Where Does A General Liability Policy Provide Coverage?

When you buy a general liability insurance policy, you expect it to give you a wide range of protection. But where does it actually protect you? Here's what you can expect. General Liability entails

At Your Place Of Business 

Your place of business is the most obvious place you'll have coverage. It's the address you put on your policy and where most of your business happens. This applies whether you own the building, rent the building, or are in a shared office space. If you have multiple locations, your policy will usually apply at each location. However, you should always double check your policy, as you may need to name your other permanent business locations in your policy.

At Client Sites 

If you travel to your clients, you'll usually be covered when you're at their location as well. Most insurance companies customize their general liability insurance policies to your type of business. If you're in a traveling business — such as lawn mowing — you should automatically be covered when you're at each job site.

On The Road 

Your general liability policy generally won't cover you while you're on the road. For coverage while driving, you need a commercial auto insurance policy. These are different types of insurance, and general liability policies usually exclude auto claims. 

Note this applies because you're driving — not because the incident happened on a road. If you're doing something like construction work that doesn't involve driving, your general liability policy would typically apply. 

During Travel 

If you need to travel, your coverage typically follows you wherever you need to go. This might include hotels, convention centers, and other meeting locations that don't belong to either you or your client. As long as you're engaged in business activities, your commercial general liability policy should cover most claims.

Check Your Policy 

Your general liability insurance policy may have restrictions that limit your coverage. For example, it might exclude anything that happens in another country or state. You may only have coverage for a certain number of days at a specific location — after which you'd need to add it to your policy. Or, your policy may not explicitly exclude off-site work, but it may exclude the activity you're doing. Always carefully read your policy to know what coverage you have.