Insurance Built for Your Trade — Not a One-Size-Fits-All Policy
It's 7am. You've got a crew to manage, a job to start, and your GC just asked for a COI with language you've never heard of. The paperwork is confusing. The hold music is endless. The fine print is fine — until it's not. We fix all three.
We Know What Every Trade Actually Needs — And We Write the Policy to Match
Running a business is complicated. Insurance shouldn't be — but generic "contractor coverage" almost always misses the gaps that matter. Here's what we handle for each trade.
Landscaping & Lawn Care
Mower debris hitting a client's car is the number one GL claim in landscaping. Add in equipment theft, pesticide liability, and snow plow exposure — your policy needs to cover what actually happens on the job.
Debris damage to cars, windows, and property
Pesticide drift — standard GL won't cover it
Equipment stolen off trailers overnight
Workers' comp class code traps (9102 vs. 0042)
Snow plow exclusions on summer GL policies
HIC registration requires $500K GL + bond (NJ, PA, CT, MD all have similar requirements)
A single burst pipe can cause $200K+ in water damage — and that claim can land months after you finish the job. Plumbers need completed operations coverage that actually holds up, plus protection for gas line work and underground utilities.
Water damage severity — one job can exceed limits
Completed operations claims months after the work
Gas line incidents — often excluded without endorsement
Underground utility damage from excavation
State plumber license requires $500K GL + surety bond
Year-end WC audit surprises from sub misclassification
Electrical fires can start months after the work is done — that's what makes completed operations the most important coverage for electricians. Add in high-value tool vans, NJ's strict W-2 requirement, and NYC-metro umbrella demands, and you need an agent who gets the details right.
Delayed-discovery fire claims — the #1 catastrophic risk
Completed operations gaps from carrier endorsements
Tool theft from vans — $10K–$50K+ at risk
Most states require W-2 classification for workers on active job sites
NYC-metro jobs need $2M+ GL and $5M umbrella
Solar panel work often excluded without endorsement
A refrigerant leak classified as a pollution event. A furnace that fills a home with CO months after install. A service contract that creates ongoing duty of care. HVAC has more coverage landmines than almost any other trade — most of them hiding inside standard GL policies.
Refrigerant releases — excluded by standard GL pollution clauses
CO incidents — can be treated as pollution by some carriers
Completed operations claims months after installation
WC code splits: 5537 (install) vs. 8227 (service techs)
State HVAC license + EPA 608 certification required
Service contract liability creates ongoing duty of care
Roofing has some of the highest GL and WC premiums in the trades — because the exposure is real. One fall, one water intrusion claim, one completed-operations lawsuit months after the job closes. You need a policy written for roofing, not a standard GL that excludes everything above 15 feet.
Fall liability — OSHA exposure on every elevated job
Completed operations claims for leaks and water damage
Masonry and concrete work involves heavy equipment, vibration damage to neighboring structures, and excavation exposure that standard GL policies often exclude. Whether you're pouring foundations, laying block, or doing flatwork — your policy needs to match the actual risk on the job.
Vibration damage to adjacent structures — often excluded
Excavation liability for underground utilities
Heavy equipment — mixers, saws, compactors need coverage
Completed operations for cracking and settling claims
Silica dust exposure — requires specific carrier
Foundation work creates long-tail liability exposure
From rough framing to finish carpentry, the liability exposure changes completely based on what you build. A framer on new construction carries different risks than a cabinet installer working in occupied homes. Your coverage needs to reflect what you actually do — not just "carpentry."
Painting looks low-risk until a drop cloth catches fire, a ladder goes through a window, or a client claims your fumes caused property damage. Add in lead paint exposure on pre-1978 homes and you need more coverage than most assume — at prices still among the most affordable in the trades.
Lead paint/pollution liability for pre-1978 structures
Property damage to client interiors and furnishings
Overspray claims on neighboring property
Ladder and scaffold falls — WC required with any employees
Commercial painting often requires $2M aggregate
Fume/VOC damage — excluded by some standard GL carriers
Insurance jargon isn't helpful. Here's a plain-English breakdown of the coverages contractors in New Jersey typically need — and why each one matters.
General Liability
Covers damage you cause to someone else's property and injuries to third parties on a job site. If your mower throws a rock through a window, your plumbing work floods a basement, or your wiring causes damage — GL responds. NJ requires $300K–$500K minimum depending on trade, but commercial clients want $1M+.
Workers' Compensation
Mandatory in NJ with even one employee. Covers medical bills and lost wages if a worker gets hurt on the job — back injuries, falls, burns, electrocution. Without it, you're personally liable and your license is at risk. Proper class code assignment prevents surprise audit bills at year-end.
Commercial Auto
Your personal auto policy doesn't cover vehicles used for business — period. Commercial auto covers your trucks, vans, and work vehicles for liability, collision, and comprehensive. Landscaping trailers, plumbing service vans, electrician box trucks — if you drive it for work, it needs a commercial policy.
Tools & Equipment
Inland marine coverage protects the tools of your trade — on your truck, at the job site, or in transit. Standard GL doesn't cover equipment theft or damage. Pipe cameras, hydro-jetters, wire pullers, mowers, and everything in the van — if it gets stolen or damaged, this is the policy that pays.
