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Industries · Contractors

Insurance for water and sewer utility contractors.

General liability, workers’ comp, heavy equipment, pollution, and bonds for contractors who install and repair water mains, sewer mains, laterals, and manholes for cities, districts, and developers.

A few quick questions, then we send you your price. Many trades get it in minutes.

What utility contractors usually carry

  • General liability, $1M / $2M
  • Workers’ comp
  • Commercial auto
  • Contractors equipment
  • Contractors pollution liability
  • Performance and payment bonds
  • Umbrella

Watch for these in a utility contractor’s policy

  • Underground damageHitting a gas line or a fiber trunk is the classic utility claim. Some policies exclude underground damage unless it is added back. It belongs on yours.
  • Sewer backupsWork on a live sewer main can back sewage into homes along the line. Sewage counts as a pollutant under most policies, so the backup needs pollution coverage.
  • Dewatering dischargePumping groundwater out of a trench and into a creek or storm drain can bring pollution claims. Make sure your pollution coverage includes it.
  • Trench collapseA trench that caves in can injure a worker and undermine a road or a building next to it. Collapse exclusions and high comp rates both come into play.

What cities, developers, and GCs ask utility contractors for

  • Additional insuredThe city or district, the engineer, and the developer.
  • Performance and payment bondsPublic water and sewer jobs usually require both, often for the full contract amount.
  • Pollution liabilityMany public contracts now require a contractors pollution limit.
  • UmbrellaPublic works contracts often require one, and larger mains projects more.
  • Waiver of subrogationOn general liability, workers’ comp, and auto.

Questions utility contractors ask

Straight answers.

The questions we hear most, answered plainly.

Do I need a bond to bid water and sewer work?

For public work, usually yes: a bid bond to bid, then performance and payment bonds to sign the contract. Bonding capacity rests on your financial statements and your work history.

Is hitting a buried line covered?

Usually, as property damage, unless your policy excludes underground damage. Some excavation policies do, so ask to see it in writing.

How is utility contractor insurance priced?

Mostly on payroll and revenue, the depth you dig, your equipment, and your share of public work.

How fast can I get a certificate?

Once your policy is bound, you request certificates from your client login, with the wording your contract asks for.

Contractors and trades

Don’t see yours? See every industry, or tell us what you do and we’ll quote it.

Home inspectors

Errors and omissions, General liability, $1M / $2M, Drone liability

Property preservation

General liability, $1M / $2M, Errors and omissions, Commercial auto

Restoration contractors

General liability, $1M / $2M, Contractors pollution liability, with mold, Professional liability

Sign installers

General liability, $1M / $2M, Commercial auto for crane and bucket trucks, Workers’ comp

Fire sprinkler contractors

General liability, $1M / $2M, Errors and omissions, Workers’ comp

Construction cleanup

General liability, $1M / $2M, Workers’ comp, Commercial auto

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