Packaged or separate — and who actually decided?
Acuity writes the business owners policy, general liability, commercial property, and workers' compensation individually or bundled together. Both structures are legitimate and one of them fits your operation better than the other. The problem is that most accounts never chose — they inherited whichever way they happened to be quoted the first time, and then renewed into it for a decade.
The short answer
Acuity writes the business owners policy, general liability, commercial property, and workers' compensation — individually or packaged, whichever suits the operation. Unlike Acuity's personal lines, there's no requirement to have your home and auto here to buy commercial coverage. In Arkansas, most employers with three or more employees must carry workers' compensation, with exceptions the Commission itself says to check rather than assume. Vehicles and contractor operations have their own pages — they carry issues this one doesn't.
Most accounts inherited their structure.
This is the genuinely useful thing about a carrier that writes both ways, and it's almost never discussed at renewal.
A business owners policy bundles property and liability into one contract built for smaller, more predictable operations — simpler to administer, with coverages built in that would otherwise be endorsed on.
Written separately, each policy is underwritten and sized on its own, which leaves room to shape limits and terms around an exposure that doesn't fit a standard box.
Neither structure is better in the abstract — it's simplicity against precision. What matters is that the choice got made on purpose. In practice a business is quoted one way at the start, renews into it year after year, and nobody revisits it while the operation doubles in size, adds a building, or takes on a class of work the original package was never shaped around. Businesses outgrow a packaged policy quietly rather than suddenly, which is exactly why it doesn't get noticed. Asking the question once a year costs nothing.
Four lines, and where each one sits.
Short descriptions here on purpose — each links to the full coverage explainer, which goes deeper than a carrier page should.
Business owners policy
Property and liability in one contract for smaller operations. The trap is assuming everything is inside it — several coverages people expect to find there are endorsements. What a BOP covers.
General liability
Third-party bodily injury and property damage. It's the coverage most job-site agreements, leases, and client contracts actually require you to carry, and the certificate everyone asks for. How general liability works.
Commercial property
Buildings, equipment, inventory, and business income when a loss stops you trading. Business income is the piece owners skip and then need. Commercial property, in detail.
Workers' compensation
Medical costs and wage replacement for employees injured at work, and the shield that keeps those injuries out of court. Arkansas requires it of most employers past a threshold. Workers' comp, explained.
Two parts of the Acuity commercial book live elsewhere because they carry their own problems. Commercial auto — vehicles titled to the business, employees driving them, and the point where a personal auto policy quietly stops responding. Contractors and the trades — the account structure that keeps tools, trucks, crews, and job-site liability from falling between policies. If your operation involves either, start there.
Workers' compensation, and the caveat the Commission attaches.
The Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing states that most employers with three or more employees are required by law to carry workers' compensation coverage, under the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Act at Ark. Code Ann. § 11-9-401 and following.
That is the rule almost everyone has heard. It's the second half that gets left off.
The Commission itself says there are exceptions to the three-or-more rule, and that employers with fewer than three employees should check rather than assume they're exempt. That warning is theirs, not ours, and it's the reason "we've only got two people" isn't a safe conclusion to reach on your own. Thresholds are lower for construction work, and lower again where any part of a job is subcontracted. We're not printing those numbers here until we've confirmed them against the statute rather than against a summary — the stakes are too high to be approximately right. Ask the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission, or ask us and we'll walk it through with your actual headcount and classifications. This is general information, not legal advice.
A mutual, aimed at people who work.
Acuity is a mutual insurer founded in 1925, owned by its policyholders rather than by outside shareholders, and it carries an A+ from AM Best and separately an A+ from Standard & Poor's. It sells only through independent agents, so there's no direct channel to shop against — the question is which agency holds the appointment. Its commercial book is built around contractors and the trades, which is a large share of what we write across Benton and Washington counties. Full detail on the Acuity hub.
One structural note that catches business owners out. Acuity's personal lines run on a package — the umbrella, recreational, and landlord coverages are only available alongside auto and home. That requirement does not apply to the commercial side. Your business coverage can sit here regardless of where your personal policies are written. Mention both anyway: business owners are precisely the accounts where personal and commercial exposures blur, and looking at them together is how we find the truck on the wrong form or the personal umbrella that was never going to reach the business.
No range would mean anything.
Commercial premiums span a range so wide that a published figure would mislead more than it helped. What actually drives yours: what the business does and how it's classified, payroll and headcount, the property you own or occupy, revenue, claims history and experience rating, the limits and deductibles selected, whether coverage is packaged or written separately, and any contractual requirements you have to satisfy. This is a description of how the coverage is rated, not a quote and not a guarantee. Send a description of the operation and any current declarations pages, and we'll build the real figure with you across our commercial markets.
The rest of the commercial book.
Acuity commercial insurance questions.
Does Acuity sell these coverages separately or as a package?
Both, which is the useful thing to know. Acuity writes the business owners policy, general liability, commercial property, and workers compensation individually or packaged together, in the same way it structures its personal lines. A business owners policy is itself a package of property and liability built for smaller operations.
