Maine contractor insurance requirements

Workers' comp in Maine

Almost every Maine business with one or more employees must carry workers' comp. An owner of at least 20% of a corporation's voting stock can waive coverage for themselves in writing, on a form the Workers' Compensation Board approves.

The agency in charge is the Maine Workers' Compensation Board. It can tell you whether a specific business needs coverage, and most states let you look up an employer's policy online.

Contractor licensing and insurance

We found no statewide general liability minimum tied to a general contractor license. Maine has no statewide general contractor license. Cities and counties can set their own licensing and insurance rules, so check where the project is.

Indemnity and additional insured clauses

Maine has no general construction anti-indemnity statute. Courts there generally enforce a clause that covers a party's own negligence only when the clause says so clearly (see Emery v. Waterhouse Co., 467 A.2d 986 (Me. 1983)).

What to check on a contractor COI for a Maine project

1. Workers' comp. Nearly every contractor with employees needs it in Maine. A contractor with a crew and no workers' comp on its COI is a gap. For an out-of-state contractor, confirm Maine is listed on the workers' comp policy.
2. General liability. Maine doesn't set a statewide floor for a general contractor license, so your project requirements set the bar. Compare each limit on the COI with what the contract asks for.
3. Additional insured. The endorsement is a separate promise from the indemnity clause, so check both. Ask for the endorsement itself, not just a box ticked on the certificate.
4. Dates. Every policy should run through the end of the job. A COI only shows coverage on the day it was issued, so check again at each renewal.

Forsured checks every contractor COI against your project requirements, then keeps checking for the life of the project. Send us one project's requirements and a contractor COI or two for a free COI risk check.