The coverage the world asks you to have.
General liability is the most requested business coverage there is — the one your landlord, your clients, and your contracts require before they'll do business with you. It protects your company when someone outside it is hurt or their property is damaged because of what you do. Here's what it covers, how the per-occurrence and aggregate limits actually work, what the certificate everyone asks for really means, and where general liability stops and a BOP begins. Placed through an independent agency that represents Auto-Owners.
The short answer
General liability covers third-party claims against your business — bodily injury, property damage, and personal and advertising injury, plus products-completed operations and legal defense. It's the coverage leases, clients, and contracts require, proven by a certificate of insurance. It's built on two limits — a per-occurrence limit and an annual aggregate — and it deliberately doesn't cover your own property (that's a BOP), your employees (workers' comp), or your professional advice (E&O). Backed by an A+ (Superior) carrier and placed only through an independent agent like Cribb.
Claims from the world outside your business.
General liability is an all-risks liability policy — it responds to claims from others except those specifically excluded.
Bodily injury
A customer slips on your wet floor, or someone is injured by your operations. General liability covers their medical costs and your defense if you're held responsible.
Property damage
You damage a client's property while doing your work — a contractor cracks a countertop, a cleaner ruins a floor. This covers the third party's property, not your own.
Personal & advertising injury
Covers claims like libel, slander, and copyright infringement in your advertising — the reputational and intellectual-property risks that come with promoting a business.
Products & completed operations
Covers injury or damage caused by a product you sold or work you finished, sometimes long after. It carries its own separate aggregate limit — critical for contractors and makers.
Medical payments
A small sublimit that covers minor third-party injuries on your premises without a liability finding — a fast, goodwill-preserving way to handle little incidents before they grow.
Legal defense
The cost of defending you — attorneys, court costs — is typically paid in addition to your limits, so a defense doesn't eat into the money available to settle a claim.
The coverage everyone asks you to carry.
Landlords, clients, and general contractors routinely require proof of general liability before they'll sign — a certificate of insurance, often naming them as an additional insured. No certificate, no deal.
A certificate of insurance and an additional insured, explained.
A certificate of insurance (COI) is a one-page proof of your coverage — your carrier, policy number and dates, coverage types and limits, and any additional insureds. It's what a landlord or client asks for to confirm you're covered, and it's why general liability is so often the price of admission to a lease or a contract.
An additional insured is someone you add to your policy — usually a landlord or a client — so your coverage also protects them for claims arising from your work. Contracts frequently require it. We issue certificates and add insureds quickly, so when a customer asks for proof before Friday, a coverage requirement never costs you the job.
Per-occurrence and aggregate aren't the same.
The first number is the most the policy pays for any single claim. The second is the most it pays for all claims in a year — and it can run out. Standard limits are often a floor, not a ceiling.
The aggregate is a yearly budget that can be spent.
A general liability policy carries a per-occurrence limit — commonly one million dollars, the most it pays for a single claim — and a general aggregate — commonly two million dollars, the most it pays for all claims in the policy year. The trap is that the aggregate depletes: three separate one-million-dollar claims in one year would exhaust a two-million aggregate after the first two, leaving the third uncovered. Products-completed operations usually carries its own separate aggregate.
That's why standard one-million / two-million limits are frequently a starting floor — many leases and contracts require more, and a commercial umbrella stacks additional limits on top for the catastrophic claim. Setting the right limits, and knowing when to add an umbrella, is the judgment we bring to it.
Three things to get right on general liability.
First, carry enough per-occurrence and aggregate limit for your real exposure, not just a contract's minimum, and add an umbrella when the stakes warrant. Second, add the additional insureds your contracts require and keep certificates current, so a coverage requirement never stalls a deal. Third, don't confuse general liability with professional liability or a BOP — layer the coverages you actually need rather than assuming one policy does it all.
Where general liability ends and a BOP begins.
Same liability coverage — the BOP just adds more.