A larger or more unusual operation is often better served by the coverages written separately so each can be sized properly. Neither structure is automatically better. What matters is that somebody made the choice deliberately rather than inheriting whichever way the account was first quoted.
Is workers compensation required in Arkansas?
For most employers, yes. The Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing states that most employers with three or more employees are required by law to carry workers compensation coverage, under the Arkansas Workers Compensation Act at Ark. Code Ann. § 11-9-401 and following.
The part that gets missed is the caveat the Commission itself attaches: there are exceptions to the three-or-more rule, and employers with fewer than three employees should check rather than assume they are exempt. Thresholds are lower for construction work and lower again where any part of a job is subcontracted. Because the answer turns on your specific operation, confirm it with the Arkansas Workers Compensation Commission or ask us.
What is the difference between a business owners policy and buying coverages separately?
A business owners policy bundles commercial property and general liability into one contract designed for smaller, more predictable operations, usually with some coverages built in that would otherwise be endorsed on. Buying separately means each policy is underwritten and sized on its own, which gives more room to shape limits and terms around an unusual exposure.
The tradeoff is generally simplicity against precision. Operations grow out of a business owners policy quietly rather than suddenly, which is why the structure is worth revisiting at renewal rather than only when something changes visibly.
Why does Cribb place Acuity commercial business?
Acuity's commercial book is built around contractors and the trades, which is a large share of what we write across Benton and Washington counties. It is a mutual insurer, owned by its policyholders rather than by outside shareholders, and it carries an A plus rating from AM Best and separately an A plus from Standard and Poor's.
It also sells only through independent agents, so there is no direct channel to compare against. Whether it is the right fit for your operation depends on your class of business, payroll, vehicles, property, and claims history, and that is decided by the carrier on the facts rather than by a webpage.
What about vehicles and contractor operations?
Those have their own pages because they carry their own issues. Vehicles titled to a business, employees behind the wheel, and the line where a personal auto policy stops responding are the subject of our Acuity commercial auto page.
Contractor accounts have a different problem again, which is keeping tools, trucks, crews, and job-site liability from falling between policies, and that is covered on our Acuity contractors page. If your operation involves either, start there and we will pull the rest of the account together around it.
Can Acuity write my business insurance if my home and auto are somewhere else?
Yes. The package requirement that applies to Acuity's personal lines — where the umbrella, recreational, and landlord coverages are only available alongside auto and home — does not apply to the commercial side. Your business coverage can sit with Acuity regardless of where your personal policies are written.
It is worth mentioning both anyway, because business owners are the accounts where personal and commercial exposures most often blur, and looking at them together is how we catch the truck on the wrong form or the umbrella that does not reach the business.
How do I get an Acuity commercial quote in Bentonville or Rogers?
Start a commercial quote online or call (479) 286-1066. Have ready a plain description of what the business actually does, your payroll and employee count, a list of vehicles and equipment, the property you own or lease, and any current declarations pages.
Eligibility for any class of business is decided by the carrier on the facts of your operation, so the fastest path is a short conversation rather than a form filled out in the dark. We quote Acuity against our other commercial markets before telling you whether it is the right home for the account.
If our coverage explainers are useful, mark Cribb Insurance as a preferred source so more Northwest Arkansas business owners can find our local, plain-English guides.
Ask the structure question once a year.
Send a description of the operation, your headcount and payroll, and any current declarations pages. We'll tell you whether packaged or separate actually fits what the business has become, whether the workers' comp requirement reaches you, and how Acuity compares against our other commercial markets.
Cribb Insurance Group Inc. is an independent insurance agency licensed in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas. We are not Acuity, and this page is not endorsed, sponsored, reviewed, or approved by Acuity. "Acuity" is a trademark or service mark of ACUITY, A Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, used here nominatively to identify products we are appointed to place. Acuity's Arkansas commercial policies are issued by Acuity-affiliated underwriting companies.
This page describes commercial insurance in general, industry-standard terms for informational purposes only. It is not a policy, not an offer of insurance, and not a guarantee of coverage, availability, eligibility, or price. The business owners policy, general liability, commercial property, business income, workers' compensation, limits, deductibles, endorsements, and exclusions are set by the carrier, vary by state and by policy and over time, are subject to the carrier's underwriting approval and eligibility, and apply only as written in the policy actually issued. Eligibility for any class of business is determined by the carrier on the facts of your operation; this page makes no representation that any particular business qualifies. Whether coverage is written on a packaged or monoline basis is subject to the carrier's rules and eligibility.
Statements about Arkansas workers' compensation requirements — including that most employers with three or more employees are required to carry coverage under the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Act, Ark. Code Ann. § 11-9-401 et seq., that exceptions to that rule exist, and that thresholds differ for construction and subcontracted work — reflect guidance published by the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, are general information rather than legal advice, are simplified summaries rather than complete statements of the law, and are subject to change. Whether the requirement applies to your business depends on your employee count, classifications, and operations. Confirm with the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission or a qualified professional.
Financial strength ratings are opinions of an insurer's ability to meet its ongoing insurance obligations, are subject to change, are not recommendations to purchase, hold or terminate any policy, and do not address an insurer's claims-handling practices; current ratings are at ambest.com. Last reviewed August 2026.