Get Started

General Liability Insurance in Michigan

In a Michigan action for personal injury, property damage, or wrongful death, MCL 600.2959 reduces damages by the injured person’s comparative fault. If that person’s fault is greater than the combined fault of the other persons, whether or not they are parties, economic damages are still reduced by that percentage and noneconomic damages are not awarded. MCL 600.6304 makes liability in covered multi-person cases several only, so a person is not required to pay more than that person’s percentage of fault, except where section 6312 imposes joint and several liability. On a public design or construction contract, MCL 691.991 also voids indemnity for the promisee’s sole negligence and bars a public entity from requiring a licensed design professional or contractor to defend or indemnify beyond that firm’s degree of fault and the fault of its subconsultants or subcontractors. 1,2

What Is General Liability?

General liability can protect your business when a customer or visitor claims you caused injury or damaged their property. It suits businesses serving customers or working on their premises; your own building, tools and stock need property coverage. Read the national General liability guide.

What to Watch for in Michigan

  • Noneconomic damages stop when claimant fault is greater than everyone else

    Section 2959 does not wipe out the whole case when the injured person’s fault exceeds the combined fault of the others. Economic damages are reduced by that percentage. Noneconomic damages are the category the court does not award. Ask how the claim splits medical bills, repair costs, and pain-and-suffering before you decide whether the limit is aimed at the damages that remain. 1

  • Payment is capped at the allocated percentage except for the section 6312 cases

    Section 6304(4) states that liability is several only and not joint, and that a person shall not be required to pay damages greater than that person’s percentage of fault. The same subsection says it and section 2956 do not apply to a defendant that is jointly and severally liable under section 6312. Ask whether the pleaded claim is inside that exception before you assume a co-defendant’s unpaid share will stay with that co-defendant. 2

  • A public owner cannot shift defense past your degree of fault

    Section 691.991(1) voids a construction or design contract clause that indemnifies the promisee for bodily injury or property damage caused by the promisee’s or indemnitee’s sole negligence. Subsection (2) separately bars a public entity from requiring a Michigan-licensed architect, professional engineer, landscape architect, professional surveyor, or a contractor to defend the public entity or anyone else, or to indemnify for an amount greater than the degree of fault of that firm and its subconsultants or subcontractors. A contract term that violates the section is void. Compare the tender letter with that fault limit before you assume the policy must fund the owner’s entire defense. 3

Who Regulates Insurance in Michigan

Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services

The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services licenses agents, agencies and companies, supervises insurance business, and helps resolve complaints. You can use its state lookup or complaint service to check a license or raise an insurance issue. 4,5,6

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 2.5% combined surplus-lines tax and regulatory fee on premium when Michigan is the insured's home state Michigan's Property and Casualty Guaranty Association is funded by insurers authorized to transact in the state; an insurer procured solely under Chapter 19 is expressly not considered authorized for that chapter. The surplus-lines policy must carry a notice that the insurer is not Michigan-licensed and insolvency claim payment may not be guaranteed. 7,8,9

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for General liability; 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 Michigan. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • CorgiCorgi Insurance Services, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28Corgi’s company producer-license table lists 50 jurisdictions: 49 states and the District of Columbia, including DC license 3003091619. New Mexico does not appear in the table and is not included here; the omission does not establish that Corgi is unlicensed there. The company-reported table has no stated as-of date and does not establish product availability. 12
  • 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. 14
  • HiscoxHiscox Insurance Company Inc.Insurer · checked 2026-09-28Hiscox’s U.S. company information states that Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. is licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is company-reported insurer authority for this entity and does not establish which company issues every Hiscox-branded product. 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. 15
  • 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. 16

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Michigan

  1. If our share of fault is 40 percent, does section 6304 stop collection above that share, or does section 6312 apply to this claim?
  2. Is the claimant’s fault being compared with the combined fault of everyone else, including nonparties, under section 2959?
  3. Does the public contract ask us to defend or indemnify beyond our degree of fault and our subcontractors’ fault?

General Liability in Michigan: FAQ

Does Michigan bar all recovery when the claimant is mostly at fault? 1

Not all recovery. If the injured person’s fault is greater than the combined fault of the other persons, MCL 600.2959 still reduces economic damages by that percentage and does not award noneconomic damages. 1

Can one Michigan defendant be required to pay another defendant’s share? 2

In an action covered by MCL 600.6304, liability is several only, and a person is not required to pay more than that person’s percentage of fault. That limit does not apply to a defendant that is jointly and severally liable under section 6312. 2

Can a Michigan public contract make a contractor indemnify the owner for the owner’s sole negligence? 3

No. MCL 691.991 voids that sole-negligence indemnity in a covered design, construction, or maintenance contract, and it separately limits how much defense and indemnity a public entity may require from a licensed design professional or contractor. 3

General Liability in Other States

Other Coverage in Michigan

Sources

  1. MCL 600.2959, Comparative fault; reduced damages. Michigan Legislature; Sec. 2959, as amended by 2012 PA 608, effective March 28, 2013; MCL complete through PA 103 of 2026. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. MCL 600.6304, Personal injury action involving fault of more than one party. Michigan Legislature; Sec. 6304(1) and (4): several liability limited to the percentage of fault, with the section 6312 exception; MCL complete through PA 103 of 2026. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. MCL 691.991, Building construction or design; certain indemnification provisions void. Michigan Legislature; Subsections (1) and (2): sole-negligence indemnity void; public-entity defense and indemnity limited to degree of fault. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Department of Insurance and Financial Services; Official regulator and insurance oversight. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Insurance License Lookup. Department of Insurance and Financial Services; State-designated producer/company search. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. File an Insurance Complaint. Department of Insurance and Financial Services; State complaint process and contact. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Surplus Lines Licensee: Filing the Surplus Lines Taxes. Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services; DIFS current filing page: Michigan-home-state placements taxed at 2.5% combined tax and regulatory fee; separate fees charged to insured are not included in premium tax base. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Michigan Insurance Code, Chapter 500. Michigan Legislature; MCL 500.7911(1)-(2), 500.7921(b): association membership tied to insurer authorized to transact; insurer procured solely under Chapter 19 is expressly not authorized for guaranty chapter. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Michigan Insurance Code, Chapter 500. Michigan Legislature; MCL 500.1922 requires policy notice that insurer is not Michigan-licensed and insolvency claim payment may not be guaranteed. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.

Get Help With Insurance Buying and Renewals.

Get help buying coverage and managing renewals, with less paperwork for your team. Start with a free consultation.

Talk to Spot