General Liability Insurance in North Carolina (NC) (2024)

General liability insurance, also known as business liability insurance, can help cover claims that your business caused bodily injury or property damage. For example, if a customer slips in your North Carolina retail store and breaks their ankle, your general liability coverage can help pay for their medical treatment. Or if your landscaping business damages a client’s fence, general liability insurance can help pay for the costs to repair it.

North Carolina has over 964,000 small businesses in the state, spanning industries like:¹

• Retail
• Real estate
• Manufacturing
• Agriculture

To make sure your small business is protected, it’s important to have the right general liability insurance in NC to protect you from financial loss. Without it, you’ll have to pay out of pocket for bodily injury or property damage claims filed against you, which can be financially devastating.

To learn more about general liability insurance in North Carolina,get a quote today. We can help you get the right liability coverages at an affordable price. In fact, we’ve been helping small businesses get the coverage they need for over 200 years.

What Does General Liability Insurance Cover?

Your general liability insurance policy can help cover claims of:

• Bodily injury: If a person gets injured in your business, your GL policy can help pay for their medical costs.
• Reputational harm: Your general liability insurance policy can help cover malicious prosecution, slander, libel and wrongful eviction.
• Property damage: If your employees cause property damage, your GL policy can help pay for the repairs.
• Advertising injuries: General liability policies can help cover claims of copyright infringement.
• Damage to premises rented to you: If you’re renting property and it’s damaged by fire, lightning or explosions, your GL policy can help cover the cost to repair the damages.

You can learn more about insurance for North Carolina businesses bygetting an insurance quote from us today.

What Does General Liability Insurance Not Cover?

Your general liability insurance doesn’t help cover:

• Employee injuries: You’ll needworkers’ compensation insurance to help pay for medical treatment for employees with a work-related injury or illness.
• Driving injuries: Commercial auto insurance can help cover you and your employees while they’re driving for work. It’s important to note that this policy is separate from your personal auto coverages.
• Errors or omissions in your professional services: You’ll need aprofessional liability insurance policy to help cover any mistakes you or your employees make.

Is Business Liability Insurance Required by Law in NC?

General liability insurance isn’t required in NC, but is recommended. However, NC does require workers’ compensation and commercial auto insurance policies for small businesses.

You may also want to customize your small business insurance, depending on what industry your small business is in. Some top industries in North Carolina include:

• Landscaping
• IT
• Marketing
• Consulting
• Real estate
• Artisan contractors
• Janitorial
• Hair salons
• Bakeries
• Restaurants

How Much Does General Liability Coverage Cost?

Our small business customers in North Carolina paid an average annual premium of $802 for general liability insurance, or about $67 a month.²

Get General Liability Insurance for Your North Carolina Business

General liability insurance policies are important for small businesses. They help protect your finances if claims of injuries or property damage are filed against you. To learn more about what liability insurance protects,get a quote from us today.

We’re an insurance company dedicated to providing quality customer service and products that you can count on. We can also help you learn more about other important coverages, like professional liability insurance and data breach coverage.

Last Updated: November 28, 2023

¹ Small Business Administration (SBA), “2021 Small Business Profile”

² Premium amounts presented are based on monthly premium paid by The Hartford’s Small Business customers between 1/1/22 and 9/14/23 for 12-month policies. Premium is derived from a number of factors specific to your business and may vary.

Additional disclosures below.