The short answer
Contractor insurance is the set of policies a tradesperson carries to work on other people's property: liability for injury or damage the work causes, cover for tools and equipment that move between jobs, protection for claims that surface after a job is finished, and the vehicle side of the business. General contractors and clients often ask for a certificate before you start. A licensed broker matches the package to your trade, crew and contracts.
- Sole-operator trades starting out who were just asked for a certificate of insurance
- Electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and HVAC technicians working inside occupied homes
- Roofers, renovators and landscapers with crews, trailers and seasonal swings
- Subcontractors whose general contractor wants specific limits and wording
- Handypeople whose small jobs have grown into kitchens, basements and decks
3 licensed brokers in the network handle this. In Alberta, Canada, a request for contractor insurance can be offered to up to three of them, chosen because they are licensed for this line and place. They are test brokers while we are in demo.
See the brokers → Outside Alberta, Canada you can prepare and save a request today; sending opens place by place. Brokers answer with their own quotes. Broker.insure does not quote, advise or take commission.
01 / What it covers
The parts worth understanding
Commercial general liability
Claims that your work injured someone or damaged property, such as a ladder through a window or water from a fitting you were tightening. It is the policy a general contractor checks first.
Completed operations
Liability for injury or damage that shows up after you have packed up and been paid, like a joint that fails months later. Ask how long it lasts and whether it stays in force if you retire the business.
Tools and equipment
Hand tools, ladders, compressors, mowers and small machinery, on the truck, in the shop and on site. Often a separate floater, so ask whether it pays replacement cost and covers theft from a locked vehicle overnight.
Installation and materials
Materials you have bought or partly installed before the client takes over the work, such as a stack of shingles or a furnace waiting to be hooked up. Not every liability package includes this.
Work vehicles and trailers
Trucks, vans and trailers used for the business usually need commercial or business-use auto cover. A personal policy describing pleasure use may not respond when the vehicle is hauling tools to a job.
Errors in design or advice
If you design systems, size equipment or sign off on plans, claims that the design itself was wrong may sit outside general liability and need professional cover.
Workers' compensation
In Alberta, employers in most trades register with the provincial Workers' Compensation Board, a public system rather than a policy a broker sells. Sole operators may be able to choose personal coverage.
02 / Get ready
Bring this, and expect these questions
Gather
- A plain list of the trades you perform, including occasional work like small roofing patches or gas line hookups
- Trade certificates, journeyperson or master tickets, and any municipal or provincial licences
- Revenue last year and expected this year, split between residential and commercial work if you can
- Payroll for employees and what you paid subcontractors, with their certificates and WCB clearance letters
- A list of tools and equipment with rough replacement values and where they are kept overnight
- Each work vehicle and trailer, with year, make, model and who drives it
- Sample contracts from general contractors, including insurance limits and additional insured wording
- Any claims, complaints or callbacks in the past several years, even ones you fixed yourself
- Your current policy and certificate, if you have one, and the renewal date
A broker will ask
- What share of your work is residential, commercial or new construction?
- Do you ever work at heights, with torches, on gas lines or on structural elements?
- Do you hire subcontractors, and do you collect their certificates before they start?
- How do you handle water during plumbing, roofing or demolition work?
- What is the largest single job you expect to take on this year?
- Who needs to be named on your certificate, and what limits have they asked for?
- Where are tools stored overnight, and has anything been stolen before?
- Do you give design advice, size equipment or sign off on inspections?
Not sure of an answer? Leave it. "Not known yet" is a fine answer, and a broker will help you fill it in.
03 / Build your request
Answer a few questions. Get your own list.
Pick what fits. Your answers shape the list beside them, and they are saved to your request as plain facts a broker can read. "Not sure yet" is always a fine answer.
04 / Three situations
See which one sounds like yours
An electrician going out on her own
After years with a larger shop, a journeyperson electrician is starting a one-person business. A builder she knows will give her work on a new subdivision, but only once she sends a certificate showing liability cover with the builder named on it.
First steps. Send the broker the builder's insurance requirements in writing, along with her ticket, expected revenue and the van she will use. Ask how long a certificate takes to issue, whether completed operations is included, and how the van should be described now that it carries tools.
