A serious lawsuit or accident can blow past the limits on your general liability or commercial auto policy — and you’re personally on the hook for the rest. Commercial umbrella insurance adds an extra layer of liability coverage on top of those policies, often a million dollars or more, for a comparatively small premium. Many larger contracts and landlords now require it. We size an umbrella to your real exposure so one bad day doesn’t threaten everything you’ve built.
Who this is for
Higher-risk operations
Businesses with vehicles, premises traffic, or significant assets to protect.
Contract requirements
Many large clients and leases now require umbrella limits.
Growing businesses
More revenue and assets mean more to lose in a large claim.
What it covers
- Excess general liability limits
- Excess commercial auto liability
- Excess employer’s liability (where applicable)
- Defense costs above underlying limits
- Limits of $1M and up
- Satisfies contract & lease requirements
How a commercial umbrella works
An umbrella isn’t standalone coverage — it’s an extra layer of liability limits that sits on top of your other policies. When a claim exhausts the limit on your general liability, commercial auto, or employer’s liability, the umbrella picks up where they leave off, adding $1 million or more in protection (plus defense costs) for a comparatively small premium.
A real-world example
Say your general liability carries a $1M limit and a serious accident results in a $1.4M judgment. Without an umbrella, your business is personally on the hook for the $400,000 gap — enough to wipe out many small companies. A $1M umbrella absorbs that excess instead. It’s inexpensive precisely because catastrophic claims are rare — but when one hits, it’s the difference between a covered loss and a closed business.
When you need one
An umbrella makes the most sense when you have assets to protect, public or job-site exposure, vehicles on the road, or contracts that demand higher limits — and increasingly, large clients and landlords require it outright. Because an umbrella sits above your underlying policies, those need to be in place at required minimum limits first. We coordinate the whole stack under one roof so the layers fit together correctly.