A roofing company calls in a separate tear-off crew to keep a reroofing project on schedule. Before the crew arrives, the project manager asks for proof of insurance, but the crew leader assumes the roofing company’s policy already covers everyone on the job.
Roofing subcontractors generally need their own insurance, even if another company hires them for the job. The coverage they need depends on state laws, licensing requirements, and their contract. The hiring contractor’s policy may offer some protection, but it could leave certain risks uncovered.
Do Subcontractors Need Their Own Insurance or Does the Contractor Cover Them?
If you run a roofing business, you should generally have insurance in that business’s name. The company hiring you might have coverage for certain claims involving your work, but its policy won’t automatically protect your business, workers, vehicles, or equipment.
During a roof replacement, someone on your crew accidentally cracks a skylight. Your general liability insurance may pay for the damage, but the company that hired you could also face a claim if it shares responsibility. What happens next depends on the circumstances, policy terms, and any additional insured endorsements.
To find out what’s required, you need to check three things. Each tells you something different about your insurance responsibilities.
- State rules: Workers’ compensation, business vehicle insurance, and licensing requirements vary depending on where and how you operate.
- Your contract: The contractor or property owner might ask for more coverage or endorsements than state law requires.
- Your policy: A certificate of insurance or signed contract can’t remove exclusions or provide coverage your policy doesn’t include.
Hiring a roofing crew? Check the agreement and your roofing contractor insurance before they start. And if you’re the subcontractor, don’t assume signing a contract means you’re insured under the hiring company’s policy.
What Insurance Do Roofing Subcontractors Need?
The right mix depends on whether you work alone, employ a crew, use company vehicles, or perform higher-risk roofing work. The table separates policies that address different losses rather than treating insurance as one blanket protection.
| Coverage | What It May Address | Roofing Example |
| General liability | Covered third-party injuries, property damage, and some resulting damage after work is finished | A dropped tool damages a customer’s parked car |
| Workers’ compensation | Work-related injuries and illnesses involving covered employees | A crew member falls while stripping shingles |
| Commercial auto | Covered accidents involving insured business vehicles | A company truck hits another vehicle while hauling materials |
| Tools and equipment (inland marine) | Covered theft or damage to movable equipment | A secured trailer containing roofing tools is stolen |
| Excess or umbrella liability | Additional limits over specified underlying liability policies, subject to terms | A contract calls for limits beyond the base policy |
| Professional liability | Certain errors in professional design or advisory services, if provided and insured | A subcontractor also provides roof-system design services |
General Liability Insurance
Many roofing contractors won’t hire a subcontractor without general liability insurance. This policy can help pay covered claims for injuries or property damage involving people outside your crew. Check that it includes products and completed operations coverage and allows the roofing methods you use.
A flashing installation goes wrong, and the next rainstorm leaves water damage on the customer’s ceiling. Your insurance might pay for the ceiling repairs but not the faulty flashing. What gets covered comes down to the cause of the damage, your policy’s terms, and state law.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance
Have roofers working for you? Check your state’s workers’ compensation rules before sending them out on a job. This is different from general liability insurance. It typically provides benefits required by law when covered employees suffer work-related injuries or illnesses.
Even a one-person roofing business might need it. California requires C-39 roofing license holders to carry workers’ compensation or approved self-insurance, including those without employees. Florida generally requires construction businesses with at least one employee, including nonexempt owners, to have coverage. Rules also apply to subcontractors and exemptions, so check the official California requirements and Florida requirements.
Vehicle, Equipment, and Other Coverage
Own trucks for your roofing business? State law or your contract may require commercial auto insurance. If you drive your personal vehicle for work, let your insurer know. Your coverage will depend on the policy, vehicle, and how you use it.
Your tools need separate attention, too. Tools and equipment insurance may cover theft or damage to movable gear that auto liability insurance doesn’t cover. Builder’s risk generally protects against covered damage to a project during construction, not your liability as a subcontractor. Surety bonds back specific obligations, but they aren’t insurance for accidental injuries or property damage..
What Happens if a Roofing Subcontractor Has No Insurance?
An uninsured subcontractor can create financial problems for both businesses. The result is not automatically a denied claim against the hiring contractor, nor is the hiring contractor automatically responsible for every loss.
The result changes with the kind of accident and the parties involved. Consider these three situations.
- A passerby is injured: The injured person may pursue the subcontractor and possibly the hiring contractor. Liability and any insurance response depend on the facts and policy wording.
- A worker falls: Workers’ compensation responsibility may extend to a hiring contractor under state law if the subcontractor has not secured required coverage.
- A policy audit takes place: A contractor may be assessed additional premium for subcontracted labor when it cannot provide acceptable evidence of separate coverage, subject to the insurer’s rules and applicable state system.
