What General Liability Insurance Requirements Apply in New York?

New York’s current CPLR §1411 generally reduces personal-injury, property-damage, and wrongful-death damages by claimant fault rather than barring recovery. In covered personal-injury cases with at least two tortfeasors, a defendant found 50% or less responsible generally pays only its share of noneconomic loss; the statute has exceptions, including a special Article 51 rule.

What Is General Liability Insurance?

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 With General Liability in New York

  • Claimant Fault Reduces, Rather Than Erases, Recovery

    CPLR §1411 generally provides that culpable conduct does not bar recovery for injury to person or property or wrongful death; damages are reduced proportionally. Subdivision (b) has a special rule for personal injury subject to Insurance Law Article 51, so ask whether a claim belongs to that statutory category before applying the general rule. 1

  • The 50% Threshold Applies to Noneconomic Loss

    For a covered personal-injury case with two or more tortfeasors jointly liable, CPLR §1601 generally makes a defendant at 50% or less responsible for only its share of noneconomic loss; defendants over 50% can remain jointly liable for that category. Exceptions address certain nonparty fault and workers’ compensation grave injury. 2

  • Three Years Is the General Period for Listed Injury Claims

    CPLR §214 generally gives three years for personal injury, property injury, and injury to a chattel, subject to sections it names and other accrual rules. Ask counsel to separate bodily-injury and property allegations and identify any statutory exception before relying on a deadline. 3

Which General Liability Providers Have New York License Records?

These providers publish a national listing for General liability; the license records below name the licensed entities and roles. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in New York. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • Corgi

    Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28

    Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.

    Corgi’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

    Corgi lists commercial general liability among its business insurance offerings.

  • Hiscox

    Insurer · checked 2026-09-28

    Hiscox Insurance Company Inc.

    Hiscox’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

    Hiscox offers general liability insurance for small businesses.

  • TechInsurance

    Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28

    Specialty Program Group LLC

    TechInsurance’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. 16

    TechInsurance arranges general liability insurance for small businesses.

  • Vouch

    Insurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28

    Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC

    Vouch’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. 17

    Vouch lists general liability among the core coverages in its technology-company programs.

Who Regulates Insurance in New York?

New York State Department of Financial Services

New York DFS supervises insurance companies and producers, administers insurance law and accepts consumer complaints about property and casualty policies, including commercial insurance. 4,5,6,7

Surplus-Lines Tax and Stamping Office in New York

Reported tax rate. 3.6% of gross premium, less returned premium; ELANY stamping fee is 0.15% through 2026 and 0.17% for policies incepting on/after Jan. 1, 2027 8,9,10,11

When New York is the insured’s home state, excess-line tax is 3.6% of gross premium less returned premium. ELANY’s September 20, 2026 bulletin sets a 0.15% stamping fee through December 31, 2026 and 0.17% for policies incepting on or after January 1, 2027; statutory search requirements and guaranty-fund protection depend on the applicable New York excess-line rules.

Excess Line Association of New York

Questions to Ask Before You Buy General Liability in New York

  1. Is this personal-injury claim subject to Insurance Law Article 51 and its special §1411 rule?
  2. How will a jury’s fault allocation affect our share of noneconomic loss under CPLR §1601?
  3. Does any nonparty-fault or workers’ compensation exception change §1601’s allocation?

General Liability Insurance in New York: Frequently Asked Questions

Does New York bar a claim if the claimant was partly at fault?

Generally no. CPLR §1411 reduces damages in proportion to claimant fault, though subdivision (b) has a special rule for personal injury subject to Insurance Law Article 51. 1

How long does someone have to sue for a New York injury?

Generally three years for personal injury or property injury under CPLR §214, subject to the listed statutory exceptions and accrual rules. 3

General Liability Insurance Guides for Other States

Other coverage in New YorkEvery coverage guide for New York, plus the regulator and surplus-lines details.

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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