What Is General Liability (GL)?
General Liability is often considered the baseline commercial insurance policy. It's designed to respond when your business operations, products, or premises cause bodily injury or property damage to someone outside your company, or when your business is accused of certain non-physical injuries like libel or copyright infringement in advertising.
Who Needs It
Nearly every business that interacts with customers, vendors, or the public — or performs work at other people's property — carries General Liability. Most commercial leases, client contracts, and vendor agreements require proof of GL coverage as a minimum condition of doing business.
Real-Life Claim Scenarios
Client Trips Over a Cord at Your Booth
A trade-show visitor trips over an extension cord at your booth and is injured. GL may help pay for the resulting medical expenses and legal defense, subject to policy terms.
Subcontractor Damages a Client's Flooring
While performing work at a client's home, your crew accidentally damages hardwood flooring. GL may help cover the cost of repairing the third-party property damage.
Completed Job Causes Damage Months Later
A shelving unit you installed months ago collapses and damages a customer's merchandise. The products and completed operations portion of GL may respond to claims tied to finished work.
Dissatisfied Vendor Alleges Slander
A former vendor claims your team made defamatory statements about their business in a public forum. Personal and advertising injury coverage under GL may help with defense costs, subject to the policy's terms.
Customer Injured by a Falling Display
A retail display topples over and injures a shopper. GL medical payments and liability coverage may help address the resulting claim.
What It May Help Cover
- Bodily injury to customers, visitors, or other third parties
- Property damage caused by your business operations
- Personal injury allegations such as libel, slander, or false arrest
- Advertising injury, including certain copyright disputes in your marketing
- Products and completed operations liability after your work is finished
- Medical payments to injured third parties, regardless of fault
Coverage Limitations
General Liability does not cover injuries to your own employees, professional errors or omissions, or damage to your own property or vehicles. Limits, exclusions, and eligibility vary by class of business and state, and coverage is always subject to underwriting approval and policy terms.
Industries That Commonly Need This Coverage
What You'll Need for a Quote
- Description of your operations and services performed
- Annual revenue and payroll
- Number of locations and states you operate in
- Subcontractor usage, if applicable
- Any contract-required liability limits
- Prior general liability claims history
Upload Insurance Requirements for Review
Have a certificate request, lease clause, client contract, or vendor requirement tied to general liability (gl)? Upload the document and a Casurance specialist can review the requested limits, wording, and additional insured language.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Coverages
Get a General Liability (GL) Quote
Tell us about your business and a Casurance specialist can help you review Travelers general liability (gl) options, subject to underwriting approval and coverage availability in your state.
Coverage described on this page may help address certain risks common to this coverage line, subject to policy terms, conditions, exclusions, and underwriting approval. Coverage availability, limits, and pricing vary by state and are not guaranteed. This page is for informational purposes only and is not an offer of coverage or legal advice.
Get Your Instant Quote
Fast. Free. No Obligation.