General contractor insurance in South Carolina.
You carry the job, the subs, and the owner's contract all at once. We put together the liability, builder's risk, workers' comp, umbrella, and license bond a South Carolina general contractor or residential builder needs, shopped across carriers that write GCs. Based in Sumter, insuring builders statewide. Zero agency fees, ever.
Built for the company that answers for the whole job.
Commercial GCs, residential builders, and design-build firms carry exposure their subs never see: the structure itself, every crew on site, and the owner's contract. These are the pieces, in the order they tend to matter.
General liability
Injury and property damage claims from the job, including claims tied to your subs' work. For a GC the completed operations limit matters as much as the everyday one, because construction defect claims arrive after the keys are handed over.
Builder's risk
Covers the building and materials while it goes up: fire, wind, theft of installed materials, vandalism. Your contract decides whether you or the owner buys it. Our builder's risk guide covers what it pays and when it ends.
Workers' compensation
Generally required in South Carolina at four or more employees. For a GC the bigger issue is the subs: an uninsured sub's injured worker can become your claim, and their payroll can land on your audit.
Commercial umbrella
Owners, developers, and public projects routinely ask for $2 million to $5 million or more. An umbrella over your liability, auto, and employers liability is usually the cheapest way to say yes.
Contractor license bonds
The $15,000 residential builder bond, or a surety bond in place of the financial statement the Contractor's Licensing Board asks for. Placed in the same office, so your license and your insurance renew on one call. See the bonds we place.
Tools, equipment & auto
Trucks, trailers, and the equipment that moves between jobs. Inland marine coverage follows tools and rented equipment to the site, where a building policy stops.
What South Carolina general contractors should know.
South Carolina licenses general contractors through two different boards, and which one you answer to depends on the work. Commercial and other non-residential general contracting over $10,000 needs a license from the SC Contractor's Licensing Board. That threshold was $5,000 until a 2023 change. Houses run through the SC Residential Builders Commission: anyone who builds, remodels, or supervises work on a residence over $5,000 needs a residential builder license, backed by a bond of at least $15,000 or proof of financial responsibility the Commission accepts.
Neither board makes you show a liability policy to get the license. The Contractor's Licensing Board licenses on money instead: your group limit, from $100,000 per job up to unlimited, is set by your net worth or working capital, and you can post a surety bond in place of the financial statement. Insurance is what your contracts demand. Owners, lenders, and public agencies set those limits, and they are usually higher than anything the state asks for.
The rule that reaches GCs hardest is workers' comp. Under South Carolina law, a contractor can be treated as the employer of an uninsured sub's workers, so an injury on your job can become your claim. A contractor who collected proof of the sub's comp coverage when the sub started generally has a defense. That makes the certificate on file the cheapest risk control you have. We set it up with you, and our contractor insurance page covers what your subs will ask of you in turn.
- Builder's risk placed with the job, not after the slab is poured
- Sub certificate routine set up before the first audit
- License bond and insurance renewed in one office
- Umbrella limits matched to the owner contract, line by line
Carriers that want GCs
Some carriers love small residential builders and shy from commercial. Others are the opposite. We know which is which in South Carolina right now.
Quote my GCSouth Carolina general contractor license groups
Your license group caps the size of any single job you can bid or perform. You qualify through working capital or net worth, not both, or by posting a surety bond equal to the net worth figure.
| Group | Per-job limit | Working capital | Net worth (or surety bond) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | $100,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Group 2 | $400,000 | $40,000 | $60,000 |
| Group 3 | $1,000,000 | $100,000 | $150,000 |
| Group 4 | $3,000,000 | $175,000 | $250,000 |
| Group 5 | Unlimited | $250,000 | $350,000 |
Figures from the SC Contractor's Licensing Board as of October 2026. The Board can change them, so confirm with LLR before you apply. Group 5 requires a CPA-prepared financial statement. Residential builders are licensed by the Residential Builders Commission instead, which has no group system. If you are using a bond in place of the financial statement, we can place it.
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Tell us about you
Send the form above or call or text 803-848-0089. No SSN required to get started.
We shop the market
We run your details across every relevant carrier we represent and bring you the strongest fits, side by side.
