Roofing Contractor Insurance: What It Actually Costs and Why It's So Expensive

General liability insurance for a roofing contractor typically costs $3,200 to $15,000 a year, making it one of the most expensive trades to insure, driven almost entirely by fall risk, not property damage.

How much does general liability insurance cost for a roofing contractor?

• National benchmark for standard operations: roughly $3,200 to $3,808 a year ($267-$317/month)
• High-risk or commercial roofing operations: $5,000 to $15,000 a year
• A typical $500K-revenue roofing company in a high-storm-risk state often pays $8,000 to $15,000 a year for general liability alone

$1 million per occurrence / $2 million aggregate is still the standard limit, but insurers price every dollar of that limit far higher for roofing than almost any other trade, because of how severe fall claims tend to be.

Why is roofing insurance so much more expensive than other trades?

Falls. Roofing recorded 120 occupational deaths in 2024, and falls caused 96 of them, roughly 4 out of every 5 roofing deaths. A separate federal data cut shows 95 of 113 roofer fatalities were falls, slips, or trips. Roofing consistently ranks among the top 3 deadliest occupations in the United States, and OSHA's fall protection standard is the single most-cited OSHA violation in construction, specifically because of how common fall exposure is in this trade.

Does insurance cover hail and storm damage disputes?

This is where things get complicated: general liability covers your liability for damage you cause, not disputes over whether storm damage exists or how much a repair should cost. Storm damage claim disputes, and in some documented cases outright "storm chaser" fraud, where transient crews follow storms, sign rushed contracts, and in extreme cases intentionally damage roofs to manufacture claims, have become common enough that states like Texas and Florida passed specific legislation (including raised minimum wind/hail deductibles) to curb it. If you're a legitimate local roofer, this matters because it's shaped how skeptically some insurers and homeowners now approach every storm-related claim.

What should I know about licensing as a roofer?

Because of the fraud concerns above, several states layer extra consumer-protection requirements onto roofing contractors specifically, deductible rules, contractor registration requirements, beyond the generic state contractor-bond framework that applies to other trades. Worth confirming your state's specific roofing requirements, not just assuming the general contractor rules apply.

See full coverage details for Roofing Contractor Insurance, or start a free quote to compare your own numbers.