Los Angeles Metro — Contractors Insurance CA

Commercial auto matters more here than in many metros given LA's size and traffic patterns — crews and materials often travel significant distances between job sites within the same metro area, which factors into how a fleet program should be built.

They are not a recommendation and not a coverage benchmark — several are decades old, and none of them reflect what a general contractor's subcontract, a lender or an owner will require on the same job. Treat $1,000,000 per occurrence as the practical floor for commercial general liability and confirm the current municipal requirement with the department named before you rely on any figure here. What is published here may also be out of date or contain errors, and requirements vary by city, county, state, agency, project and contract, among other things — verifying what applies to your own job, with the permitting agency and your own contract documents, is your responsibility.

Los Angeles runs two separate permit systems, depending on which side of the city limit a job falls. Inside the City of Los Angeles, excavation in a street, alley or sidewalk — and excavation on private property that could undermine an adjacent street — generally needs an Excavation "E" Permit from the Bureau of Engineering; utility companies regulated by the Public Utilities Commission use a separate "U" Permit. An E-Permit is valid for six months and lapses if construction has not started, and the Bureau states it grants no extension for a late start, so a delayed job needs a new application. Liability insurance and a waiver of damages in the City's favor are required, and a performance or cash bond can be added depending on the scope. For commercial applicants, the Bureau's insurance procedure sets the general liability floor at $1,000,000 for each occurrence with a $2,000,000 aggregate, with the City as both certificate holder and additional insured and the permit reference, site address and reason for the encroachment shown on the certificate; proof is uploaded through the City's KwikComply system. That proof generally has to stay on file for as long as the encroachment exists, not just while the crew is on site. In unincorporated Los Angeles County, road excavation and encroachment permits come from County Public Works. Its road permit application calls for $1,000,000 per occurrence with $2,000,000 general and completed-operations aggregates, $1,000,000 auto liability covering owned, hired and leased vehicles, and $1,000,000 employers liability, with the County named as additional insured on the contractor's policy — and the workers compensation carrier must be rated at least as well as the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Under the County's standard provisions a permit expires if work does not begin within 60 days, work is stopped if a renewed certificate is not on file before the old one expires, the indemnity survives the permit indefinitely, and newly paved roads generally cannot be cut for two years. Work on a state highway anywhere in the region needs a Caltrans encroachment permit through District 7.