The general liability inside a Business Owners Policy is the same coverage as a standalone general liability policy. The difference is what's bundled around it: a BOP adds commercial property for your building and business property and business income for lost revenue after a loss. So the choice is really about your property. A business with little to insure — many consultants, tradespeople, and service providers who work at client sites — often needs standalone general liability and nothing more. A business that owns equipment, carries inventory, or occupies space is usually better served by a BOP, which typically costs less than buying property and liability separately. We'll tell you honestly which one fits.
What general liability won't cover.
It's broad for third-party claims, but four big exposures live in other policies.
Professional mistakes
Errors, bad advice, or failing to deliver a professional service belong to professional liability (errors & omissions), not general liability. Essential for advisors, designers, and consultants.
Your employees & vehicles
Employee injuries belong to workers' compensation and business-vehicle accidents to commercial auto — not general liability. We coordinate all three so nothing's missed.
Your own property
General liability covers harm to others, never your own building, equipment, or inventory. That's commercial property or the property side of a BOP.
Backed by an A+ (Superior) carrier.
AM Best rates the members of Auto-Owners Insurance Group — the companies behind your Arkansas general liability policy — with a Financial Strength Rating of A+ (Superior) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "aa" (Superior), stable outlook, per its rating action dated October 31, 2024. A+ (Superior) is the second-highest of AM Best's rating levels and sits in its top "Superior" category. A financial strength rating is an opinion about an insurer's ability to pay claims — its solvency — not a grade of how a specific claim is handled, and not a recommendation. The current rating is at ambest.com.
Where we earn it on general liability.
The quiet general-liability mistakes are limits set to a contract's minimum instead of the real exposure, an aggregate nobody realized could run out, missing additional insureds that stall a deal, and assuming GL covers professional work, employees, or property when it doesn't. We size the per-occurrence and aggregate limits, add an umbrella where it fits, issue certificates and additional insureds fast, and layer professional liability, workers' comp, and a BOP around it. We don't adjust your claim and can't overrule an adjuster — but we build the coverage to respond, and we quote Auto-Owners against our other commercial markets.
Priced to the operation, not a sticker.
General liability premiums vary too widely for a single meaningful figure — a solo consultant and a busy contractor face very different risk. Price turns on your industry and the work you do, your revenue and payroll, the limits you carry, and your claims history. For many low-risk small businesses it's one of the more affordable coverages; for higher-risk trades it's more. This isn't a quote or a guarantee. Tell us what your business does and the limits your contracts require, and we'll build the real figure with you, Auto-Owners against our other commercial markets.
What general liability pairs with.
Auto-Owners general liability questions.
What does general liability insurance cover?
Commercial general liability, or CGL, covers third-party claims against your business — meaning harm to people or property that isn't yours. It responds to bodily injury, such as a customer slipping and falling on your premises or being hurt by your operations; property damage, such as damaging a client's property while doing your work; and personal and advertising injury, which covers things like libel, slander, and copyright infringement in your advertising.
It also includes products-completed operations, covering injury or damage caused by a product you sold or work you finished after the fact. Legal defense costs are typically covered in addition to the limits. It's often described as an all-risks liability policy, covering claims except those specifically excluded, and it comes with small medical-payments and damage-to-rented-premises sublimits as well.
What's the difference between general liability and a BOP?
General liability is liability coverage only — it protects you against third-party claims but does nothing for your own property or income. A Business Owners Policy (BOP) includes that same general liability coverage and adds commercial property coverage for your building and business personal property, plus business income coverage for lost revenue after a covered loss. So the general liability inside a BOP is the same coverage; the BOP just bundles it with property and income.
A business with little or no property to insure — many consultants, contractors, and service providers — may only need standalone general liability, while a business that owns equipment, inventory, or occupies space is usually better served by a BOP. We help you decide which structure fits.
Does general liability cover my professional mistakes, my employees, or my vehicles?
