Product Liability in the District of Columbia

D.C. generally allows three years from accrual for injury-to-property claims and claims without another specially prescribed limitation, subject to statutory exceptions. For covered claims arising from a defective or unsafe improvement to real property, § 12-310 requires an injury to occur within ten years after substantial completion; for a death-based action, either the death or the injury resulting in death must occur in that period. Substantial completion is the earlier of first use or first availability for use after completion under the governing contract, including agreed changes. This is an occurrence window, not a suit-filing deadline. The ten-year bar does not apply to contract actions, specified claims against owners or actual possessors/controllers at injury time, manufacturers or suppliers of installed articles, or District-government actions. Preserve product, installation, contract, use, injury, death, and party records so counsel can classify the claim; these statutes do not determine insurance response.

What Is Product Liability Insurance?

Product liability can cover claims that a product you make, import, distribute or sell injured someone or damaged property. If your business handles products, describe every role in the supply chain and ask how the quote treats product damage and recall costs. Read the national Product liability guide.

What to Watch for With Product Liability in District of Columbia

Track when the right to sue accrued
D.C. Code § 12-301 generally allows three years from accrual for damages for injury to real or personal property and for claims without a specially prescribed limitation. The opening clause makes the rule subject to other law; subsection (b) excludes contracts for sale governed by § 28:2-725 and actions brought by the District government. Other claim types have their own listed periods. Ask counsel to classify the claim and assess accrual before relying on a general period. ¹
Separate the product from the building improvement
Section 12-310 covers specified personal injury, property injury, wrongful-death, contribution, and indemnity actions resulting from a defective or unsafe real-property improvement. For an injury-based action, the injury must occur within ten years after substantial completion. For a death-based action, either the death or the injury resulting in death must occur in that window. Substantial completion is the earlier of first use or first availability for use after completion under the improvement contract, including agreed changes. The window limits when injury may occur; it is not a ten-year filing period. Keep first-use, contractual-completion, change-order, injury, and death dates for counsel. ²
Classify the damage and the parties
Section 12-310's ten-year bar does not apply to contract actions; actions against the person who owned or actually possessed or controlled the property when its condition caused injury or death; manufacturers or suppliers of equipment, machinery, or other articles installed in a structure; or actions brought by the District government. Those exclusions do not establish that an action is timely under another rule. For a product installed in a building, retain product identity, manufacturer/supplier, installation, project-contract, and incident records so counsel can classify both the claim and parties. ^1,²

Providers With District of Columbia License Records

These providers publish a national listing for Product 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 District of Columbia. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

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 product liability among the core coverages in its technology-company programs.

Who Regulates Insurance in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking

DISB licenses and supervises insurance companies and producers, enforces District insurance laws, and provides consumer complaint assistance. Its licensing search covers insurance entities and representatives; consumers can contact the agency’s complaints unit for help. ^4,^5,⁷

Website: Regulator website
License lookup: Search licensed producers
Complaints: File a complaint
Phone: (202) 727-8000

Surplus-Lines Tax and Stamping Office in District of Columbia

Reported tax rate. Generally 2% of gross premium, including qualifying placement fees ^6,^8,^9,^10,³

When the District is the insured’s home state, surplus-lines agents and brokers generally owe a 2% tax on gross premium, including necessary fees incidental to placement when separately itemized. An agent or broker procuring insurance on behalf of the District government is exempt for that government business; claiming the exemption requires identifying its allocation in the required affidavit and does not waive other statutory duties. Ask the broker which taxes and fees your agreement passes through to you. DISB generally requires a diligent effort to place risks with authorized insurers. For a purchaser meeting the federal exempt-commercial-purchaser definition, the broker may skip that search only after disclosing that insurance may or may not be available from the admitted market, which may provide greater protection with more regulatory oversight, followed by the purchaser’s written request for nonadmitted placement. This record does not state a District-specific guaranty-fund conclusion.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy Product Liability in District of Columbia

Which products are installed in D.C. buildings, and can we retrieve the installation, first-use, contractual completion, and agreed-change dates?
Does our policy address products liability and completed-operations allegations involving installed equipment or other articles?
What injury, property-damage, death, and claim-notice dates should our team preserve for counsel and the broker?