A roofing crew with a summer peak
A roofing company runs a crew of eight from May to October and two people over the winter. They use torch-on membranes on some flat roofs, tow two trailers and recently had a compressor stolen from a job site overnight.
First steps. Bring the payroll for both seasons, the trailer details and the police report for the theft. Ask the broker how torch work is treated, whether some insurers restrict it, and how tools left on site after hours are covered.
A handyman whose jobs keep getting bigger
A handyman who started with fence repairs and drywall patches is now quoting full basement developments. He has no employees but often brings in a friend who is a plumber, paid in cash, to finish the rough-in.
First steps. Describe the basement work honestly to the broker, including the plumbing he subcontracts. Ask how unlicensed or uninsured helpers affect his cover, what the friend should carry, and whether his current policy was written for the much smaller jobs.
05 / Words you will hear
The jargon, in plain words
- Certificate of insurance
- A summary page proving a policy exists, with its limits and dates. It is evidence only; the actual cover is whatever the policy says.
- Additional insured
- A person or company added to your liability policy, often a general contractor or property owner, so it can respond if they are pulled into a claim over your work.
- Completed operations
- Liability for injury or damage caused by work you have already finished and handed over, sometimes surfacing months or years after the job.
- Tool floater
- Cover for portable tools and equipment that follows them from shop to truck to job site, rather than staying at one address.
- WCB clearance letter
- A document from the Workers' Compensation Board showing that a business is registered and in good standing, which general contractors often request from subcontractors.
06 / Common mistakes
What trips people up
- Describing the business as general handyman work when it now includes roofing, gas or structural renovation.
- Hiring subcontractors without collecting their certificates and WCB clearance before they set foot on site.
- Assuming liability cover pays to redo your own faulty work; it usually responds to the damage that follows, not the repair itself.
- Letting a policy lapse after closing the business, leaving past jobs without completed operations protection.
- Leaving tools in an unlocked truck or trailer overnight and expecting a theft claim to be straightforward.
- Signing a contract that requires limits or wording your policy does not have, and finding out at the first certificate request.
Ready when you are
Turn this into one clear request.
Save it, add what you know, and choose when to send it. A licensed broker who handles contractor insurance takes it from there.
07 / Questions people ask
Straight answers
What insurance does a contractor need in Alberta?
Most trades carry commercial general liability, and many clients and general contractors make it a condition of work. Tools, vehicles, completed operations and installation cover are common additions. Employers in most construction trades register with the Workers' Compensation Board, which is a separate public system. A licensed broker reads your contracts and trade to sort which pieces apply to you.
What is a certificate of insurance, and how do I get one?
A certificate is a one-page summary showing that a policy exists, its limits and its dates. General contractors, property managers and homeowners ask for it before you start. Your broker issues it once the policy is in place, often naming the requester as a certificate holder or additional insured. The certificate does not change the policy, so the cover behind it has to match what was promised.
Is a subcontractor covered under the general contractor's policy?
Generally the general contractor's policy protects the general contractor, not the trades it hires. That is why general contractors ask subcontractors for their own certificates and WCB clearance letters. If you subcontract work to others, the same logic runs downhill: ask the broker what happens if one of your subs causes damage and has no cover of their own.
What does completed operations cover mean for a tradesperson?
It is the part of liability cover that responds after the job is finished and handed over. A plumber whose fitting gives way months later, flooding a finished basement, would look to this cover. Ask the broker whether it is included, what limit applies, and what happens to claims from old jobs if you change insurers or close the business.
Does my personal truck insurance cover me driving to jobs?
It depends on how the vehicle was described when the policy was written. A truck rated for personal use that regularly carries tools and materials to job sites may need business or commercial use instead. Ask the broker to review the vehicle's description, the drivers and any trailers, and tell your auto insurer before the first job rather than after a collision.
Do I need WCB if I work alone?
In Alberta, rules about who must register depend on the industry and whether you have workers. Some sole operators can choose personal coverage, and many general contractors ask for a clearance letter either way. Because the Workers' Compensation Board sets these rules directly, confirm your own situation with it. A broker can then make sure your private policies fit around that public cover.
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General information, not insurance advice. Broker.insure is a directory and request service: it is not an insurer and does not quote, bind or advise. Policy terms, availability and what is required where you live depend on your situation and on licensed professionals. Updated 2026-10-31.