{ "$schema": "https://bestinsuranceresearch.com/llms-full.txt", "recordType": "question", "id": "general-liability-vs-professional-liability", "canonicalUrl": "https://bestinsuranceresearch.com/questions/general-liability-vs-professional-liability", "contentVersion": "2026.08.31", "generatedFor": "2026-09-06", "operator": { "legalName": "WJB Services, Inc.", "dba": "Bollinsure Insurance Services", "license": "6013787", "licenseAuthority": "California Department of Insurance" }, "license": "Text on this page may be quoted with attribution and a link to the canonical URL.", "notice": "Public page facts only. This record contains no visitor question, no tool input, and no identifier. It is not a coverage determination, an eligibility decision, or individualized advice.", "question": "What is the difference between general liability and professional liability?", "aliases": [ "Do I need both general liability and professional liability insurance?", "Is errors and omissions the same thing as general liability?", "What does general liability not cover that E and O does?", "General liability vs E and O insurance for my business" ], "directAnswer": "They respond to different kinds of harm: in the standard advisory commercial general liability coverage form CG 00 01 04 13, Coverage A pays sums the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury or property damage, applies only if that injury or damage occurs during the policy period, and the form carries a separate Coverage B for personal and advertising injury. Professional liability, also sold as errors and omissions, is described by regulators and state risk managers as responding to claims that an error, omission, or mistake in professional services or judgment harmed a client. Oregon's state risk management office states that professional liability and errors and omissions policies are generally issued on a claims made basis, which is a different trigger from the occurrence trigger in CG 00 01 04 13. Filed endorsements exist that remove liability arising out of rendering professional services from a general liability policy, and a contract can require both coverages. This describes specific named forms and general descriptions, not any policy you hold: read your own form and endorsement schedule, because only the carrier decides a claim.", "assumes": [ "General US commercial insurance market as of August 2026. This is general information, not a coverage determination for any specific policy, risk, or claim.", "Statements about form wording refer only to the specific advisory forms named here, CG 00 01 04 13, CG 22 43 04 13, and CG 22 79 04 13, and not to any carrier's manuscript wording. Read your own form.", "No declarations page, endorsement schedule, or contract insurance exhibit has been reviewed here.", "The business or professional practice is the insured; personal lines coverage is out of scope." ], "whatChangesTheAnswer": [ "Whether a professional services exclusion endorsement is attached to the general liability policy, and which one, since CG 00 01 04 13 contains no broad version and the filed endorsements differ in what they reach.", "Whether the harm alleged is bodily injury or property damage, or instead an economic loss said to arise from professional work.", "Whether the professional liability policy is written claims made, and what its tail coverage or extended reporting period provisions say.", "Whether a contract dictates specific coverages, limits, and occurrence versus claims made forms, since contracting bodies set their own rules for their own contracts.", "The profession involved, since coverage is described as specific to the nature of the profession and some professions operate their own mandatory programs, such as the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund for attorneys in private practice in Oregon." ], "variability": [ "Which exclusion endorsement is attached changes the answer materially. CG 22 43 04 13 reaches professional services by the named insured or by an engineer, architect or surveyor employed by or performing work on behalf of the named insured in that capacity, while CG 22 79 04 13 applies only to the described engineering, architectural and surveying operations and states that professional services do not include services within construction means, methods, techniques, sequences and procedures.", "A 2014 expert commentary describes CG 22 43, CG 22 79 and CG 22 80 as materially different in the scope of coverage eliminated and says CG 22 80 is aimed at design-build contractors. CG 22 80 itself was not retrieved for this entry, so every statement here about that form rests on that single dated secondary source.", "Government consumer guides describe these products in different words, and none of them is a coverage definition binding on any particular carrier's form.", "Contract requirements vary by contracting party. One county requires occurrence forms by default, accepts