Umbrella (Excess Liability) Insurance

Umbrella Liability—also known as Excess Liability—provides an extra layer of protection when the limits of your underlying insurance policies are not enough. If a major claim exceeds the coverage on your General Liability, Auto Liability, or Employer’s Liability policy, an Umbrella policy steps in to cover the additional amount.

How Umbrella Coverage Works

For example:
If your General Liability limit is $1,000,000 and you have a claim for $1,500,000, your Umbrella policy would cover the extra $500,000—helping protect your business from large, unexpected losses.

Umbrella policies typically extend over:

• Commercial General Liability (CGL)

• Hired & Non-Owned Auto Liability

• Employer’s Liability

This provides broad, affordable protection for contractors who face higher-risk jobsites, multiple crews, or contract requirements with elevated insurance limits.

Note: Umbrella coverage does not extend over Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions). That must be insured separately.

Contract Requirements

You may see Umbrella/Excess Liability described in contracts like:

“Commercial Excess Liability Insurance in the amount of $1,000,000.”

This wording is common in California contractor agreements, commercial projects, and public works jobs.

Protect Your Business From Large Claims

At Brooks Commercial Insurance Services, we help contractors secure the right Umbrella limits to stay compliant with job requirements and protect their growing businesses. Whether you need an additional $1 million or several million in excess coverage, we have programs tailored to contractors of every size.