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District of Columbia Builders Risk Insurance

DOEE requires permits for development in regulated flood hazard areas and updated its flood rules in 2025, including a tidal shoreline buffer and an area near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro underpass. The rules define development to include temporary or permanent storage of materials. A District procurement document also shows project-specific builders risk terms; check your own contract rather than applying a sample clause universally. 1,4,2,3

What Is Builders Risk?

Builders risk protects the project you are building, including materials meant for it, against physical loss until construction ends. The gaps that cost owners money are materials in storage or transit, the existing building in a renovation, and coverage ending when you occupy early. Read the national Builders risk guide.

What to Watch for in District of Columbia

  • Check the current regulated flood area

    The District’s 2025 Flood Hazard Rules added a tidal shoreline buffer and a regulated area around the Rhode Island Avenue Metro underpass for chronic street flooding. Use DOEE’s current maps and confirm whether the permit submission falls under the current rules; older map checks may miss these newer regulated areas. 1,3

  • Include materials and storage in floodplain review

    The District’s flood rules define development to include temporary or permanent storage of materials. Within regulated flood hazard areas, development requires a permit; separate provisions address hazardous or buoyant material storage. Ask DOEE which permit rules apply to the project’s materials, storage area and staging plan. The cited definition names materials, not equipment as a distinct category. 4,1

  • Compare the policy with the actual contract

    A District Department of General Services modernization solicitation specifies project-specific builders risk requirements, including flood and earthquake, property in transit and stored off premises, replacement value and insured interests. Treat that solicitation as an example, not a citywide rule: match your policy to your own contract and ask about deductibles, soft costs and delay coverage. 2

Who Regulates Insurance in District of Columbia

District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking

DISB licenses and supervises insurance companies and producers, enforces District insurance laws, and provides consumer complaint assistance. Its licensing search covers insurance entities and representatives; consumers can contact the agency’s complaints unit for help. 6,7,9

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: Generally 2% of gross premium, including qualifying placement fees When the District is the insured’s home state, surplus-lines agents and brokers generally owe a 2% tax on gross premium, including necessary fees incidental to placement when separately itemized. An agent or broker procuring insurance on behalf of the District government is exempt for that government business; claiming the exemption requires identifying its allocation in the required affidavit and does not waive other statutory duties. Ask the broker which taxes and fees your agreement passes through to you. DISB generally requires a diligent effort to place risks with authorized insurers. For a purchaser meeting the federal exempt-commercial-purchaser definition, the broker may skip that search only after disclosing that insurance may or may not be available from the admitted market, which may provide greater protection with more regulatory oversight, followed by the purchaser’s written request for nonadmitted placement. This record does not state a District-specific guaranty-fund conclusion. 8,10,11,12,5

Providers With Documented State Licenses

No provider in Spot’s research documents both a state license record and this coverage line. This does not establish that providers are unlicensed. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm availability with a provider when requesting a quote.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in District of Columbia

  1. Does the current DOEE flood map or 2025 rule include the project or staging area?
  2. What buildings, materials, transit and storage locations does your contract require the builders risk policy to cover?
  3. Who must be named as an insured, loss payee or mortgagee, and what deductible and limit does the contract specify?

Builders Risk in District of Columbia: FAQ

What changed in the District’s 2025 Flood Hazard Rules? 1,4,3

The 2025 rules include a tidal shoreline buffer and a regulated area near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro underpass. They also define development to include temporary or permanent storage of materials, and require permits for development in regulated flood hazard areas. Check DOEE’s current map and ask the agency about the project’s specific staging and storage plan. 1,4,3

Do all District builders risk policies have the same requirements? 2

No. District sources provide contract-specific language. One DGS modernization solicitation lists flood, earthquake, off-site storage and transit protections; review the solicitation or contract for your project. 2

Builders Risk in Other States

Other Coverage in District of Columbia

Sources

  1. Title 20, Chapter 31 – Flood Hazard Rules. District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment; 2025 final rules: regulated floodplain permits; tidal shoreline buffer and Rhode Island Avenue underpass area; see 20 DCMR §§ 3106.4 and 3114. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. DCAM-24-CS-RFP-0004 MLK Elementary School Modernization RFP. District of Columbia Department of General Services; Insurance Requirements, pp. 76-79: builders risk perils, replacement-value limit, transit/storage, insured interests, deductibles and optional soft costs/delay. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Flood Risk Maps. District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment; Flood map and FIS guidance; map revision timing and site/panel lookup. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Flood Hazard Rules, 20 DCMR Chapter 31. District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment; § 3199 definition “Development” (temporary or permanent storage of materials); §§ 3106.4 (flood hazard area development permits) and 3114 (hazardous/buoyant-material storage requirements). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. D.C. Code §31–2502.40: License to procure policies from unauthorized companies. Council of the District of Columbia; Subsection (a): broker/agent tax and diligent effort; (c)(1)–(3): District-government procurement tax exemption, allocation statement and continuing duties. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking. District of Columbia DISB; Official insurance regulator homepage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Verify a Financial Institution or Representative Licensed with DISB. District of Columbia DISB; Official license verification for companies and representatives. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Surplus Line Information. District of Columbia DISB; Current 2% tax base including incidental placement fees; fees must be necessary and separately itemized; diligent-effort rule. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. File a Complaint or Report Fraud. District of Columbia DISB; Official insurance complaint information and filing form. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. 15 U.S.C. §8201: Reporting, payment, and allocation of premium taxes. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel; §8201(a): exclusive insured home-State authority to require nonadmitted premium tax; (c): separate allocation reporting. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. 15 U.S.C. § 8205: Streamlined application for commercial purchasers. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel; §8205(1)-(2): admitted-market disclosure about possible availability, greater protection and oversight followed by the qualified purchaser’s written request; eligibility separately defined in §8206(5). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  12. 15 U.S.C. §8206: Definitions. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel; §8206(5) exempt-commercial-purchaser criteria; (6) home State and affiliated-insured rules; (13) qualified risk manager. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  13. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  14. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  15. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  16. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  17. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  18. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  19. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

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