claims made only with prior approval, and then requires continuation for not less than three years, while a state risk management office simply advises requiring both coverages where appropriate." ], "nextActions": [ "Pull the declarations and endorsement schedule of the current general liability policy and look for any endorsement whose title contains the word professional, for example CG 22 43 or CG 22 79, then read that endorsement's actual wording rather than its title.", "Read the insurance exhibit of any contract you have signed or are about to sign and note whether it names both commercial general liability and professional liability, the required limits, and whether it requires an occurrence form or permits claims made with a continuation requirement.", "If a professional liability policy is in force, locate the retroactive date and the extended reporting period or tail provisions and confirm whether the coverage reaches back to when the work in question was performed.", "Put a concrete hypothetical claim in writing to your carrier or broker, ask which policy they believe would respond and under which provision, and keep the reply in writing.", "Check whether your own profession's licensing body or bar operates a required coverage program, as Oregon's does for attorneys in private practice, since that sits outside the commercial general liability form entirely." ], "confidence": "contextual", "reviewState": "under-review", "classification": { "family": "commercial", "lines": [ "general-liability", "professional-liability" ], "states": [], "audience": "business-owner", "topics": [ "general liability", "professional liability", "errors and omissions", "claims-made coverage", "policy exclusions" ] }, "effectiveDate": "2026-08-31", "lastReviewed": "2026-08-31", "author": "Aaron Bollinger", "reviewer": "Brian Bollinger", "sourceIds": [ "ca-cdi-commercial-insurance-guide", "va-scc-commercial-insurance-guide", "wi-oci-pi-045-commercial-liability-guide", "iso-cg-00-01-04-13-2", "iso-cg-22-43-04-13", "iso-cg-22-79-04-13", "or-das-professional-liability-clauses", "kingcounty-insurance-requirements", "irmi-cgl-professional-liability-exclusion" ], "sources": [ { "id": "ca-cdi-commercial-insurance-guide", "title": "Commercial Insurance Guide (CDI Form 700)", "publisher": "California Department of Insurance", "url": "https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm", "sourceType": "regulator-guidance", "jurisdiction": "CA", "authorityLevel": "regulator", "primary": true, "publishedDate": "unknown", "effectiveDate": "unknown", "accessedDate": "2026-08-31", "lastChecked": "2026-08-31", "updateCadence": "revised by the California Department of Insurance without a fixed schedule; the page carries the marker Form 700 Revised June 14, 2024", "status": "active", "supportsClaims": [ "The guide's glossary entry headed 'Claims Made' reads: a liability insurance policy where coverage applies to claims filed during the policy period no matter when the loss occurred subject to a retroactive inception date.", "The guide's glossary entry headed 'Occurrence' reads: a liability insurance policy that covers claims arising out of occurrences that take place during the policy period, regardless of when the claim is filed.", "CDI states that there are three primary coverage sections that make up a CGL policy: premises liability, products liability and completed operations.", "CDI describes CGL coverage as comprehensive in nature, covering all hazards within the scope of the insuring agreement that are not otherwise excluded.", "CDI states that the major exclusions under a CGL policy include intentional injury; insured contracts; liquor liability; workers compensation and employers liability; pollution; aircraft; automobile; watercraft; mobile equipment; war; care, custody, and control; damage to your work; impaired property; sistership liability; and failure to perform.", "CDI describes specified perils as consisting of a list of each peril to be insured against, such as fire, explosion, windstorm and vandalism, and describes open perils coverage as covering all losses unless they are specifically excluded.", "CDI states that earth movement (including earthquake) and flood are two common perils that are excluded under open perils coverage.", "CDI describes three commercial property valuation approaches: actual cash value, agreed value, which it says waives any coinsurance penalty and pays 100 percent of the stated amount, and replacement cost, which it describes as the amount it takes to replace property with new property of like kind and quality up to the limits of insurance.", "CDI describes coinsurance as an insurance clause that defines the amount of each loss the company pays according to the amount of insurance carried divided by the amount of insurance required, and states that a policyholder can be subject to a monetary penalty at the time of a loss where a building is not insured