North Carolina contractor insurance requirements

Workers' comp in North Carolina

North Carolina businesses that regularly employ three or more people must carry workers' comp. Corporate officers count toward the three, even if they exclude themselves.

The agency in charge is the North Carolina Industrial Commission. 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. North Carolina's general contractor license has financial requirements but no liability insurance minimum we could find. Cities and counties can set their own licensing and insurance rules, so check where the project is.

Indemnity and additional insured clauses

North Carolina's anti-indemnity statute (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 22B-1) voids construction contract clauses that make a contractor indemnify another party for that party's own negligence, even in part. Clauses limited to the contractor's own share of fault generally hold up.

What to check on a contractor COI for a North Carolina project

1. Workers' comp. A contractor below North Carolina's threshold can legally go without it, but your project requirements can still require it. Decide what you'll accept, and get an exemption or a policy in writing. For an out-of-state contractor, confirm North Carolina is listed on the workers' comp policy.
2. General liability. North Carolina 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.