the business, in the event that a product causes injury or damage to a consumer.

Small business general liability insurance policy coverage pays for cost of third-party lawsuits over slip-and-fall injuries, property damage and more. Get a fast and affordable quote today.

Below are some answers to commonly asked business general liability insurance questions:


What Is Small Business General Liability Insurance Insurance?

Small Business General Liability Insurance is a type of insurance that provides financial protection for small businesses in the event of third-party claims or lawsuits.

This insurance covers costs associated with bodily injury, property damage, personal injury, and advertising injury that may occur as a result of the business's operations, products, or services.

It also covers the costs of defense against these claims, which can include legal fees and settlement costs.

This insurance is designed to help small businesses mitigate the financial risks associated with potential liability claims and lawsuits, which can be financially devastating for a small business.

How Much Does Small Business General Liability Insurance Cost?

The average price of a standard $1,000,000/$2,000,000 Small Business General Liability Insurance policy ranges from $27 to $59 per month based on location, services offered, payroll, sales and experience.

The cost of your small business general liability insurance coverage is determined by various factors. They include the business type, location of your business, the total number of employees in your business, as well as the risk level your business is exposed to.

For example a roofer working on a roof faces much higher risks than an accountant sitting in an office behind a desk.


In our litigious society, more and more businesses are being sued due to issues like libel, slander, property damage, and bodily injury, just to name a few.

Apart from that, businesses can be sued even when they have not done anything wrong. That is why your business requires general liability insurance coverage. You can get a CGL policy quote online fairly easily... for most business types.

What Does Small Business General Liability Insurance Cover?

A commercial general liability policy provides the insured with protection against legal liability for which the law provides money damages as a possible remedy. This liability may arise out of actions of the insured or the insured's employees, or the actions of others, for which the liability for which is assumed by the insured through contracts.

Commercial general liability insurance coverage is often called "third party" coverage, because the insurance policy is a contract between the insured and insurer (first and second parties) to pay for loss to a third party (insureds customer, client, patron etc.) caused by the insured's tortious acts.

General liability insurance pays for the bodily injury or property damage losses the policyholder may cause to others (3rd party) up to the policy's coverage limit. This insurance typically covers any legal expenses and court costs needed to defend the claim. Some of these liabilities arise from:

  • the ownership and maintenance of premises
  • the conduct of a business or operation
  • the manufacture, distribution or selling of a product
  • completed operations
  • work done by independent contractors or subcontractors
  • liabilities assumed by contract

The insurance company pays amounts the insured is legally obligated to pay as damages due to bodily injury or property damage that the insurance policy covers. It also has the right and duty to defend the insured against lawsuits that seek those damages. At its option, the insurance company can investigate any claim and settle any lawsuit that may result.

Businesses are inherently risky. The good news is that some of the risks can be protected. Small business general liability insurance helps to safeguard your company against various known and unknown risks.

Some of the areas in your business that are covered by small business general liability insurance include:

  • Property damage and bodily injury: The property damage and bodily injury helps to protect your business against various business claims as well as claims alleging financial loss as a result of bodily injury or property damage, occurring out of your products or business operations. Slip an fall is covered here.
  • Advertising errors: This protects your business from certain claims where others claim that your business has infringed on certain copyrights when advertising your goods, services or products.
  • Reputational harm: The reputational harm protects your business against claims of malicious prosecution, false arrest, slander, libel, wrongful eviction and violation of privacy rights, just to name a few.
  • Damage to rented premises: This helps to protect your company from certain claims that might occur during your business operations. This may be occasioned by lightning, fire or explosion.
  • Medical payments: Small business general liability insurance will protect your business against medical claims brought forward, when someone gets injured in your business premises and requires medical treatment.


Some clients might also need you to agree to a certain level of general liability before you can provide goods or services to them. With general liability insurance, such issues are adequately handled.

What Doesn't Small Business General Liability Cover?