to value.", "CDI states that business interruption coverage replaces lost business income after a covered loss.", "CDI describes a Business Owners Policy (BOP) as a combination commercial policy that covers property, general liability and business interruption.", "CDI states that when a business has had three applications turned down from a licensed commercial insurance carrier, with written documentation of the declination, it can proceed to obtain insurance from the surplus line market.", "CDI states that a surplus line company can only be accessed through a specially licensed broker who holds a surplus line license issued by the CDI.", "CDI states that although surplus line insurers must follow the Fair Claims Settlement Practices Regulations, the CDI has limited jurisdiction over the operation of surplus line insurers.", "CDI states that the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA), which protects claims with admitted insurers, does not apply to surplus line insurers.", "There are three primary coverage sections that make up a CGL policy: premises liability, products liability and completed operations.", "Premises liability covers liability for accidental injury or property damage that results from either a condition on your premises or your operations in progress, whether on or away from your premises.", "A products liability hazard exists for any business that manufactures, sells, handles, or distributes goods or products.", "Completed operations covers your potential liability for bodily injury or property damage that arises out of your completed work.", "The CGL policy has separate limits of insurance for general liability, fire legal liability, products and completed operations liability, advertising and personal liability, and medical payments.", "The page carries the line Form 700 Revised June 14, 2024.", "The guide states that inland marine is a specialized type of property insurance that primarily covers damage to or destruction of your business property while in transport.", "The guide states that inland marine insurance can cover a variety of transportation exposures, however it does not cover boating transportation, which is covered under ocean marine insurance.", "The guide states that some of the most common types of coverage offered are accounts receivable insurance, consignment insurance, equipment floaters (i.e., contractors equipment), installation floaters, motor truck cargo insurance, trip transit insurance, and valuable papers (records) insurance.", "The guide states that standard perils in inland marine may include fire, lightning, windstorm, flood, earthquake, landslide, theft, collision, derailment, overturn of the transporting vehicle, and bridge collapse.", "The guide states that commercial property insurance can protect a business owner from some of the most common losses experienced by business owners, such as property damage, business interruption, theft, liability, and worker injury.", "The guide states that an aggregate limit of liability is in force for the general liability, fire legal liability, advertising and personal liability, and medical payments claims.", "The guide states that when total claims for all these areas exceed a stated annual aggregate limit of liability, the policy limits are exhausted and no more claims will be paid from the policy for the duration of the policy period.", "The guide states that there is also a separate aggregate limit of liability in force for products and completed operations liability claims.", "The guide defines split limits as the technique for expressing limits of liability coverage under a particular insurance policy by stating separate limits for different types of claims growing out of a single event or combination of events.", "The guide states that if a building is not insured to value the insured can be subject to a monetary penalty at the time of a loss, commonly referred to as coinsurance, and defines coinsurance as an insurance clause that defines the amount of each loss that the company pays according to the amount of insurance carried, divided by the amount of insurance required.", "The guide states that the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA), which protects claims with admitted insurers, does not apply to surplus line insurers.", "The guide states that while surplus line companies are not licensed by the CDI, they do have to go through an approval process that includes providing evidence of minimum capital and surplus requirements." ] }, { "id": "va-scc-commercial-insurance-guide", "title": "Virginia Commercial Insurance Guide", "publisher": "Virginia State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance", "url": "https://www.scc.virginia.gov/consumers/insurance/property-casualty-consumer/virginia-commercial-insurance-guide/", "sourceType": "regulator-guidance", "jurisdiction": "VA", "authorityLevel": "regulator", "primary": true, "publishedDate": "unknown", "effectiveDate": "n/a", "accessedDate": "2026-08-31", "lastChecked": "2026-08-31", "updateCadence": "Maintained