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General Liability Insurance in Minnesota

Minnesota Statutes section 604.01 does not bar recovery when the claimant’s fault is not greater than the fault of the person from whom recovery is sought, and it reduces damages in proportion to the claimant’s fault. Section 604.02 then makes four categories jointly and severally liable for the whole award: a person whose fault is greater than 50 percent, persons acting in a common scheme or plan, a person who commits an intentional tort, and specified environmental liabilities. Everyone else contributes only in proportion to fault, subject to a reallocation motion filed within one year after judgment. In a building and construction contract, section 337.05 voids a requirement to insure another party, including a third party, for that other party’s negligence or intentional acts, with stated exceptions. 1,2,3

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 Minnesota

  • Equal fault still leaves a reduced recovery

    Section 604.01 bars recovery only when contributory fault is greater than the fault of the person against whom recovery is sought. A 50/50 comparison is not greater, so damages are diminished rather than denied. Ask the carrier to separate that comparison from any policy exclusion for the insured’s own work. 1

  • Crossing 50 percent fault changes who can be collected from

    Under section 604.02, a person whose fault is greater than 50 percent is jointly and severally liable for the whole award, as are persons in a common scheme or plan, a person who commits an intentional tort, and persons whose liability arises under the environmental statutes the section lists. A defendant at 50 percent or below is not in that first category. The section also lets the court, on a motion made not later than one year after judgment, reallocate an uncollectible share among the other parties, including a claimant at fault. 2

  • A construction clause cannot make you insure the other party’s negligence

    Section 337.05, subdivision 1(b), makes it void to require a party to provide insurance coverage to other parties, including third parties, for the negligence or intentional acts of those other parties. The statute keeps workers’ compensation, performance and payment bonds, builder’s risk, owner- or contractor-controlled programs, and project-specific insurance for the promisor’s own negligence. It also preserves insurance for the promisee’s vicarious liability or warranty liability arising out of the promisor’s acts, and it does not apply to building and construction contracts for work within 50 feet of a railroad. If the promisor agrees to specific insurance and does not keep it in force, subdivision 2 gives the promisee indemnity to the same extent as that insurance. 3

  • Accepting a certificate does not waive the insurance promise

    Section 337.05, subdivision 5, says the promisor’s obligation to provide specified insurance is not waived because the promisee fails to insist on a certificate or accepts a certificate that shows a variance from the specified coverage. A certificate that names the owner is not a substitute for the endorsement the contract described, and a deductible or self-insured retention remains the promisor’s indemnity obligation under subdivision 4. 3

Who Regulates Insurance in Minnesota

Minnesota Department of Commerce

The Minnesota Department of Commerce regulates insurance companies and producers, reviews rates and forms, and investigates 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: 3% of taxable gross premiums less return premiums, plus a 0.04% stamping fee on taxable premium when Minnesota is the insured's home state When Minnesota is the insured's home state, 3% tax applies to taxable gross premiums less return premiums; the separate 0.04% stamping fee on taxable premium is paid by you to the broker. Minnesota requires a policy warning that insolvency loss payment by a nonadmitted insurer is not guaranteed. A diligent search generally applies unless a Minnesota-licensed producer unaffiliated with the surplus-lines broker refers the risk, which the statute deems unavailable from a licensed insurer; an exempt commercial purchaser also has a separate written-request route after the required admitted-market disclosure. 7,10,8,9,11

Minnesota Surplus Lines Association

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 Minnesota. 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. 14
  • 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. 16
  • 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. 15
  • 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. 17
  • 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. 18

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Minnesota

  1. Is any defendant’s fault greater than 50 percent, or is the claim in the common-scheme, intentional-tort, or environmental category in section 604.02?
  2. Does the construction insurance clause ask us to cover another party’s own negligence, or only our vicarious or warranty exposure?
  3. If a co-defendant’s share is uncollectible, who can move to reallocate it within one year after judgment?
  4. Does the certificate match the limits the contract specified, and who owes the deductible?

General Liability in Minnesota: FAQ

Can a claimant recover in Minnesota if both sides are equally at fault? 1

Yes, against a person whose fault is not greater than the claimant’s. Section 604.01 reduces the damages in proportion to the claimant’s fault. Recovery is barred only when the claimant’s fault is greater than the fault of the person from whom recovery is sought. 1

Can a Minnesota construction contract require additional-insured coverage for the owner’s own negligence? 3

Section 337.05 makes a requirement to insure other parties for their own negligence or intentional acts void and unenforceable. Exceptions include workers’ compensation, builder’s risk, controlled-insurance programs, project-specific insurance for the promisor’s negligence, vicarious or warranty liability arising from the promisor’s acts, and work within 50 feet of a railroad. 3

General Liability in Other States

Other Coverage in Minnesota

Sources

  1. Minn. Stat. § 604.01, Comparative fault; effect. Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes; 2025 Minnesota Statutes § 604.01, subd. 1: recovery if contributory fault was not greater than the fault of the person against whom recovery is sought. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Minn. Stat. § 604.02, Apportionment of damages. Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes; 2025 Minnesota Statutes § 604.02, subd. 1–2: joint liability categories and one-year reallocation; applies to claims arising from events on or after August 1, 2003. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. Minn. Stat. § 337.05, Agreements to insure. Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes; 2025 Minnesota Statutes § 337.05, subd. 1(b)–(e), subd. 2, subd. 4, and subd. 5; amended 2023 c. 53. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. Insurance. Insurance; Insurance regulator and consumer resources. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Insurance License Lookup. Insurance; State-designated producer/company search. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. File an Insurance Complaint. Insurance; Insurance complaint topic; filing portal, complaints line, email contact. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Minn. Stat. §297I.05. Minnesota Revisor of Statutes; 3% on gross premiums less return premiums when Minnesota is insured's home state; 100% taxable in Minnesota. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Instructions for 2026 Semiannual Stamping Fee Report. Minnesota Surplus Lines Association; 2026 report p.1, lines 82–94: stamping fee rate .0004 (0.04%) of policy premium for transactions effective on or after October 1, 2016; current report linked from the association's 2026 site. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Minn. Stat. §60A.207. Minnesota Revisor of Statutes; 2025 text, lines 250–255: policy notice states insurer is not otherwise licensed in Minnesota and insolvency loss payment is not guaranteed. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. Minn. Stat. §297I.01. Minnesota Revisor of Statutes; Definition of gross premiums for nonadmitted insurance includes fees, assessments and other consideration, with stamping fee and operating assessment exclusions. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. Minnesota Statutes 2025, §60A.201. Minnesota Revisor of Statutes; 2025 Minn. Stat. §60A.201 subd.1 (admitted-market restriction); subd.5 (ECP disclosure and subsequent written request); subd.6 (risk referred by unaffiliated Minnesota-licensed producer deemed unavailable). Amendments listed through 2025. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  12. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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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