No — and these are the most common misunderstandings about general liability. It does not cover professional errors or bad advice; that's professional liability, also called errors and omissions (E&O). It does not cover your employees' work-related injuries; that's workers' compensation. It does not cover accidents involving business vehicles; that's commercial auto. It also doesn't cover your own property, which belongs to a property policy or a BOP.
General liability is specifically about third-party bodily injury, property damage, and personal and advertising injury. The good news is that these coverages layer together cleanly, and we assemble them so your business is protected across the board without gaps or overlap.
What do per-occurrence and aggregate limits mean?
A general liability policy carries two main limits, and the difference matters. The per-occurrence limit is the most the policy will pay for any single claim — commonly one million dollars. The general aggregate limit is the most the policy will pay for all claims combined during the policy year — commonly two million dollars, or twice the per-occurrence limit.
The catch is that the aggregate can be exhausted: if you had three separate one-million-dollar claims in a year, the first two would use up a two-million-dollar aggregate and the third would be uncovered. Products-completed operations usually carries its own separate aggregate. Standard one-million / two-million limits are often a floor, not a ceiling — many contracts require more, and a commercial umbrella adds another layer on top.
What is a certificate of insurance and an additional insured?
A certificate of insurance, or COI, is a one-page proof of your coverage — it lists your business, your carrier, your policy number and dates, your coverage types and limits, and any additional insureds. Landlords, clients, and general contractors routinely require a COI before they'll sign a lease or a contract, which is why general liability is so often the ticket to doing business.
An additional insured is a person or company you add to your policy — commonly a landlord or a client — so that your coverage also protects them for claims arising from your work. Contracts frequently require you to name them as an additional insured, and we handle issuing certificates and adding insureds quickly so a coverage requirement never holds up a deal.
How do I get an Auto-Owners general liability quote in Northwest Arkansas?
Start at our commercial quote form or call (479) 286-1066. Tell us what your business does, your annual revenue, whether you have a physical location or work at client sites, and any limit or additional-insured requirements from your leases or contracts.
We'll set the per-occurrence and aggregate limits to fit, add the additional insureds your agreements require, coordinate general liability with a BOP or the other coverages you need, and consider an umbrella for higher limits — then quote Auto-Owners against our other commercial markets. Because Auto-Owners only sells through independent agents, an agency like ours is the only way to buy it.
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.
Get the coverage your contracts require — set up right.
Tell us what your business does and the limits your leases or clients ask for, and we'll set the per-occurrence and aggregate limits, add the additional insureds you need, issue the certificate, and layer a BOP or umbrella if it fits. If Auto-Owners is the right fit, we'll place it. If another of our commercial markets fits better, we'll tell you that too.
Cribb Insurance Group Inc. is an independent insurance agency licensed in Arkansas. We are not Auto-Owners, and this page is not endorsed, sponsored, reviewed, or approved by Auto-Owners. "Auto-Owners" and "Auto-Owners Insurance" are service marks or trademarks of Auto-Owners Insurance Company and its affiliates, used here nominatively to identify products we are appointed to place. Auto-Owners' Arkansas general liability policies are issued by Auto-Owners-affiliated underwriting companies.
This page describes commercial general liability 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. Coverages including bodily injury, property damage, personal and advertising injury, products-completed operations, medical payments, and damage to premises rented, along with per-occurrence, general aggregate, products-completed-operations aggregate, and other limits and sublimits, deductibles, additional insured and other endorsements, and exclusions, are set by the carrier, vary 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 to you. Limit figures such as one million / two million or two million / four million are general, industry-standard examples of limit structures, not a recommendation of adequate limits and not a quote; appropriate limits depend on your business. General liability does not cover your own property, employees' injuries, business autos, or professional errors, which require separate coverage. Certificates of insurance and additional insured status confer rights only as provided by the policy and endorsements actually issued.
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. The A+ (Superior) rating referenced applies to the members of Auto-Owners Insurance Group. Any cost or coverage descriptions are general and illustrative, not a quote, and not a guarantee; your premium and coverage are determined at quote and by the policy issued.
Last reviewed July 2026.