as a standing consumer guide by the Bureau of Insurance; no revision date is shown on the page.", "status": "active", "supportsClaims": [ "Premises and Operations coverage pays bodily injury and property damage claims to members of the public as a result of an accident on your premises or arising out of your operations.", "Products and Completed Operations covers liability arising from the handling, use of, existence of any condition in, or warranty of any goods or products manufactured, sold, handled, or distributed by your business after the product is given to others and is away from the business premises.", "Professional Liability Insurance pays liability claims arising from wrongful acts, errors and omissions, and malpractice by physicians, attorneys, or other professionals.", "Errors and omissions insurance is also available for non-professionals such as corporate directors and officers who may be held liable for losses caused by their errors or oversights.", "A Commercial General Liability policy provides many liability coverages under one contract.", "A policy written on an occurrence basis covers incidents that occur during the policy period, regardless of when the claim is reported to the insurance company, even if it is reported after the policy expires; a policy written on a claims-made basis covers only those claims reported during the policy period.", "If a claims-made policy expires, it may be necessary to purchase tail coverage, and tail coverage covers claims resulting from incidents which occurred while a claims-made policy was in force but which are reported after the policy has expired." ] }, { "id": "wi-oci-pi-045-commercial-liability-guide", "title": "Consumer's Guide to Commercial Liability Insurance (PI-045)", "publisher": "Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance", "url": "https://oci.wi.gov/Documents/Consumers/PI-045.pdf", "sourceType": "regulator-guidance", "jurisdiction": "WI", "authorityLevel": "regulator", "primary": true, "publishedDate": "unknown", "effectiveDate": "n/a", "accessedDate": "2026-08-31", "lastChecked": "2026-08-31", "updateCadence": "Revised periodically; the edition retrieved on 2026-08-31 carries the footer PI-045 (R 08/2026).", "status": "active", "supportsClaims": [ "Errors and Omissions coverage, also known as professional liability, is available for numerous types of professionals, and the coverage protects professional people or organizations from claims arising from failing to render professional services to their clients as expected of a person in their profession.", "A policy written on an occurrence basis covers losses that arise from incidents occurring during the policy term, while a policy written on a claims-made basis covers losses that arise from incidents occurring during the policy term but only if the claim is made during the policy term.", "Product coverage is to protect against losses arising out of the manufacturing, selling, handling, or distribution of a product, and completed operations coverage protects against claims arising out of services performed by a business, such as a building contractor.", "The guide advises commercial buyers to know if their policy is written on an occurrence or claims-made basis." ] }, { "id": "iso-cg-00-01-04-13-2", "title": "Commercial General Liability Coverage Form CG 00 01 04 13", "publisher": "Insurance Services Office, Inc. (specimen published publicly by the County of Sonoma, California)", "url": "https://sonomacounty.gov/Main%20County%20Site/General/Sonoma/Sample%20Dept/Sample%20Dept/Divisions%20and%20Sections/Liability/Services/Help%20Request/Subpages/Help%20Request/_Documents/SampleISO-CGL.pdf", "sourceType": "policy-form", "jurisdiction": "US", "authorityLevel": "standards-body", "primary": true, "publishedDate": "unknown", "effectiveDate": "unknown", "accessedDate": "2026-08-31", "lastChecked": "2026-08-31", "updateCadence": "Advisory form revised by the filing organization on multi-year cycles; the 04 13 edition is the one reviewed.", "status": "active", "supportsClaims": [ "Coverage A obligates the insurer to pay those sums the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury or property damage to which the insurance applies, and gives the insurer the right and duty to defend the insured against any suit seeking those damages.", "The form is occurrence-triggered: the insurance applies to bodily injury and property damage only if the bodily injury or property damage occurs during the policy period.", "Occurrence is defined as an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions.", "The unendorsed form contains no broad professional services exclusion. The word professional appears three times in the whole form: in the Coverage C medical expense wording about professional nursing and funeral services, in the