Coverage
Does general liability cover design errors?
Written and reviewed by Michael LaBarbera, licensed insurance agent
Generally no: general liability is not a substitute for professional liability when the allegation is a design error. General liability policies commonly exclude professional services, so a design-services allegation is reviewed under the professional liability policy while premises and operations exposures stay with general liability.
Why does general liability usually exclude design errors?
General liability is built around bodily injury, property damage and personal injury arising from operations. Many forms used by design firms carry a professional services exclusion. The actual exclusion wording, endorsements and the allegation decide which policy is reviewed, so neither policy should be assumed to respond without reading both.
Where do the two policies meet?
A visitor tripping in your office is a general liability matter. An owner alleging that your drawings caused a structural failure is a professional liability matter, even when bodily injury is part of the claim, if the general liability form excludes professional services. Office package products such as a business owner policy pair general liability with property but do not replace professional liability.
What should a firm do with a contract that requires both?
Read the insurance clause and list each required policy, limit and endorsement separately. Additional-insured requests usually attach to general liability, while professional liability limits are shown on the certificate without additional insureds. Ask us to review the clause before you sign.
What sources support this answer?
- Design Professional Liability — The Hartford
- NAIC — Professional liability insurance consumer overview
General information, not legal advice. Policy wording controls; carriers are quoted through our agency and no endorsement is implied.
Related guides and tools
Follow-up questions
Does a business owner policy cover design errors?
A business owner policy generally combines property and general liability and is not a substitute for professional liability.
Should I report a design-error claim to both insurers?
Report promptly under each policy that may apply and let the insurers review. Late notice can jeopardize claims-made coverage.
More buyer questions
- Do architects need professional liability insurance?
Most architecture firms carry professional liability insurance because clients, owners and contracts commonly ask for it and because design-error allegations can arise years after a project closes.
- Does general liability cover design errors?
Generally no: general liability is not a substitute for professional liability when the allegation is a design error.
- What is a retroactive date?
A retroactive date is the prior-acts boundary on a claims-made policy: services performed before that date may fall outside coverage even when the claim arrives during the current policy.
- Can a client be named as an additional insured on professional liability?
Usually not: additional-insured status is typically a general liability request, and professional liability policies generally do not add clients as additional insureds.
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