The policies a drywall business carries
Drywall claims tend to be dust in the rest of the house and damage when moving board. Lifts and stilts add injury risk.
| Policy | Average a month |
|---|---|
| General liability | $62 |
| Tools and equipment | $41 |
| Commercial auto | $299 |
| Workers' compensation | $141 |
| Surety or license bond | $9 |
| Commercial umbrella | $92 |
Averages are what Insureon's customers who are drywall installers pay, from Insureon's cost page; most of its customers have fewer than five employees. Across all its small business customers, general liability runs $265 to $3,030 a year.
Claims drywall contractors plan for
- Dust gets into the rest of the house
- A drywall lift tips and damages a floor
- Screws hit a pipe behind the wall
- A ceiling patch cracks again
Ask your agent, in these words:
- Would my policy pay if dust gets into the rest of the house?
- Would my policy pay if a drywall lift tips and damages a floor?
- Would my policy pay if screws hit a pipe behind the wall?
- Would my policy pay if a ceiling patch cracks again?
Name the work you sell
A policy covers the work you describe on the application. From the drywall services list, name each of these and ask whether any is excluded: hang and finish drywall; texture; remove old drywall; small hole patch; large hole patch; water damage repair; ceiling crack repair; job minimum; paint after repair.
Lifts and automatic tools are the items to list. On the tools list, the items to list on the policy are drywall lift; automatic taper and boxes; dust-free sander; drywall stilts where allowed; texture sprayer and hopper, and from the starter kit, drywall tool kit: knives, pan and corner tools; taping knife, 8 in; taping knife, 14 in; drywall screw gun; t-square, utility knife and rasp.
State rules in the license
Drywall work often falls under the general contractor rules. Our general contractor license guide lists the insurance and bond line for each of 48 states from the boards' own pages.
Workers' comp and bonds
The SBA says every business with employees must carry workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance. Insureon's average for drywall installers is $141 a month, priced per $100 of payroll. A bond protects the state or the customer, not you; Insureon puts its yearly cost at a share of the bond amount:
| Bond amount | Estimated yearly cost |
|---|---|
| $5,000 | $25 to $500 |
| $10,000 | $50 to $1,000 |
| $50,000 | $250 to $5,000 |
Certificates of insurance
General contractors ask for a certificate before you start. Keep a PDF on your phone so you can send it the day they ask.
Sources
- Insureon: Insurance cost for drywall installers, checked October 9, 2026
- Insureon: General liability insurance cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Insureon: Workers' compensation insurance cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Insureon: Surety bond cost, checked October 9, 2026
- SBA: Get business insurance, checked October 9, 2026
- Koira: General Contractor license requirements by state (each row lists its board sources), checked October 9, 2026
Last checked October 9, 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and differ by state and city, so confirm with the agency named before you act.