Who Is An Insured provision about providing or failing to provide professional health care services, and in clause (3) of the insured contract definition, which excludes that part of a contract under which the insured, if an architect, engineer or surveyor, assumes liability for an injury or damage arising out of the insured's rendering or failure to render professional services, including supervisory, inspection, architectural or engineering activities.", "The form contains a separate Coverage B for personal and advertising injury liability and a defined products-completed operations hazard." ] }, { "id": "iso-cg-22-43-04-13", "title": "Exclusion - Engineers, Architects Or Surveyors Professional Liability, Form CG 22 43 04 13", "publisher": "Insurance Services Office, Inc. (specimen published publicly by the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas)", "url": "https://www.iiat.org/uploads/files/general/InfoCentral/Commercial-GL/cg2243.pdf", "sourceType": "policy-form", "jurisdiction": "US", "authorityLevel": "standards-body", "primary": true, "publishedDate": "unknown", "effectiveDate": "unknown", "accessedDate": "2026-08-31", "lastChecked": "2026-08-31", "updateCadence": "Advisory endorsement revised on multi-year cycles; the 04 13 edition is the one reviewed.", "status": "active", "supportsClaims": [ "The endorsement states that it modifies insurance provided under the Commercial General Liability Coverage Part and adds an exclusion to Paragraph 2. Exclusions of both Coverage A and Coverage B.", "The added exclusion states that the insurance does not apply to bodily injury, property damage or personal and advertising injury arising out of the rendering of or failure to render any professional services by you or any engineer, architect or surveyor who is either employed by you or performing work on your behalf in such capacity.", "The endorsement states that professional services include the preparing, approving, or failing to prepare or approve, maps, shop drawings, opinions, reports, surveys, field orders, change orders or drawings and specifications, and supervisory, inspection, architectural or engineering activities.", "The exclusion applies even if the claims against any insured allege negligence or other wrongdoing in the supervision, hiring, employment, training or monitoring of others by that insured, if the occurrence or offense involved the rendering of or failure to render any professional services by you or any engineer, architect or surveyor who is either employed by you or performing work on your behalf in such capacity." ] }, { "id": "iso-cg-22-79-04-13", "title": "Exclusion - Contractors - Professional Liability, Form CG 22 79 04 13", "publisher": "Insurance Services Office, Inc. (specimen published publicly by the New York State Office of General Services)", "url": "https://ogs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2021/09/cg-22-79-04-13.pdf", "sourceType": "policy-form", "jurisdiction": "US", "authorityLevel": "standards-body", "primary": true, "publishedDate": "unknown", "effectiveDate": "unknown", "accessedDate": "2026-08-31", "lastChecked": "2026-08-31", "updateCadence": "Advisory endorsement revised on multi-year cycles; the 04 13 edition is the one reviewed.", "status": "active", "supportsClaims": [ "The endorsement excludes bodily injury, property damage or personal and advertising injury arising out of the rendering of or failure to render any professional services by you or on your behalf, but only with respect to providing engineering, architectural or surveying services to others in your capacity as an engineer, architect or surveyor, and providing, or hiring independent professionals to provide, engineering, architectural or surveying services in connection with construction work you perform.", "Paragraph 3 states that professional services do not include services within construction means, methods, techniques, sequences and procedures employed by you in connection with your operations in your capacity as a construction contractor.", "The exclusion applies even if the claims against any insured allege negligence or other wrongdoing in the supervision, hiring, employment, training or monitoring of others by that insured, if the occurrence or offense involved the rendering of or failure to render any professional services by you or on your behalf with respect to the operations described in the endorsement." ] }, { "id": "or-das-professional-liability-clauses", "title": "Insurance Clauses - Professional Liability/Errors and Omissions", "publisher": "Oregon Department of Administrative Services, Risk Management", "url": "https://www.oregon.gov/das/risk/pages/insclausesproferroromis.aspx", "sourceType": "official-documentation", "jurisdiction": "OR", "authorityLevel": "secondary", "primary": false, "publishedDate": "unknown", "effectiveDate": "n/a", "accessedDate": "2026-08-31", "lastChecked": "2026-08-31", "updateCadence": "Maintained