Every insurance coverage form or policy has certain exclusions and limitations. This is because only specific types of businesses need the coverage or the risk or exposure to loss is not considered insurable for some reason. Some bodily injury and property damage liability exclusions are:

  • Aircraft, Auto, or Watercraft
  • Damage to Property
  • Distribution of Material in Violation of Statutes
  • Expected or Intended Injury
  • Liquor Liability
  • Mobile Equipment
  • Pollution
  • Recall of Products, Work, or Impaired Property
  • War
  • Workers Compensation


What Are Common General Liability Insurance Coverage Gaps?

 Commercial General Liability Insurance Coverage Gaps
No Coverage For Joint Ventures

The standard general liability policy does not provide liability coverage for any person or organization with respect to any unnamed joint venture. Only joint ventures that are listed in the policy declarations as named insureds have insured status.

No newly acquired or formed joint ventures are covered unless the insurer agrees to provide coverage and the entities are listed on the policy.

Not Providing Additional Insured Status

A potential gap in coverage exists when a named insured agrees to make some other party an additional insured, but the other party is never added as such to the named insured's policy.

This situation not only creates a lack of coverage for the additional insured but also exposes the named insured to a breach of contract situation since it is contractually obligated to provide the coverage to the other party.

This is true because many business contracts often require one of the contracting parties to make the other party an insured under one or more of the first party's insurance policies.

No Coverage For Newly Acquired Companies

Newly acquired organizations have limited coverage under the standard commercial general liability policy:

  • Some types of newly acquired organizations are not automatically covered. Newly acquired partnerships, joint ventures, and limited liability companies (LLCs) are not covered at all unless they are listed on the policy with the insurer's permission.
  • The standard CGL covers new entities only if the named insured owns them or has a majority interest in them.
  • Automatic coverage applies for a limited time period. There is always the danger that a new entity's coverage will expire if the insurer is not notified within the required time frame. If a claim or suit is filed against the new company before the oversight is recognized, the insured may incur an uncovered loss.


Improperly Relying On Fire Legal Liability Coverage

This involves coverage for damage to premises rented by an insured. The general liability policy includes a benefit traditionally referred to as fire legal liability "coverage." Subject to a sublimit of $100,000, which may be increased, this benefit protects a tenant against liability arising out of fire damage to rented premises.

Coverage gaps may occur when policyholders attempt to use this liability coverage as a substitute for property insurance. Gaps may also occur if the insured has contractually agreed to be liable for rented premises.

No "Loss of Electronic Data" Coverage

Many businesses might find that they have inadvertently damaged another party's electronic data.

They might also be surprised to discover that the standard commercial general liability policy does not cover damage to electronic data unless an endorsement has been added.


What Does General Liability Insurance Cover & Pay For?

 General Liability Insurance Claim Form

Here are some examples of General Liability Insurance claims and how the insurance can help pay for a lawsuit: Slip and fall accidents: If a customer slips and falls on your business premises, they could file a lawsuit against you for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. General Liability Insurance can help cover these costs.

  • Property damage: If you or your employees accidentally damage someone else's property, such as a client's car, General Liability Insurance can help pay for the repairs or replacement.
  • Product liability: If you manufacture or sell a product that causes harm to a customer, they could file a lawsuit against you for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. General Liability Insurance can help cover these costs.
  • Advertising injury: If you or your business is accused of false advertising, trademark infringement, or other types of unfair competition, General Liability Insurance can help cover the costs of defending against a lawsuit.
  • Personal injury: If someone is injured due to your negligence, such as a dog bite or a physical altercation, General Liability Insurance can help cover their medical bills and other damages.
  • Libel or slander: If you or your employees make false statements that harm someone's reputation, they could file a lawsuit against you for libel or slander. General Liability Insurance can help cover the costs of defending against such lawsuits.

In each of these cases, General Liability Insurance can help protect your business from financial ruin by covering the costs of defending against lawsuits and paying out damages or settlements if necessary.

'Real Life' Court Cases Involving General Liability Policies:

Insurance Legal Cases
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Plaintiff V. The Transcontinental Insurance Company Et Al

An automobile driven on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was allegedly struck by an unidentified car and catapulted through a barricade at an underpass construction site. One workman at the site was killed and another seriously injured. They were employees of an industrial painting firm which was hired under a subcontract to paint three bridges on the turnpike. The widow of the deceased worker and the injured man sued the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, among others, alleging that the safety plan for night work was negligently designed and maintained by PTC.

