
Florida roofing is one of the harder construction classes to place because of wind, hail, water-intrusion patterns, completed-operations exposure, and tight carrier appetite. Match coverage to height, materials, residential vs. commercial split, and the contracts the roofer signs.
Ellie Insurance Group is an independent business insurance agency (founded 2014, headquartered in Tampa, Florida) that shops 100+ carrier markets to place roofing contractor insurance — typically general liability, workers' compensation, commercial auto, and tools/equipment coverage — for roofing contractor businesses. As an independent broker we compare real quotes side by side and handle the contract certificates (additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary & noncontributory) that roofing contractor jobs require. Start an Instant Quote and a licensed agent shops your account across competing carriers.
Roofing is one of the toughest classes to place in Florida — carriers price in fall exposure, hot-work fire risk, and a long water-intrusion completed-operations tail that can surface a full storm season after the roof is finished. A roofing program has to be matched precisely to height, materials, residential vs. commercial split, and tear-off/hot-work methods, because the wrong endorsement leaves the most common claims uncovered.
Covered third-party injury, property damage from work, and completed operations once a roof is finished.
Florida construction employers generally need coverage with 1+ employees; ghost policies are usually rejected by GCs.
Service trucks, trailers, dump trucks, plus hired and non-owned auto when crew drive personal vehicles.
Compressors, nail guns, ladders, harnesses, and rented equipment in transit and on site.
Materials on roof, staged on site, or in transit before becoming part of the building.
Common requirement on commercial and HOA contracts.
For tear-off, hot work, asphalt, sealants, and torch-down operations.
Workers' compensation is usually the non-negotiable line for a roofing contractor: Florida construction employers generally need it with one or more employees. Before you sign anything, see exactly how licensing, workers' comp law, and contract limits stack up in our Florida contractor insurance requirements guide.
These are illustrative examples of how losses tend to unfold for a roofing contractor, and which coverage usually responds. They are educational only — actual coverage depends on your policy terms, endorsements, and the facts of the claim.
During the next heavy storm season, a homeowner reports interior water damage traced to improperly sealed flashing on a recent re-roof.
Likely response: Completed-operations coverage may respond to the resulting interior damage; re-doing the defective roof work itself is usually treated as uncovered faulty workmanship.
Hot-work during a flat-roof install ignites underlying material and causes fire damage to the building.
Likely response: General liability may respond, but torch-down/hot-work without the proper endorsement is commonly excluded — which is exactly why carriers underwrite hot-work methods.
A crew member without proper fall protection slips on a steep-slope residential roof and is seriously injured.
Likely response: Workers' compensation responds to the employee injury; a documented fall-protection program is critical for both safety and WC appetite.
Carriers ask about maximum height, steep-slope work, and crew fall protection programs.
Asphalt shingle, metal, tile, flat/TPO, hot work, torch-down, and tear-off all carry different exposures.
HOA, condo, and commercial work brings stronger contract requirements and higher limit demands.
Percent of subbed labor and whether subs carry their own GL/WC with proper endorsements.
3–5 years of currently valued loss runs. Water-intrusion claim patterns matter most.
Per-project aggregate, additional insured, waiver of subrogation, completed operations.
Two contractors in the same trade can pay very different premiums. These are the levers underwriters weigh most — and the ones you can often improve before renewal.
Steep-slope and higher work rates well above low-slope residential due to fall exposure.
Hot-work, torch-down, and tear-off carry more exposure than simple shingle overlays.
WC payroll by class code and annual receipts set the core exposure base for this high-hazard class.
Commercial and HOA work brings higher limits and per-project aggregate demands.
Percent of subbed labor and COI discipline strongly affect both price and audit exposure.
In a tight Florida market, a clean loss history is often the difference between an offer and a decline.
Want to see how roofing contractors compare to other trades? Our Florida contractor insurance cost by trade guide breaks down general liability and workers' comp price ranges side by side.
Holding a license does not satisfy a customer's insurance requirement, and a workers' comp exemption does not help if you actually have employees on payroll. Roofing is heavily contract- and inspection-driven in Florida, and GCs, HOAs, and property managers almost always require a certificate, additional insured status, and proof of workers' comp before work begins.
DBPR / CILB rules and local competency cards.
Construction generally triggers at 1+ employees.
GCs and owners set their own, often higher, requirements.
Running a mixed crew or subbing out adjacent work? We place coverage across the construction trades and coordinate certificates between them.
Mowing, irrigation, hardscape, and tree work.
Interior, exterior, commercial repaint, and pressure wash.
Flatwork, foundations, structural, and decorative.
Multi-trade handyman programs with proper classification.
Tile, hardwood, LVP, carpet, and floor prep.
See the full contractor insurance hub, coverage stack, and certificate guidance.
Broad contractor coverage and certificate support.
Starting point for most contractor programs.
Required for Florida construction with 1+ employees.
Trucks, trailers, and hired/non-owned auto.
Licensing, workers' comp law, and contract limits explained.
Additional insureds, waivers, and primary wording.
Florida GL and workers' comp price ranges by trade.
Coverage descriptions and regulatory figures on this page are general summaries reviewed against the references above and are not a statement of coverage, legal advice, or a guarantee of eligibility or price. Last reviewed . Requirements and policy terms change — always confirm current rules with the relevant agency and verify coverage against the actual policy and a licensed agent.
Beyond '$1M GL' — the actual additional insured, waiver, primary/non-contributory, and certificate-holder language that wins jobs.
Per-industry GL benchmarks: what contractors, retail, restaurants, and pros really pay — and what drives the price up or down.
Class codes, experience mods, and payroll caps explained — plus how to dispute an audit that's wrong.
What every box on an ACORD 100+ actually means — and what to ask for when a vendor or GC requests one.
As an independent agency we shop 100+ admitted and surplus-lines carrier markets — so the carrier competes for your business, not the other way around.




































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