You pick. We bind it.
Simpler policies often bind quickly. Larger accounts go through carrier underwriting first, and we give you the real timeline up front. Then we re-shop your rate every year and help with claims when you need us.
Proudly serving Sumter, Columbia, Manning, Camden, Florence, Bishopville, Lugoff, Hartsville, Lexington, Greenville, Spartanburg, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston, plus all 46 South Carolina counties. See our full service area →
Construction defect claims and the eight-year window
A sub's risk mostly ends when the crew packs up. A general contractor's does not. The claims that hurt GCs most tend to arrive long after the certificate of occupancy.
South Carolina generally gives an owner eight years after substantial completion to bring a claim over a defect in an improvement to real property. That is the state's statute of repose, and it is why a builder's completed operations coverage is worth reading closely. A water intrusion claim on a house you finished six years ago is answered by the policy that is in force when the claim is made, not the one from the year you built it.
So the history of your coverage matters. Switching carriers is fine. Dropping completed operations coverage, or buying a cheap policy that excludes prior work or residential construction, can leave years of finished jobs with nothing behind them. If you close the company or stop building, ask about extended completed operations coverage before the last policy lapses.
Your subs' policies matter here too. A claim on a finished house usually traces back to one trade: a flashing detail, a slab, a window install. If that sub named you as an additional insured for completed operations, their carrier shares the defense. If they only covered ongoing work, the whole claim lands on yours. That is the reason to read every sub's certificate, not just file it.
- Completed operations limit confirmed every renewal
- No prior-work or residential exclusions slipped in at a switch
- Subs carry completed operations additional insured, in writing
Send us your current policy first
A lower price that comes with a new exclusion for prior work or residential construction is not a lower price. We compare the forms, not just the totals, so your finished jobs stay covered.
General contractor insurance questions, answered
What insurance does a general contractor need in South Carolina?
Most general contractors carry general liability with a strong completed operations limit, workers' compensation once they reach four employees, commercial auto, and tools and equipment coverage. Builder's risk is needed whenever your contract makes you responsible for the structure during construction, and an umbrella when owners require higher limits. Residential builders also need the license bond. Bring us your contracts and we will match the coverage to them.
Do I need a license to be a general contractor in South Carolina?
Yes, above certain amounts. Commercial and non-residential general contracting over $10,000 requires a license from the SC Contractor's Licensing Board. Residential building over $5,000 requires a residential builder license from the SC Residential Builders Commission. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements with SC LLR before you bid.
Does South Carolina require insurance to get a contractor license?
Not as a licensing condition for general contractors or residential builders. The Contractor's Licensing Board qualifies you on net worth or working capital, or a surety bond in its place. Residential builders post a $15,000 bond or show financial responsibility. Your contracts and the workers' comp law are what require insurance, and in practice no owner or lender will let you start without it.
Am I responsible if my subcontractor does not have workers’ comp?
You can be. South Carolina law can treat a contractor as the employer of an uninsured sub's workers, so an injury on your job may become your claim, and the sub's payroll can be charged to you at audit. Collecting proof of the sub's comp coverage before they start is your best defense. We help you set up that routine.
Who buys builder's risk, the GC or the owner?
Whoever the contract says. Many standard commercial contracts put it on the owner, while residential and smaller commercial contracts often put it on the builder. Read the insurance section before you sign, and make sure exactly one party buys it. Two overlapping policies waste money, and none at all leaves the building bare.
How long after a job can I be sued over a defect?
In South Carolina, generally up to eight years after substantial completion under the state's statute of repose, with some exceptions. That is why completed operations coverage, and keeping it continuous when you change carriers, matters so much for builders.
How much does general contractor insurance cost in South Carolina?
It depends on your revenue, payroll, how much work you sub out, residential versus commercial mix, and claims history. Subcontracted work is often rated differently from your own payroll, which is one more reason to keep sub certificates on file. We shop the carriers that write GCs and show you real numbers.
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Based in Sumter and licensed across South Carolina. We serve Sumter, Manning, Camden, Bishopville, Lugoff, Columbia, Florence, and every county in between.