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Commercial Property Insurance in Tennessee

Tennessee’s current surplus-lines table requires one declining carrier for commercial property, business income and commercial flood, but three for commercial apartments and condominium packages. Those counts govern surplus-lines filings only; they do not make commercial property insurance generally mandatory or establish what a quote covers. 1

What Is Commercial Property?

Commercial property may fit your business if you own a building or rely on equipment and stock. Compare replacement-cost terms, deductibles and any coinsurance condition, and check lost-income protection separately. Read the national Commercial property guide.

What to Watch for in Tennessee

  • Match the Declination Count to the Risk

    TDCI’s table assigns one decline to code 1000 commercial property, but three to code 1003 apartments-commercial and code 1006 commercial condominium packages. If your property is a multiunit building or condominium association, ask the broker which coverage code applies and how many declinations are required for a surplus-lines placement. 1

  • Identify the Market Before Comparing Quotes

    The declination table applies to new and renewal surplus-lines policies and separately lists fire, commercial property and commercial flood codes. Ask whether each quote is admitted or nonadmitted and compare forms and limits on the same line; do not infer that the declination count measures coverage quality. 1,3

  • Ask Who Files the Contract

    Tennessee requires surplus-lines policies and endorsements to be filed electronically through SLIP; new and renewal policy filings are due within 30 days after the effective date. Ask who is responsible for the filing and request the final policy and endorsements for your records. 2

Who Regulates Insurance in Tennessee

Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance

TDCI regulates and licenses insurance companies, agents, brokers, surplus-lines agents, and public adjusters. Its complaint process accepts complaints about agents or companies when the policy was written in Tennessee, and its property/casualty unit reviews filed policy rates, rules, and forms. 4,5,6

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 5% of gross premium plus 0.175% SLAS transaction fee For Tennessee-home-state surplus-lines policies, TDCI lists a 5% tax on gross premium and a 0.175% SLAS transaction fee on gross premium; the agent receives an invoice and pays both through SLIP. The sources reviewed do not establish that the fee is always separately charged to the policyholder or resolve guaranty-association treatment, so ask your broker to itemize charges and review the policy notice. 7,8

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Commercial property; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Tennessee. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • ERGO NEXT InsuranceNext First Insurance Agency, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28ERGO NEXT’s current license table lists Next First Insurance Agency, Inc. in 50 jurisdictions, including Washington, DC; New York is excluded because its table rows name Next Insurance Services and AP Intego, not Next First. The table is company-reported; it does not establish product availability or provide state-regulator verification for each entry. 13
  • TechInsuranceSpecialty Program Group LLCInsurance producer · checked 2026-09-28TechInsurance’s current licensing page names Specialty Program Group LLC / SPG Insurance Solutions and lists state license numbers, but labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses” rather than identifying a license for the named agency. RI is omitted because this disclosure does not establish agency authority there; this is a search limitation, not an assertion that the company is unlicensed. The remaining state entries are company-reported and are not an insurance product availability map. 14
  • VouchVouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLCInsurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 15

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Tennessee

  1. Is one carrier decline enough for Tennessee commercial property placed in surplus lines?
  2. Does the same declination count apply to an apartment or condominium association?
  3. Who files a Tennessee surplus-lines property policy after it takes effect?

Commercial Property in Tennessee: FAQ

How many declines are needed for Tennessee commercial property surplus lines? 1

One for the general commercial-property code. The TDCI table lists three for commercial apartments and commercial condominium packages, so the risk classification matters. 1

When must a Tennessee surplus-lines policy be filed? 2

A new or renewal policy must be filed electronically through SLIP within 30 days after its effective date; endorsement transactions are filed when available. 2

Commercial Property in Other States

Other Coverage in Tennessee

Sources

  1. Surplus Lines Declination Requirements. Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance; Table: coverage code, line description, and number of required declinations; commercial property, apartment/condominium classes, business income, and commercial flood. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. Surplus Lines Filing Procedures. Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance; SLIP filing procedure and new/renewal deadline. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Surplus Lines Agent Requirements. Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance; Resident and nonresident licensing conditions; page last updated April 8, 2026. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. tennessee insurance regulator. State insurance regulator; TDCI official insurance-division and consumer pages describe department scope, review units and complaint role. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. TDCI Agent/Producer Resources. State insurance regulator; Agent Licensing Section licenses producers, business entities, surplus-lines agents, brokers, and public adjusters; page links to Verify License. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. File an Insurance Complaint. State insurance regulator; TDCI accepts online complaints about insurers and agents only for policies written in Tennessee; third-party claimants are directed to call. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Surplus Lines Filing Procedures. Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance; Tax Payments section: 5% gross premium plus .175% of gross premium SLAS transaction fee; agents receive quarterly invoices and pay via ACH in SLIP. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Tennessee Public Chapter 446 (2011), T.C.A. §56-14-113. Tennessee Secretary of State; Current tax framework enacted in §56-14-113: 5% applies when Tennessee is the insured’s home state; tax collected from insured in addition to premium. Read with current TDCI filing-procedure page for current fee and SLIP handling. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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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