as standing contracting guidance by the state risk management office; no revision date is shown on the page.", "status": "active", "supportsClaims": [ "The page describes professional liability and errors and omissions coverage as covering liability resulting from errors and omissions or mistakes made in performance of professional services or judgment.", "Most policies cover economic losses, failure to perform, error or omission of product or service, and contract disputes.", "Professional Liability and Errors and Omissions insurance policies are generally issued on a claims made basis, and the page directs staff to require tail coverage for all claims made coverage.", "The model contract clause requires either an extended reporting period of not less than 24 months, or that the contractor maintain tail coverage or continuous claims made liability coverage for a stated minimum period after the contract work is completed or terminated.", "Many times, it is appropriate to require both Professional Liability and Commercial General Liability Coverage, and when a professional liability insurer denies the claim the state may be able to recover the loss under the commercial general liability coverage.", "Coverage is specific to the nature of the profession; for attorneys, the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund provides $300,000 aggregate limits of coverage, and participation in this program is mandatory for all attorneys engaged in private practice whose principal office is in Oregon." ] }, { "id": "kingcounty-insurance-requirements", "title": "Insurance requirements", "publisher": "Public Health - Seattle & King County", "url": "https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/about-king-county/about-public-health/working-with-public-health/contracts/insurance-requirements", "sourceType": "official-documentation", "jurisdiction": "WA", "authorityLevel": "secondary", "primary": false, "publishedDate": "unknown", "effectiveDate": "n/a", "accessedDate": "2026-08-31", "lastChecked": "2026-08-31", "updateCadence": "Standing contract requirements page; no revision date is shown on the page.", "status": "active", "supportsClaims": [ "The page requires commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 in the aggregate for bodily injury, personal and advertising injury and property damage, with coverage at least as broad as that afforded under ISO form number CG 00 01 current edition or its substantive equivalent.", "In the event that services delivered pursuant to the contract either directly or indirectly involve or require professional services, Professional Liability, Errors, and Omissions coverage shall be provided, at $1,000,000 per claim and in the aggregate.", "Each insurance policy shall be written on an occurrence basis or form, except that insurance on a claims made basis or form may be acceptable with prior County approval.", "If coverage is approved and purchased on a claims made basis or form, the contractor warrants continuation of coverage, either through policy renewals or the purchase of an extended discovery period, if such extended coverage is available, for not less than three years from the date of contract termination and/or conversion from a claims made form to an occurrence coverage form." ] }, { "id": "irmi-cgl-professional-liability-exclusion", "title": "The CGL and the Professional Liability Exclusion", "publisher": "International Risk Management Institute (IRMI), expert commentary by Craig Stanovich", "url": "https://www.irmi.com/articles/expert-commentary/the-cgl-and-the-professional-liability-exclusion", "sourceType": "secondary-analysis", "jurisdiction": "US", "authorityLevel": "secondary", "primary": false, "publishedDate": "unknown", "effectiveDate": "n/a", "accessedDate": "2026-08-31", "lastChecked": "2026-08-31", "updateCadence": "Expert commentary article dated April 1, 2014; no stated update cadence and no visible revision since.", "status": "active", "supportsClaims": [ "The article states that each of the endorsements CG 22 43, CG 22 79 and CG 22 80 is materially different in the scope of the coverage eliminated, and that these endorsements are generally intended to remove coverage from the contractor's CGL policy for engineering, architectural, or surveying services.", "The article states that the endorsement CG 22 43 is no longer intended by ISO to be used with contractors engaged in construction operations.", "The article states that CG 22 80 is aimed at design-build contractors." ] } ], "relatedQuestions": [ { "id": "claims-made-retroactive-date", "url": "https://bestinsuranceresearch.com/questions/claims-made-retroactive-date" }, { "id": "contract-additional-insured-status", "url": "https://bestinsuranceresearch.com/questions/contract-additional-insured-status" }, { "id": "same-limit-different-protection", "url": "https://bestinsuranceresearch.com/questions/same-limit-different-protection" } ] }