Whether you’re installing residential shingles or managing commercial projects, the right roofing insurance protects your business. Risks like accidents, injuries and lawsuits are common in the industry and could otherwise be financially devastating.
In general, most roofers need several types of insurance coverage, including:
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General liability insurance. This pays out if someone sues you for causing injury or property damage at a job site. Your state or contracts may require it. Just watch out for exclusions .
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Workers’ compensation insurance. This is mandatory in most states to cover medical expenses and lost wages if an employee gets hurt on the job.
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Commercial auto insurance. Get this if you use a vehicle to transport materials and equipment to job sites.
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Inland marine coverage. This policy covers expensive equipment like pressure guns and ladders if they’re damaged or stolen.
You may also benefit from additional policies such as builder’s risk or professional liability insurance.
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Best insurance companies for roofing businesses
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How many complaints policyholders make to state insurance regulators.
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How financially strong insurance companies are, according to credit rating agencies.
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How easy it is to get a quote and buy a policy online.
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Whether the insurer offers policies tailored for contractors like roofing businesses.
Here are some of our top companies that serve roofing contractors and companies. We recommend getting multiple quotes to find the best coverage at the best price.
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What is roofing insurance?
Roofing insurance refers to several kinds of coverage that protect against the unique risks these businesses face. There’s no one official policy called “roofing insurance.”
As a roofing business owner, you have several risks to consider, including:
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Potential for falls and severe injuries on the job.
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Using specialized equipment that’s expensive to replace if stolen or destroyed.
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Damage to business property, such as office space or work vehicles.
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Lawsuits over mistakes in work quality, estimates or paperwork.
Business insurance protects you financially should any of these occur. Like other forms of construction, roofing is dangerous and many clients will require proof of insurance with minimum coverage limits.
Types of insurance coverage for roofing businesses
The policies and coverage limits you’ll need depend on:
At minimum, you’ll likely need general liability coverage, workers’ compensation and policies for your vehicles and equipment.
General liability insurance
General liability covers:
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Injuries and illnesses non-employees suffer due to your work or negligence.
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Property damage you accidentally cause on the job.
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Claims of libel, slander or copyright infringement in your marketing materials.
For example, say some shingles fall from the roof onto your client’s truck. General liability would pay for the damage. If they fell onto your client’s foot, the policy would pay for medical treatment and any potential lawsuit that arose from the accident.
Workers’ compensation insurance
Workers’ comp covers employees’ injuries or illnesses sustained on the job, including:
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Medical treatment for the injury or illness.
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Rehabilitation costs, such as physical or occupational therapy.
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An employee’s lost wages during recovery.
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Survivor benefits for the employee’s family if they die.
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Legal costs if your business is sued to the injury or illness.
Commercial auto insurance
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Property damage and injuries stemming from car accidents involving work vehicles. This includes costs you, employees or any third parties incur.
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Damage to your business vehicles from non-collision causes.
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Legal costs if you’re sued for an accident.
Say your employee’s car slides off the road. They sideswipe a concrete barrier, damaging it, the truck and a toolbox inside. Your commercial auto coverage pays for the truck’s damage, the toolbox and even the city’s concrete barrier — plus costs if you’re sued. Workers’ comp would cover the employee’s medical bills.
Inland marine or tools and equipment coverage
Tools and equipment coverage is a type of inland marine policy with narrower coverage. It’s often geared toward smaller contractors that mainly need to protect their tools. Inland marine is better for roofers with large volumes of building materials or heavy machinery.
Say someone steals your work van containing thousands of dollars worth of tools, including your brand-new nail gun. Tools and equipment coverage would pay to replace your equipment up to the limits in your policy. Your commercial auto policy would cover the van itself, but not the contents
A broader inland marine policy can cover installation materials, heavy machinery like cranes and other expensive equipment. If it includes installation coverage, inland marine also covers stolen job materials — coverage that may not be in a tools‑only policy.
