How much commercial coverage do California contractors need? Use our free calculator
Commercial insurance bid packet and hard hat on a work van — SDL Commercial Insurance
Contracts ask for limits. Payroll and tools don’t fit one “insurance total.” Guessing a premium before you know the exposures rarely helps.
SDL Commercial Insurance built a free Coverage needs calculator for California artisan contractors — HVAC, electricians, plumbers, flooring, landscapers, general contractors, and related trades. You enter business details and exposure inputs, then download a planning summary. It is a coverage needs worksheet, not a premium quote, and it does not bind coverage.
SDL Commercial Insurance is a DBA of Samuel D Landers Agency · independent Farmers Insurance agency · CA Lic #4538988 · (408) 876-7107.
Not legal advice. Not a Farmers Group publication.
Why “how much coverage?” beats “what’s my premium?”
Premium is the price of a policy. Coverage is what the job, the contract, and the crew actually need to line up.
For most artisan shops, the practical order is:
Contracts and loss scenarios — What per-occurrence and aggregate limits do GCs, owners, or leases require? What exposures show up on your jobs?
People — How is payroll organized if workers’ comp is in play?
Property (tools & equipment) — What would it cost to replace the categories you rely on?
Then a licensed review of what Farmers coverages we can place — and only then a quote conversation.
Starting with “what will it cost?” skips the inputs that drive whether a certificate or bid packet will hold up later. Starting with how much coverage keeps the conversation on limits, classifications, and replacement values first.
Farmers identity belongs in the agency footer and review — not as the hero claim. The problem on the table is the contract, the crew, and the tools.
What the Coverage Calculator does
The tool is a free coverage needs worksheet at calculator.sdlcommercialinsurance.com.
It helps you:
Build a general liability planning starting point from contract and loss-scenario inputs
Organize workers’ comp payroll inputs when that line applies
List Property (tools & equipment) replacement-value categories
Download a planning summary you can bring to a Book meeting
It does not:
Estimate premiums or “monthly cost”
Bind coverage or issue a certificate
Shop other carriers
Guarantee that the planning amounts are sufficient for every job
Badge on the live tool: Coverage needs · No premium estimates. Coverages you can select: General liability, Workers’ comp, Property. Trades in the dropdown include HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, Flooring, Landscaping, General contractor, and Other business.
Contact fields stay in your browser tab per the product copy — they are not sent to SDL automatically. Use Book, phone, or a site form when you want us in the loop.
Step-by-step: run the worksheet
Open the calculator and enter business + contact details (as shown on the form).
Select the coverages you want to plan: GL, workers’ comp, and/or Property (tools & equipment).
Choose your trade and California ZIP.
Complete the contract / exposure / payroll / property inputs that apply to your shop.
Review the planning targets on the results screen.
Download the summary — that file is your homework for the next step.
Tip: Start with GL and what your contracts require; add WC and Property (tools & equipment) if those lines matter for how you staff and equip the job.
CTA (mid-post): Run the Coverage Calculator
What to bring to your Book meeting
The worksheet alone does not place coverage. The best next step is a short coverage review with SDL Commercial Insurance — bring what you already have:
Downloaded planning summary (PDF/print)
Contracts, bid packets, or lease language with insurance requirements
Current certificates, if any
Notes on employees / helpers and payroll, if WC is in play
Rough list of tools / property categories if Property (tools & equipment) is in play
On the call or field visit we review limits, classifications, and which Farmers coverages we can place (general liability, commercial auto, BOP / business property, workers’ comp, umbrella when they fit). We do not shop other carriers.
Certificates of insurance are issued only from an in-force policy. The calculator never issues a COI.
Bay Area vs remote
Where you workAppointment typeBay Area / field-reachableMeet in the field (30) at the job, shop, or phone — or Quick call (15)California outside our field radiusQuick call (15) / phone only — we do not offer Meet-in-the-field for remote shops
Book here: sdlcommercialinsurance.com/schedule — pick Meet 30 or Quick call 15 as your location allows.
Or call (408) 876-7107.
Honest limits of any calculator
A worksheet is a starting point, not a substitute for a licensed agent review. Planning amounts are built from your inputs; they are not a guarantee of sufficient coverage for every contract or claim scenario.
Results are for planning — not a bind, not a quote, not a COI
Agent review is still required before anything is placed
Certificates only from in-force policies we place
Trade-specific license and workers’ comp rules vary — we keep scare language off and facts on the review
This article is education only — not legal advice. Coverage decisions depend on your facts, contracts, and underwriting.
Book this week
Ready to turn the worksheet into a real coverage review?
Run the Coverage Calculator and download your summary.
Book this week — Meet in the field (30) or Quick call (15) and bring the summary.
Or call (408) 876-7107.
SDL Commercial Insurance · Samuel D Landers Agency · Farmers Insurance agency · CA Lic #4538988
Not legal advice. Not a Farmers Group publication. Certificates only from an in-force policy.