What is General Liability Insurance?

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Also known as business liability insurance, general liability insurance does what it's name suggests. It protects you and your Frederick, MD business from "general" claims involving bodily injuries and property damage. General liability insurance is the most common type of insurance for businesses. Almost every business has a need for general liability. 

General liability insurance definition 

General liability is defined as insurance protection for third-party property damage or personal / advertising injuries allegedly caused by you or an employee.

What does general liability insurance cover?

What does general liability insurance cover?


  • Bodily Injury
  • Property damage
  • Personal injury, like libel or slander

What Does General Liability Not Cover?

General liability insurance will not help you with:

Employee injuries or illnesses due to their work. This is where Workers' compensation comes into play. It gives your employees benefits that can help them recover from work-related injuries or illness. 

Commercial auto accidents that you or your employees cause while driving for work. A commercial auto insurance policy can help. If you do not own vehicles for your company, you may need hired and non-owned auto coverage. 

Claims that cost more than your liability limits. Expensive claims can happen. You'll want commercial umbrella insurance to help protect you from expensive claims. Commercial umbrella insurance can extend the limits on certain liability policies. It acts "as an umbrella" over your policy.

Damage to your own business property. If your actual owned or rented building is damaged your general liability policy will not cover that. You will need commercial property insurance for that. 

Errors in professional services. If you offer a professional service like a lawyer or CPA, you will also need professional liability insurance. This will help protect if you were to make mistake in the services you provided. 


Do You Need General Liability Insurance? 

Almost every small business needs general liability insurance. Here are the types of businesses that benefit from general liability insurance:

  • You are open to the public.
  • You advertise or create marketing materials for your business.
  • You need coverage to be considered for work contracts.
  • You have temporary employees.
  • You use social media 
  • You use third party locations for business activities


What Types of Businesses Benefit From Commercial General Liability Insurance? 

What Types of Businesses Benefit From Commercial General Liability Insurance? 

  • Small business owners
  • IT contractors
  • Artisan contractors
  • Janitorial services
  • Marketing firms
  • Consultants
  • Real estate agents
  • Landscaping companies

Not Having General Liability Insurance Could Cost You

If you are in a situation where you are facing legal settlements and lawyer fees without general liability insurance help, it can get very expensive very quickly. Legal counsel typically costs more than $100/hour. Depending on the issue, court costs could exceed $50,000. 

Not having general liability insurance could put your business at financial risk. 

A certificate of insurance is required to prove that you have insurance coverage. 

Get a general liability insurance quote.