PTC had been named an additional insured under the painting firm's general liability insurance, pursuant to the subcontract. The insurer eventually undertook defense but denied indemnification for any settlement or judgment that might be made.

PTC brought a declaratory action seeking clarification of the coverage with respect to the lawsuits brought against it; both parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment. Each paid half of a negotiated settlement amount and agreed that the successful party would be reimbursed by the other when the coverage questions were resolved.

The insurer acknowledged that the turnpike commission was an additional insured under the policy with respect to negligence on the part of the named insured, but not for its own "independent acts" of negligence.

An additional insured endorsement amended the policy definition of "insured" to include "....the person or organization shown in the Schedule, but only with respect to liability arising out of 'your work' for that insured by or for you." PTC argued that "arising out of" extended the coverage to liability that was created by the subcontractor's contractual obligations. It said that the injuries were clearly associated with contractual obligations of the named insured to perform its work. court determined that the pertinent language was sufficiently broad to cover not only claims directly resulting from the named insured's work but also "causally related incidents." This embraced the claims alleging "independent negligence" on PTC's part that would not have developed except for the contract and the painting firm's work.

The plaintiff PTC's motion for summary judgment was granted; that of the insurer was denied.

(Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Plaintiff V. The Transcontinental Insurance Company Et Al., Defendants. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. No. 94-5939. August 7, 1995. CCH 1995 Fire and Casualty Cases, Paragraph 5409.)

The Travelers Insurance Company, Appellant V. Aetna Life And Casualty Company, Appellee
General Liability Insurance Claims

This case proves helpful in defining "loading or unloading" and in determining how automobile liability insurance and general liability insurance respond, respectively, to claims arising from such commercial operations.

A business engaged in the transportation of elderly and handicapped people by vans equipped for the purpose carried its automobile liability insurance in one major insurer and its general liability insurance in another. The estate of an elderly lady sued the insured for damages resulting from injuries suffered by the lady and her subsequent death. Two employees had strapped her in her wheelchair in her upstairs bedroom and carried her downstairs to the front porch of her residence, toward a parked van for transportation to an adult day-care center. One of the employees lost his footing on the porch, and the wheelchair tumbled down the porch steps to the pavement below with the woman in it.

Each insurer filed a motion for summary judgment in its favor, the issue being the application of the two policies in the circumstances. The automobile policy, under liability coverage, defined a covered "accident" to include "....the loading or unloading of an auto." The general liability policy contained an exclusion for "loading or unloading of....any automobile...." Appeal followed the trial court's granting of the motion by the general liability insurer and denying that of the automobile liability carrier "on the ground that the accident arose out of the 'loading' of the van."

The appeal court cited three prior Massachusetts cases in which it formulated its position on the issue at hand. It stated that it "has adopted the 'complete operation' rule and rejected the narrower 'coming to rest' doctrine in construing such 'loading and unloading' clauses in automobile liability insurance policies." It said that it defined the operation of unloading as "a continuous transaction ending with the deposit of the goods in the hands of the purchaser." It was concluded that the attendants were "in the process" of loading the lady into the van.

The order of the trial court was affirmed that denied the motion of the automobile liability insurer for declaratory relief and that allowed the motion of the general liability insurer for summary judgment. The appeal court said that, whereas the "loading and unloading" language was similar in both policies, it must be interpreted in the same manner in the general liability policy, where it was an exclusion.

(The Travelers Insurance Company, Appellant V. Aetna Life And Casualty Company, Appellee. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Middlesex. June 4, 1991. 410 Mass. 1002, 571 N.E.2d 1383. CCH 1991-92 Fire and Casualty Cases, Paragraph 3392.)

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Small Business Insurance By Industry And/Or Type

Select the general industry or small business insurance type link below to find more detailed information on coverage, costs, exclusions and more:


Advertising, Marketing and Media

Learn about media liability insurance - a specialized form of professional liability insurance policy that provides protection for legal claims brought by third parties.


Agribusiness

Learn about small business agribusiness insurance - a type of commercial insurance protects farmers against loss of, or damage to crops or livestock.


Arts and Recreation

Read up on small business arts and recreation insurance.


