Rhode Island contractor insurance requirements

Workers' comp in Rhode Island

Rhode Island employers with one or more employees must carry workers' comp. Individual owners and partners are exempt.

The agency in charge is the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. 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

Rhode Island contractor registration requires a $500,000 liability insurance certificate naming the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board, plus a workers' comp certificate for contractors with employees.

Indemnity and additional insured clauses

Rhode Island's anti-indemnity statute (R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-34-1) 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 Rhode Island project

1. Workers' comp. Nearly every contractor with employees needs it in Rhode Island. A contractor with a crew and no workers' comp on its COI is a gap. For an out-of-state contractor, confirm Rhode Island is listed on the workers' comp policy.
2. General liability. A Rhode Island license only shows the contractor met the state's floor. Compare each limit on the COI with your project requirements, which are usually higher.
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.