Product Liability Insurance in District of Columbia: FAQ

What general deadline does D.C. set for injury-to-property claims?

Section 12-301 generally sets three years from accrual for injury to real or personal property and for claims without a separately prescribed limitation. It is subject to other law, and subsection (b) excludes contracts for sale governed by § 28:2-725 and District-government actions; counsel should assess the claim type and accrual. ¹

Does D.C.'s ten-year improvement rule give a claimant ten years to file?

No. Section 12-310 is an occurrence window: injury must occur within ten years after statutory substantial completion, and in a death-based action either the death or the injury resulting in death must occur within that period. Substantial completion is the earlier of first use or first availability for use after contractual completion, including agreed changes. Filing is governed separately. The ten-year bar also does not apply to the categories listed in § 12-310(b). ²

Sources for Product Liability Insurance in District of Columbia

1
D.C. Code § 12-301, Limitation of Time for Bringing Actions. Council of the District of Columbia; Complete current official codification opened 2026-09-28: § 12-301 opening clause and (a)(1)–(12), including (a)(3) property injury and (a)(8) residual three-year periods measured from accrual; subsection (b) excludes contracts for sale governed by § 28:2-725 and District-government actions. Amendment history includes D.C. Law 22-311 (effective May 3, 2019) with applicability/revival provisions shown on the page. Accessed 2026-09-28.
2
D.C. Code § 12-310, Actions Arising Out of Death or Injury Caused by Defective or Unsafe Improvements to Real Property. Council of the District of Columbia; Complete current official codification opened 2026-09-28: § 12-310(a)(1)(A)–(B), (a)(2), and (b)(1)–(4). Injury-based actions require injury within ten years of substantial completion; death-based actions require either death or injury resulting in death within that period. Completion is first use or first availability for use after contractual completion, including agreed changes, whichever comes first. The ten-year limitation does not apply to contract actions, the specified owner/actual possessor/controller, manufacturers or suppliers of installed equipment/machinery/articles, or District-government actions. Page history identifies Pub. L. 92-579 (1972) and D.C. Law 6-202 (1987). Accessed 2026-09-28.
3
D.C. Code §31–2502.40: License to procure policies from unauthorized companies. Council of the District of Columbia; Subsection (a): broker/agent tax and diligent effort; (c)(1)–(3): District-government procurement tax exemption, allocation statement and continuing duties. Accessed 2026-09-28.
4
Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking. District of Columbia DISB; Official insurance regulator homepage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
5
Verify a Financial Institution or Representative Licensed with DISB. District of Columbia DISB; Official license verification for companies and representatives. Accessed 2026-09-28.
6
Surplus Line Information. District of Columbia DISB; Current 2% tax base including incidental placement fees; fees must be necessary and separately itemized; diligent-effort rule. Accessed 2026-09-28.
7
File a Complaint or Report Fraud. District of Columbia DISB; Official insurance complaint information and filing form. Accessed 2026-09-28.
8
15 U.S.C. §8201: Reporting, payment, and allocation of premium taxes. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel; §8201(a): exclusive insured home-State authority to require nonadmitted premium tax; (c): separate allocation reporting. Accessed 2026-09-28.
9
15 U.S.C. § 8205: Streamlined application for commercial purchasers. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel; §8205(1)-(2): admitted-market disclosure about possible availability, greater protection and oversight followed by the qualified purchaser’s written request; eligibility separately defined in §8206(5). Accessed 2026-09-28.
10
15 U.S.C. §8206: Definitions. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel; §8206(5) exempt-commercial-purchaser criteria; (6) home State and affiliated-insured rules; (13) qualified risk manager. Accessed 2026-09-28.
11
Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
12
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.
13
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.
14
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.
15
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.
16
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.
17
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.

Product Liability in the District of Columbia

What Is Product Liability Insurance?

What to Watch for With Product Liability in District of Columbia

Track when the right to sue accrued

Separate the product from the building improvement

Classify the damage and the parties