Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance protects business owners against claims of liability for bodily injury, property damage, and personal and advertising injury (slander and false advertising).

Premises/operations coverage pays for bodily injury or property damage that occurs on your premises or as a result of your business operations.

Products/completed operations coverage pays for bodily injury and property damage that occurs away from your business premises and is caused by your products or completed work.

Excess liability insurance pays for covered losses that exceed your CGL policy’s dollar limit.

Umbrella liability insurance is excess liability insurance coverage above the limits of automobile liability and CGL policies. The umbrella policy also provides liability coverage for exposures not covered under the primary CGL insurance policies and not excluded by the umbrella liability insurance policy.

Shopping for General Liability Insurance Coverage


  1. Be proactive. Provide your agent or insurance markets with claims history, coverage choices, and risk management efforts four months in advance.
  2. Get your claims history (loss runs) up to date. You may request claims history from your insurer. Businesses of any size should be prepared to address claims history.
  3. Update and document all loss control/risk management measures, including training accomplished. Be prepared to show why your business currently is and will continue to be a good risk.
  4. Respond quickly to requests for information from your agent. Be sure to document all communication with your agent. Especially note key items such as policy limits, deductibles, requested effective date, prior acts coverage if applicable, etc.
  5. Consider a higher deductible. Assuming more risk in the form of higher deductibles or lower policy limits may help reduce your premium.
  6. Allow for premium increases. When preparing your budget, allow for premium increases or additional premium charges resulting from an audit.
  7. Get quotes from several companies. As an independent agent, we can compare prices for you and make sure you’re comparing policies with similar coverage. A less expensive policy might also provide less coverage.
  8. We will keep shopping if an insurer declines to cover your business. Insurers have different underwriting criteria. If one company turns you down or is too expensive, we will continue to shop your policy.
  9. Review your limits of insurance and make any necessary adjustments. For example, if your business is growing you may consider increasing your limits.

(Source: TDI.gov)
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