General Liability

About General Liability Insurance

The first standardized general liability form arrived in 1941 when the National Bureau of Casualty Underwriters and the Mutual Insurance Rating Bureau created a unified policy to cover premises, operations, and products hazards under one contract, paving the way for today's Commercial General Liability (CGL) structure.¹

By 1986 the Insurance Services Office (ISO) overhauled the form, renaming it "commercial general liability" and clarifying occurrence versus claims-made triggers in response to the liability insurance crisis of the mid-1980s, when soaring jury awards and reinsurance shortages forced carriers to redesign coverage.^2,3

ISO continues to refresh the contract (most recently with the 2013 edition) while regulators emphasize separate per-occurrence, general aggregate, and products-completed operations aggregate limits, so we benchmark Rockland County businesses against those modern wording nuances before recommending limits.^4,5

Coverage Highlights

Grounded in regulator and carrier guidance, these components keep everyday visitor, product, and advertising hazards from derailing your cash flow.

• Premises & Operations: Pays when someone is hurt or property is damaged because of conditions at your location or job site, such as a vendor tripping over conduit during a buildout in Nyack.¹
• Products & Completed Operations: Addresses lawsuits tied to goods you sell or work you finish, so if a custom railing fails after installation, defense costs and damages are handled under this insuring agreement.²
• Personal & Advertising Injury: Covers claims alleging libel, slander, or copyright infringement in your marketing, which matters when you advertise heavily on social media.³
• Damage to Premises Rented to You: Provides a sublimit for fire or other damage to space you rent, protecting relationships with landlords who require proof of this coverage.⁴
• Medical Payments: Quickly reimburses minor injuries regardless of fault, helping diffuse situations such as a customer needing stitches after contacting a sharp fixture.⁵
• Contractual Liability & Additional Insured Endorsements:  Extends your policy to cover obligations you assume in contracts and lets general contractors or landlords share your defense, which keeps bids moving when upstream parties demand proof.⁶

Rising Costs

Marsh reports that U.S. liability premiums have risen for 23 consecutive quarters and climbed another 8% in Q1 2025 as carriers respond to larger jury awards and higher reinsurance costs.¹

IMA's Q3 2025 Commercial Risk Index shows general liability rates trending 3.9% to 9% higher depending on industry while reinsurers reduce capacity; Risk Strategies also flags New York as one of the toughest venues for GL, so we infer Hudson Valley accounts must document superior risk controls to avoid surcharges.^2,3

Social inflation is accelerating: research from Somas Analytics finds nuclear verdicts (awards over $10 million) increased 40% year over year and the median payout jumped 29%, forcing insurers to raise limits pricing and scrutinize any premises with public foot traffic.⁴

Cheaper Premiums

• Document slip, trip, and fall controls: Marsh notes that falls remain a leading liability claim driver, so we schedule walk-throughs, matting, and cleaning logs to show carriers how you reduce frequency.¹
• Invest in first-year employee training: Travelers data shows first-year workers account for 34% of workplace injuries and disproportionately large claims, so structured onboarding helps keep your loss runs clean.²
• Enforce subcontractor risk transfer: Requiring additional insured endorsements and valid certificates ensures downstream parties defend you, which carriers reward with better pricing.³
• Provide richer submission data: IMA observes that underwriters now demand detailed inflation assumptions, hazard logs, and subcontractor percentages; we package that documentation to help you earn preferred tiers.⁴
• Leverage GL-only wrap-ups for big projects: ABA guidance shows project-specific wrap-ups centralize safety protocols and claims handling, often lowering total premium outlay for contractors and owners.⁵

What We Do

We map your operations, visitor flow, subcontractor mix, and contract requirements during discovery, then market through admitted and surplus-line carriers so we can pair the right occurrence or claims-made form with the limits every landlord, GC, or municipal client expects, along with any necessary endorsements specific to your industry.

Once coverage is bound, our team issues certificates, manages endorsements, and coordinates policy advise. You'll always reach a live person who can talk through your questions, help process changes quickly, and get you proof of insurance when deadlines loom.