Florida’s Department of Financial Services states that contractors must confirm their subcontractors carry required workers’ compensation coverage before work begins. If a subcontractor lacks that coverage for its employees, Florida law can make the contractor responsible for workers’ compensation benefits. New York’s Workers’ Compensation Board also explains why hiring contractors are often charged premiums for subcontractor labor unless the subcontractor supplies proof of its own policy.
There is a separate job-site safety issue, too. Under OSHA’s multi-employer policy, more than one employer can be cited for a qualifying hazard, depending on who created, controlled, or exposed workers to it. Having a subcontractor’s insurance certificate does not remove a contractor’s workplace safety duties.
What Subcontractor Insurance Requirements Should You Check Before Starting?
Whether you’re hiring a crew or joining someone else’s project, get the requirements in writing before anyone goes onto the roof. Focus on the work being performed and the proof the contract actually asks for, rather than copying generic insurance limits from another job.
- Match the business and scope. Confirm the legal business name, license where applicable, roofing classification, and whether the work involves residential or commercial roofs.
- Confirm the policies and dates. Request current certificates for each required policy and check that the planned work dates fall within the listed periods.
- Read the limits in the contract. Check per-occurrence and aggregate limits, plus any required excess coverage. There is no single nationwide limit that fits every roofing subcontract.
- Review endorsements. If required, verify additional insured status for ongoing and completed operations, primary and noncontributory wording, and waivers of subrogation.
- Check roofing exclusions. Ask specifically about torch-applied systems, working heights, open-roof water exposure, subcontracted operations, and residential versus commercial work.
- Plan for changes. Track expirations, changed crews, new roofing methods, and any subcontractors hired by your subcontractor.
A subcontractor insured for shingle installation shouldn’t assume the same policy covers torch-down roofing on a commercial building. Before bidding, tell your agent how you’ll do the work, particularly if it involves hot work or unusual heights.
Why a Certificate of Insurance Is Not Enough
A certificate of insurance (COI) shows the coverage listed for a policy, but it’s only a summary. It won’t make a contractor an additional insured, remove exclusions, or guarantee that a claim will be paid.
If your subcontract calls for additional insured status, request the endorsement or check whether a blanket endorsement meets the contract’s terms. As the Texas Department of Insurance explains, a certificate can’t extend coverage beyond what the policy provides.
You’ll also want to check any waiver of subrogation and completed operations requirements. Being listed as a certificate holder simply means receiving the certificate. It doesn’t make that party an additional insured.
Does Hiring an Insured Subcontractor Remove the Roofing Contractor’s Risk?
No. Even with an insured crew, a roofing company can still face claims over poor supervision, site conditions, contract promises, or the subcontractor’s work. That’s why the hiring contractor still needs its own coverage.
The subcontract should spell out insurance responsibilities, whether the crew can hire other subs, how incidents are reported, and who handles losses. Get legal advice when needed, since insurance and indemnity clauses serve different purposes, and state laws may restrict liability transfers.
Our roofing insurance requirements cover broader licensing and project obligations. Check these alongside the subcontract, since meeting state minimums may not be enough to satisfy a customer’s contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
As a Subcontractor, Do I Need Insurance if I Work Alone?
Even if you’re the only one doing the work, insurance may still be required under licensing rules or your contract. California’s C-39 roofing rules are one example. General liability can also help if you cause covered damage to someone else’s property.
Are Subcontractors Covered Under Contractors Insurance?
Sometimes, a claim involving a subcontractor’s work can fall under the hiring contractor’s policy. But taking the job doesn’t make the subcontractor a named insured, and its workers aren’t automatically covered by the contractor’s workers’ compensation insurance.
Does Being an Additional Insured Replace My Own Policy?
No. An additional insured endorsement provides protection for certain liability claims connected to the named insured’s work, subject to its terms. It isn’t a replacement for the insurance your own business needs.
What if My Subcontractor’s Insurance Expires During a Job?
Don’t rely on the expiration date printed on the certificate. Ask for current proof before the crew continues working, and check any suspected lapse with the issuing agent or insurer. A policy can be canceled before its listed expiration date.
Can a Contractor Charge Me for Insurance if I Don’t Provide a COI?
Look at your subcontract first. It may allow the contractor to stop work, withhold payment, or arrange insurance at your expense if required coverage is missing. Paying that charge doesn’t necessarily mean your business has its own policy.
Get Roofing Subcontractor Insurance With ACI
Whether you’re an independent roofing subcontractor or a company hiring outside crews, we can help you review the types of coverage your work and contracts call for. Share your roofing operations and insurance requirements with our team, then request a quote from Affordable Contractors Insurance.