Other types of insurance roofers may need
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Insurance policy |
Coverage details |
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Covers legal fees and judgments if you’re sued for mistakes, negligence or faulty workmanship. For example, this would pay if you’re sued due a serious delay or a leak in a recently installed roof. |
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Pays out if your business is temporarily shut due to physical damage to your equipment or property. For example, say there’s an off-hours electrical fire in your commercial office space and you shut down during the renovation. Business interruption can cover revenue, rent and payroll among other costs. |
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Provides liability coverage beyond your professional, general and commercial auto policies’ coverage. More likely a need for a large roofing business with property, vehicles and many employees. Say you’re sued for a car accident resulting in death and costs exceed your commercial auto policy. This policy would cover the remaining costs, up to its limits. |
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Combines general liability, business interruption and property coverage into one policy. This is generally a fit for smaller contractors, but check for roofing exclusions. |
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Bonds aren’t insurance, but they do provide a safety net for clients. Surety bonds may be required by your state or client and pay a set amount if you fail to complete a job. |
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Pays for damage to buildings under construction from events like fire, vandalism or weather. Usually the general contractor or developer buys this, not subcontractors. |
How much does roofing insurance cost?
Commercial and large residential roofers with more than $10 million in annual revenue pay an average of $18,000 for general liability insurance per year, according to data provided to NerdWallet by online brokerage Coverdash.
Roofing companies of this size pay $12,000 to $20,000 per year, on average, for workers’ compensation insurance. They pay an average of $4,000 for builder’s risk insurance.
How to shop for roofing business insurance
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Determine coverage needs. Review contracts and your state’s contractor licensing website to identify required policies. If you have employees, add workers’ comp and if you own commercial vehicles you’ll need an auto policy. Calculate the value of your tools, equipment and property to ensure policy limits make sense.
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Gather your information. Have essential business details handy, such as annual revenue, employee roster with roles and Federal Employer Identification Number. Having an inventory of your tools and vehicles’ values may also be helpful.
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Get multiple quotes. Comparing coverage options from multiple companies helps you get the coverage you need at a price you trust. Be sure and check if any policies have roofing exclusions. Also check on fees for additional insureds and how easy it is to add them if you subcontract.
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Purchase policies and download proof. Once you’ve compared policies and prices, you’re ready to buy. Don’t forget to download your certificate of insurance (COI) or request multiple copies from your insurer. You can add additional insureds after purchasing the policy.
What to watch out for in roofers insurance policies
Due to the higher risk of injury in roofing, do an extra check for policy restrictions and exclusions. Depending on the work you do, watch for exclusions on:
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Heights. Some general liability policies have exclusions for work on tall buildings. If you typically work on buildings with multiple stories, check if this can be amended or choose a different policy.
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New construction. If you subcontract for home builders installing roofing, make sure you don’t buy a policy that won’t pay those claims.
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Open roofs. Some insurance policies won’t cover property damage to a building’s interior while a roof is open. If you repair damage or leave sites overnight, you’ll want to avoid this exclusion.
Where to get roofing insurance quotes
When you’re ready to shop, you can work with a broker, request quotes from providers individually or use an online marketplace.
Considering the cost, as well as the risks roofers face, we recommend talking with a professional. That could be in-person with an independent agent or online with a customer service rep. Asking questions is the best way to ensure policies offer the right coverage for the roofing jobs your business takes on.
Contact an insurance broker
Acting as your single point of contact, a licensed insurance agent or broker is the option with the most personalized attention.
Possible downsides: Brokers may charge a fee. They also work on commissions and aren’t required to find you the best deal, so they might upsell you.
If you have relatively simple insurance needs or know the coverage you want, getting quotes directly is efficient.
Possible downsides: It can be time consuming to enter your business information multiple times to get quotes. Some companies use third-party insurers for certain policies, so you may end up with more than one insurance company.
This combination option from services like Coverdash and Simply Business provides multiple quotes in one place. You then do the comparisons yourself.
Upsides: It’s quick and convenient to compare quotes and policies on your own schedule. You typically have access to a professional if you need help.
Possible downsides: Your policies may end up with multiple insurance companies, which you’ll deal with individually after the purchase. You’re also limited to seeing quotes within the marketplace’s network.