Auto Sales, Service And Repair

Read about auto sales, service & repair insurance, which provides protection for damages done to customers vehicle's and other property as well as injuries resulting from the work done.


Aviation

Learn about aircraft and aviation liability insurance - a specialized form insurance that provides coverage for hull losses as well as liability for passenger injuries, environmental damage and third-party damage caused by aircraft accidents.


Bonds

Learn about surety and fidelity bonds which are types of insurance that are used to protect against damage or loss in commercial transactions.


Children And Pets

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Commercial Property

Read up on commercial property insurance coverage, including how business property insurance protects your company's building's and/or their contents from damage, destruction, theft and vandalism.


Construction Contractors

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Contractors And Home Improvement

Learn about contractor's insurance, including what it covers, how much it costs - and how business insurance can help protect your small business from lawsuits.


Education, Colleges, Universities And Schools

Learn about insurance for educators that helps protecting your professional reputation and other legal liabilities arising from your educational services.


Financial Institutions

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Food And Drink

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Health And Beauty

Learn about small business health and beauty insurance coverages that help protect tattoo artists, salons, spas, estheticians, cosmetologists, barbers, hairdressers, nail salons and more from legal liability.


Information Technology And Internet

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Local, State And Federal Government

Discover what types of commercial insurance government entities need.

Lodging Places

Find out what types of business insurance that hotels, motels and other lodging places should have to protect their varied operations.

Manufacturing

Learn all about manufacturing insurance. Manufacturers face many unique risks such as product liability and/or product recall exposures due to the nature of their business operations.


Marine, Boat And Watercraft

Learn about marine, boat and watercraft insurance - a specialized form insurance that provides coverage for hull losses, cargo losses as well as liability for passenger injuries, environmental damage, and third-party damage caused by watercraft accidents.


Medical And Dental

Discover small business insurance for medical and dental professionals. Medical malpractice insurance is a type of professional liability policy that protects health care professionals from liability causing in bodily injury, medical expenses and property damage.


Miscellaneous

Find informative articles on miscellaneous businesses including the types of insurance policies and coverage they need, costs and other considerations.


Non-Profit

Find useful articles on business insurance for non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, charities and associations.


Professional Services

Get informed about professional services insurance, including Professional liability, aka errors and omissions (E&O insurance), that protects your small business against claims that a professional service you provided caused your client financial loss.


Real Estate

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Retail

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Small Business Commercial Auto

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Small Business Insurance

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Sports And Fitness

Learn about sports & fitness insurance policies and what they cover so that your customers, employees, and equipment are protected.


Warehouse And Storage

Learn about warehouse and storage insurance - which protects storage and warehouse facilities and protects their inventory from property damage from fire and weather, vandalism and theft and liability coverage as well.


Wholesale And Distribution

Read informative articles on wholesale distribution insurance. Distributors and wholesalers face specific risks including fire, flood and weather damage that can destroy products in the distribution center - and every part of the supply chain including late supplier shipments to unpaid invoices - can effect the entire operation.


Workers Compensation

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Small Business General Liability Insurance Information

Additional Resources For Small Business Insurance

Small Business Commercial Insurance

Your small business faces many potential disasters including: fire, floods, theft, equipment breakdown, lawsuits from clients or customers and current & former employees. Any many other risks you haven't even thought about.

A small business commercial insurance program should provide protection for both larger and smaller disasters. The obvious things like fire, flood and theft most business owners think about... but what if a hacker infects your computers with a virus - and files containing private customer information like credit card and Social Security numbers are stolen?

Who is going to pay to fix your customers credit rating etc...? Will your insurance pay for the cost? You need to know that.

Your commercial insurance program should cover events that can close down your company, or cause it to lose revenue. Anything less than that is not enough coverage. Commmercial insurance doesn't cover everything, and all policies have exclusions and limits.

You need a written plan that allows you to get your operations back up and running as quick as possible.



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The commercial insurance content available on this page is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or financial advice.

General Liability Insure does not warrant or make any representations regarding the usefulness of or the expected results of the material contained on this website. You should contact your attorney, accountant and/or financial adviser to obtain advice with respect to any particular commercial insurance question, claim or issue.
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