General Liability Insurance for Chicago Businesses

General liability is the base layer of almost every commercial insurance program. It responds when your business is blamed for injuring someone or damaging their property, and it pays your defense costs whether or not the claim has merit.

Longmeadow Insurance places general liability for businesses across Chicago and the North Shore. Because we are independent, we compare terms and pricing across multiple carriers rather than selling one company’s form.

What It Covers

  • Bodily injury to customers, vendors, or visitors on your premises or arising from your operations
  • Property damage your business causes to someone else’s property
  • Products and completed operations, covering claims that arise after a job is finished or a product is sold
  • Personal and advertising injury, including libel, slander, and copyright claims in advertising
  • Defense costs, generally paid in addition to your limit

What It Does Not Cover

General liability is narrower than most owners assume. It excludes injuries to your own employees, which is what workers compensation is for. It excludes damage to your own building and contents, which is commercial property coverage. It excludes claims arising from professional advice, which needs errors and omissions coverage. It excludes data breaches, which is cyber liability. And it excludes vehicles, which need commercial auto.

Limits and Structure

The standard structure is $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Landlords, general contractors, and municipalities frequently require those limits in a contract, and many now ask for higher.

The aggregate matters more than owners realize. It is the total the policy will pay in a policy year across all claims. A business with several claims can exhaust the aggregate and be uninsured for the rest of the term. A commercial umbrella sitting above general liability is usually the cheaper way to reach higher required limits.

Certificates and Additional Insureds

If you work for other businesses, you will be asked for a certificate of insurance naming the client as an additional insured, often with a waiver of subrogation and primary and non-contributory wording. These are not formalities. The specific endorsement forms on your policy determine whether the wording your contract requires is actually there.

We read the insurance requirements in your contracts before placing coverage, so the certificate you hand over matches what you signed.

Common Questions

How much does general liability cost in Illinois?

Premium is driven by your industry classification, revenue, payroll, and claims history. A consultant working from an office and a roofing contractor are underwritten very differently. Most small businesses fall in the several hundred to few thousand dollars a year range for a $1 million policy.

Should I buy a BOP instead?

A business owner policy bundles general liability with commercial property and often business interruption, usually at a lower combined price. Most small and mid-size businesses that qualify should take the BOP. Businesses outside the eligibility guidelines need a package policy built from separate parts.

Are my subcontractors covered under my policy?

No. Subcontractors need their own general liability, and you should collect certificates before they start. Uninsured subs commonly get added to your payroll at audit, which raises your premium after the fact.

Related Coverage

Get a General Liability Quote

Send us your current policy and any contracts with insurance requirements. Call 847.242.1040 or request a quote online.