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New York inland marine insurance and the 1976 definition exceptions

New York Insurance Law § 1113(a)(20) includes marine and inland marine insurance for goods and other property connected with navigation, transit, or transportation, including preparation, delay, storage, and transshipment incident to that transit. DFS Circular Letter No. 22 (2000) says New York adopted the 1976 nationwide marine definition with exceptions. Builder's risk and installation risks may be written as inland marine only until the earliest of occupancy, delivery or acceptance, completion, or a certificate of occupancy, applied separately to each structure. 1,2

What Is Tools, Equipment And Inland Marine?

If your business moves equipment between sites or ships goods, inland marine can cover those property exposures; installation and other forms address different property categories. Match the quote to what you own, rent or hold for others. Read the national Tools, equipment and inland marine guide.

What to Watch for in New York

  • The Inland Marine Builder's Risk Clock Stops Early

    Circular Letter No. 22 says builder's risk and installation risks may be written as inland marine only until the earliest of occupancy by a tenant for the intended purpose, delivery to or acceptance by the owner, completion, or issuance of a certificate of occupancy or completion. Apply that test to each structure. The letter also says rate and form filings are still expected because the class is manually rated. Ask which event will end the inland marine classification on your job. 2

  • Tanks, Difference in Conditions, and Computers Are Narrow

    Domestic bulk liquids may be inland marine only if the tank is part of a larger pipeline system. Freestanding tanks that are not part of a pipeline may not. Difference-in-conditions coverage may be inland marine only if every underlying policy also qualifies; a DIC policy on real property at a fixed site does not. Electronic data processing may be inland marine only if the equipment is relatively transportable and intended to be used that way. A laptop can qualify. A personal computer intended as a terminal for a larger mainframe network does not. 2

  • Bridges and Tunnels Can Be Inland Marine Without a Filing

    The circular letter says bridges and tunnels may be written as inland marine without qualification and without filing. That permission is about classification and filing. It does not set a limit for a bridge project. Ask whether your structure is being written that way and what perils the form actually names. 2

  • Marine Filing Exemptions Are Not Blanket

    The letter discusses Insurance Law § 2302(a)(4), which exempts marine risks from general rate and form filing, and § 2310(b), which exempts inland marine risks only if by general custom they are not written to manual rates, unless the Superintendent directs a filing. The Department treats listed commercial classes, including accounts receivable, equipment dealers, physicians' and surgeons' equipment, signs, and retail jewelers block only up to $250,000 inventory, as filed classes. Pleasure boats 16 feet or less are inland marine; a stand-alone policy is not subject to filing, but a homeowners endorsement is. 2

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. 3,4,5,6

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

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 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. 7,8,9,10

Excess Line Association of New York

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Tools, equipment and inland marine; 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 New York. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • 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. 15TechInsurance arranges inland marine coverage for contractors’ tools and equipment.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in New York

  1. For each structure, which event comes first: occupancy, acceptance, completion, or a certificate of occupancy?
  2. Is a tank part of a pipeline system, or freestanding?
  3. Is the computer meant to be carried and used that way, or fixed as a network terminal?
  4. Is this class one the Department still expects to be filed, such as equipment dealers or signs?

Tools, Equipment And Inland Marine in New York: FAQ

Can New York builder's risk stay inland marine after the owner accepts the building? 2

No. Circular Letter No. 22 stops that inland marine classification at the earliest of occupancy for the intended purpose, delivery or acceptance, completion, or a certificate of occupancy or completion, applied to each structure. 2

Is a desktop used as a mainframe terminal inland marine in New York? 2

No. The circular letter says electronic data processing is inland marine only if the equipment is relatively transportable and intended to be used that way. A personal computer intended as a terminal for a larger mainframe network does not qualify. 2

Tools, Equipment And Inland Marine in Other States

Other Coverage in New York

Sources

  1. Insurance Law § 1113. New York State Senate; § 1113(a)(20) marine and inland marine, including transit and incidental storage. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Insurance Circular Letter No. 22 (August 11, 2000). New York State Department of Financial Services; 1976 nationwide definition exceptions: builder's risk cutoff, tanks, DIC, EDP, bridges; §§ 2302(a)(4) and 2310(b). Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. New York State Department of Financial Services. New York State Department of Financial Services; Official regulator homepage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Who We Supervise. New York State Department of Financial Services; DFS describes insurance oversight and provides links to company and producer searches. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Consumer Complaints. New York State Department of Financial Services; Official portal files insurance complaints for health, life and property/casualty insurance. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. New York Insurance Law §2118(d)(1). New York State Senate; Current statutory text: 3.6% of gross premiums less returned premium when New York is the insured’s home state. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. ELANY Bulletin 2026-20: Notice of Change in Stamping Fee. Excess Line Association of New York; September 20, 2026 bulletin: 0.17% applies to policies incepting from Jan. 1, 2027; endorsements on policies incepting Jan. 1, 2023–Dec. 31, 2026 retain 0.15%; excess-line tax remains 3.6%. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. New York Insurance Law §2118. New York State Senate; Excess-line broker duties and filing requirements; §2118(a) due care; exceptions should be applied only where statutory conditions are met. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. New York Insurance Law §2118. New York State Senate; Excess-line statutory duties and policies; source is used for placement context. No state-specific guaranty cap/note included. 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. 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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