Umbrella / Excess Liability
Picks up where your GL, auto, and workers comp limits leave off. A $200K+ water damage claim or an electrical fire that totals a building can blow past your primary limits fast. Most commercial GCs require $1M–$5M umbrella before they'll let you on the job. And the premium? Often only $300–$1,500/year for a million dollars of extra protection.
Completed Operations
Part of your GL, but worth calling out: this covers claims that come in after the job is finished. Plumbers, this covers the pipe joint that fails three months later. Electricians, this covers the fire traced back to your wiring six months out. Check that your policy doesn't cap or restrict this coverage — many do through endorsements you'll never notice until a claim hits.
Why CanDo
An Independent Agent Who Actually Understands Contractors
You've got enough going on. We'll handle this part — with the speed, knowledge, and access you need.
We Shop Multiple Carriers for You
As an independent agency, we're not locked into one company. We quote your coverage across 20+ carriers — including Nationwide, NEXT, Hiscox, BiBerk, USLI, Hartford, Travelers, and specialty markets — to find the best combination of price, coverage, and reliability.
Same-Day Certificates of Insurance
Contractors lose jobs waiting on COIs. We deliver certificates the same day you need them — with the additional insured language, waiver of subrogation, and specific limits your GC or client requires. Fast COIs are table stakes for us.
Local — Not an 800-Number
We're based in the NJ/PA area and know the local landscape — NJ HIC registration, BEEC licensing requirements, NJ DEP pesticide applicator rules, NJ workers comp class codes. When you call, you talk to a real person who knows your market.
We Know Your Trade, Not Just Your Industry
We know the difference between WC class code 9102 and 0042. We know plumbers need underground utility endorsements. We know electricians need strong completed operations limits. We build programs around the actual risks of your trade — not a generic "contractor" template.
No Audit Surprises
We walk you through how workers' comp audits work before you buy the policy — not after you get a surprise bill. We help you set up payroll tracking so your year-end audit is predictable, not painful.
Claims Advocacy
When something goes wrong on a job, we go to bat for you. We don't hand you an 800 number — we follow up, push for fair resolution, and make sure you're not left hanging when it matters most.
You Handle the Customers. We'll Handle the Coverage.
Click. Quote. Go back to your day. No jargon, no pressure, no obligation.
Most quotes come back the same day or within 24 hours. If you have basic info ready — your business name, trade, number of employees, and annual revenue — we can often quote you during a single phone call. No week-long back-and-forth.
It depends on your trade, number of employees, and revenue. Rough ranges for a small 2–5 employee operation: landscapers typically pay $3,500–$12,000/year for a full package (GL + WC + auto). Plumbers run $6,000–$18,000/year because workers' comp rates are higher. Electricians are in a similar range of $8,000–$18,000/year. Solo operators with GL only can start as low as $500–$2,500/year. We'll give you an exact number — no guesswork.
It varies by trade. Electricians need at least $300K GL for licensing. Plumbers need $500K GL plus a $3,000 surety bond. All trades doing residential home improvement need $500K GL and a compliance bond under the updated NJ HIC registration rules. Workers' comp is mandatory the moment you have one employee. But here's the reality: most commercial clients and GCs require $1M+ GL regardless of the state minimum, so the licensing floor is rarely enough to actually win work.
No. Personal auto policies specifically exclude vehicles used for business purposes. If you're hauling tools, driving between job sites, or have your business name on the vehicle, you need a commercial auto policy. If you get in an accident on the way to a job and only have personal auto, that claim gets denied.
No — GL covers damage you cause to other people's property, not your own equipment. If your pipe camera gets stolen from the van or your mower gets damaged in transit, you need an inland marine (tools and equipment) floater. This is one of the most common gaps we see, and adding it is usually only a few hundred dollars a year.
Workers' comp premiums are based on estimated payroll at the start of the year. At year-end, the carrier audits your actual payroll. If you had more employees or paid more than estimated, you owe additional premium. If you used 1099 subcontractors without their own workers' comp, those wages can be assigned to you at the highest class code rate — creating large surprise bills. We explain this upfront and help you track payroll so there are no shocks.
The trades you're in are severity businesses, not frequency businesses. A landscaper might go years without a claim — then a mower rock shatters a sliding glass door and injures a child. A plumber might never have a water damage issue — until a fitting fails in a multi-unit building and the claim hits $200K. An electrician might wire hundreds of panels perfectly — until one causes a fire six months later. One claim can exceed everything you've saved by going without. The right coverage is the cost of staying in business.
Online carriers (NEXT, Thimble, etc.) sell one company's policy with no customization. We shop 20+ carriers, compare pricing and coverage side-by-side, and build a program around your specific trade and operations. When you have a claim, you talk to us — not a chatbot. And when your GC needs a certificate with specific language by tomorrow morning, we make it happen. The price is often comparable or better because we have access to markets you can't reach on your own.
Free Quote
Most quotes returned same day — requests after 4pm handled first thing next morning.
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