The policy you buy for the owner.
When a contract says you must provide an owners and contractors protective policy, the owner is the named insured and you’re the one who buys it. I place it for the project, at the limits the contract sets.
By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed October 2026 · How this page is researched
Your premium, their policy
An owners and contractors protective (OCP) policy, written on the ISO CG 00 09 form, is a stand-alone policy that covers the named insured’s liability for bodily injury and property damage caused in whole or in part by an independent contractor’s work. The contractor buys it, for the sole benefit of the owner or general contractor it’s working for. It covers their vicarious liability for your work and their own liability for general supervision of it, at the location shown on the declarations.
Owners ask for OCP because its limits belong to them alone, rather than being shared with everyone else named as an additional insured on your general liability, and because payments under it usually fall outside your own liability program. Public agencies write it into their contracts. Indiana’s Department of Transportation, for one, names the State of Indiana, care of INDOT, as the named insured. I start with your contract’s insurance section, then quote the policy at the limits it lists.
- Named insuredThe owner, general contractor or agency in your contract, not you.
- What it coversTheir liability for your work and for general supervision of it.
- When it endsInjury or damage after the work is completed or put to use is excluded.
- Premium basisUsually a rate per $1,000 of the contract price.
What underwriters will ask
Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.
- Contract: the insurance section that calls for the OCP and its limits.
- Named insured: the exact legal name of the owner, contractor or agency.
- Project: address, scope of work, and start and finish dates.
- Contract price: the amount between you and the named insured.
- Your liability policy: current general liability declarations.
- Subcontractors: who else will work under you on the job.
OCP liability insurance, answered
Who buys an OCP policy, and who is covered?
The contractor buys it, and the owner or general contractor named in the contract is the named insured. The contractor who pays for it gets no coverage from it.
Isn’t being an additional insured on my policy the same thing?
Not quite. Additional insured status shares your limits and can reach your umbrella and completed operations. An OCP gives the owner its own limits, pays first without seeking contribution from the owner’s insurance, and requires advance written notice of cancellation to the owner, but it covers only ongoing work and your umbrella generally won’t sit above it.
Does OCP cover completed operations?
No. It excludes bodily injury and property damage that happens after the work is completed or put to its intended use, with an exception for other contractors still working on the project. Completed operations stay with your own general liability.
Does OCP cover the owner’s own negligence?
Only liability arising from general supervision of your work. The named insured’s other direct negligence is excluded.
How much does OCP cost?
It’s usually rated per $1,000 of the contract price between you and the named insured, and it can run several thousand dollars or more on a larger job. Owners and general contractors typically expect it to be built into your bid.
Do you offer owners and contractors protective liability outside California?
Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. Sam Alishahi is licensed in 48 states and Washington, DC and places policies there directly. In Florida and Washington, where Sam's licenses are still being issued, a partner agency in your state helps in the meantime. The shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see insurance requirements by state.
Send me the contract. I’ll quote the OCP.
The contract’s insurance section, the named insured and the contract price are enough to start.
Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.
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(877) 711-4545Answered 24/7 · CA License #4348151
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