Coverage Built for Wrap-Up Programs, Subcontractor Risk, and Multi-Trade Exposure — Not Just General Liability
General contracting in Texas carries a liability profile shaped by everything happening around you on a jobsite, not just your own crew's work — subcontractor performance, wrap-up program structure, and a municipal registration landscape that varies by city instead of one statewide standard. EIS Texas designs coverage specifically for general contractors — from residential remodelers to commercial builders managing multi-trade projects — serving businesses across Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.
EIS Texas is an independent agency appointed with carriers including Berkshire Hathaway, which means we place your risk with the carrier best suited to your specific operation rather than a single in-house product. We design programs specifically for general contractors generating $2.5MM–$50MM in annual revenue — operations that have outgrown a generic policy but don't need a national broker's overhead. Founded in 2013 on 26 years of hands-on insurance experience, EIS Texas has worked with contractor clients well into the hundreds — deep, real-world knowledge of construction risk management, backed by relevant industry designations.
Segments We Protect:
- Commercial General Contractors — ground-up commercial construction, tenant build-out, multi-trade project management
- Residential Builders & Remodelers — new construction, whole-home renovation, house-flipping operations
- Design-Build General Contractors — combined design and construction liability exposure
- Wrap-Up Project General Contractors — OCIP/CCIP-covered projects requiring coordination with owner or contractor-controlled programs
- Multi-Family & Mixed-Use Builders — higher-density, higher-subcontractor-count project exposure
To review city-by-city contractor registration rules (including Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio requirements), evaluate OCIP/CCIP wrap-up risk frameworks, or explore alternative risk group structures, visit our Texas General Contractor Risk Management Hub.
Where Standard Contractor Insurance Leaves General Contractors Exposed
Subcontractor Default & Indemnity Gaps
As the GC, you typically hold the prime contract — and the liability that comes with it — even when a subcontractor is the one at fault. If a sub fails to perform, causes a loss, or carries inadequate coverage of their own, that exposure often lands on you unless your contracts and coverage are structured to catch it. Weak indemnification language and unverified subcontractor insurance are two of the most common gaps we find when auditing an incoming GC's program.
OCIP/CCIP Wrap-Up Program Complexity
Larger commercial projects increasingly run under Owner-Controlled or Contractor-Controlled Insurance Programs — a single policy covering the GC and subcontractors on that specific job. Being on a wrap-up project changes what your own standalone policy needs to cover, and what it shouldn't duplicate. Misunderstanding that boundary can mean paying for coverage you don't need, or worse, assuming you're covered for something the wrap-up program doesn't actually include.
The Multi-Trade Completed Operations Tail
A GC's completed operations exposure isn't just about their own work — it's the cumulative tail risk of every trade on the project. A plumbing failure, an electrical defect, or a structural issue can surface years after closeout, and as the GC of record, you may still be named in the resulting claim regardless of which subcontractor actually did the work.
Municipal Registration Risk Across Markets
Because Texas has no statewide GC license, registration and insurance requirements vary by city — Dallas requires registration, Houston doesn't, San Antonio and Austin each run their own systems. A contractor expanding across metros can unknowingly fall out of compliance in a new market simply by assuming the rules are the same as where they started.
Contractual Risk Transfer Written Against You
Property owners and developers increasingly write indemnification language that shifts liability for site conditions, existing structures, or third-party trades onto the general contractor. Catching this at contract review, before signing, is the difference between a manageable exposure and an open-ended one.
Coverage Built for General Contractors
| Coverage Line | What It Does | Where It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| General Liability | Third-party bodily injury and property damage | A subcontractor's error causes damage on your project and you're named in the claim |
| Builder's Risk | Materials and in-progress construction | Fire, theft, or weather damage to a project before completion |
| Professional Liability (E&O) | Design-build and construction management errors | A design-build project fails to meet code, triggering remediation costs |
| Commercial Auto | Vehicles and drivers moving between jobsites | At-fault accident involving a company vehicle |
| Workers' Compensation | Medical costs and wage replacement | Jobsite injuries across your direct employees |
| Commercial Umbrella | Extends limits above your primary policies | Claims that exceed a standard $1M liability cap, common on larger commercial projects |
| Subcontractor Default Insurance | Covers losses when a sub fails to perform | A subcontractor walks off a job or delivers defective work, creating direct cost exposure |
Texas Coverage, Not Just DFW
While our Rockwall headquarters puts us close to the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, general contracting risk and registration requirements look different depending on where in Texas you're operating.
- Dallas — requires annual contractor registration by work type; dense commercial and multi-family project volume
- Fort Worth — growing commercial and industrial construction, Alliance corridor development
- Houston — no city GC registration, permit-only system; high industrial and commercial project volume
- Austin — its own contractor registration process; fast-growth multi-family and mixed-use construction
- San Antonio — two-tier registration system with ICC certification requirements for residential contractors
How We Work With General Contractors
We're not a policy-at-renewal broker. Through our Beyond the Coverage™ Partnership, our team works with your operation year-round: subcontractor compliance audits, wrap-up program coordination, municipal registration guidance as you expand across markets, and fast-turnaround Certificates of Insurance so a missing COI never holds up a project deadline.
Continue researching:
- Texas General Contractor Risk Management Hub — municipal registration requirements, compliance frameworks, and alternative risk transfer strategies
- Contract & Certificate Compliance
- Texas Trade Contractor OSHA Guide
Request a Risk Analysis for Your Texas General Contracting Business
We are not in the business of giving "Quotes." There are hundreds of insurance agencies that will do that for you. Tell us about your operation and we'll build coverage around the specific risks of general contracting in Texas — not a generic contractor template.
General Contractor Insurance in Texas — FAQ
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