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Hawaiʻi Umbrella and Excess Liability Guide

Hawaiʻi licensed contractors must maintain comprehensive bodily-injury and property-damage liability insurance, but the board’s sole-proprietor application sets floors of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per occurrence, and $50,000 property damage—not a universal umbrella limit. Since January 1, 2026, the state’s minimum auto limits are 40/80/20. If you rely on excess limits for contract work or driving exposure, check the applicable primary auto and general-liability schedule and obtain policy endorsements, not just a license certificate. 2,1,3

What Is Umbrella And Excess Liability?

Umbrella or excess insurance adds liability limits above the policies named in the quote after a covered claim exhausts their limits. It may fit if a contract sets higher limits; check which primary policies are listed and any gaps between them. Read the national Umbrella and excess liability guide.

Hawaii Requirements

RequirementDetails
Contractor license insuranceHRS §444-11.1 requires licensed contractors to maintain workers’ compensation unless self-insured or excluded, comprehensive personal-injury/property-damage liability insurance, and a bond when the board requires one. The board’s current sole-proprietor application states minimum liability limits of $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per occurrence, and $50,000 property damage per occurrence; it allows eligible out-of-state contractor placements through a non-admitted carrier. These are licensing conditions, not a universal commercial-contract limit. 1,2
Auto liability minimum effective January 1, 2026For new and renewal personal-auto policies effective on or after January 1, 2026, Hawaiʻi’s minimum liability limits are $40,000 bodily injury per person, $80,000 per accident, and $20,000 property damage per accident. This is a personal-auto minimum; confirm the distinct commercial-auto policy and limits required by a business contract. 3

What to Watch for in Hawaii

  • A lapse can affect the contractor license

    HRS §444-11.1 makes a licensed contractor’s failure to maintain applicable liability insurance, workers’ compensation, or a board-required bond a basis for automatic license forfeiture from the lapse date. The board requires proof of continuous coverage to restore it; after 60 days, a new application is required. If you are hiring a contractor, verify active status and current coverage rather than relying on a previously issued certificate. 1,2

  • The licensing floor is not a project limit

    The board’s $100,000/$300,000 bodily-injury and $50,000 property-damage figures are for a contractor license application. They do not tell you the limit required for a hotel, condominium, resort, or public-works contract. Put each contract’s limits and additional-insured conditions beside the contractor’s actual policies before choosing an excess layer. 2

  • Recheck auto layers at 2026 renewals

    Hawaiʻi’s 40/80/20 personal-auto minimum applies to new or renewed policies with effective dates on or after January 1, 2026. Businesses that scheduled auto under an excess layer should ask whether commercial-auto underlying limits and named vehicles meet their contract and policy schedule; the personal minimum does not answer either question. 3

  • Do not assume every contractor is exempt from workers’ compensation

    The contractor board’s current guidance permits listed entity types and sole proprietors with no employees to seek an exclusion from Chapter 386. A sole proprietor with no employees may file in lieu of a workers’ compensation policy, but that does not remove liability-insurance requirements. Verify the contractor’s actual workforce and filed exclusion separately from excess liability. 2

Who Regulates Insurance in Hawaii

Hawaiʻi Insurance Division

The Insurance Division oversees insurance companies and producers, examines Hawaiʻi-based insurers, reviews rate and policy filings, and investigates insurance complaints. It is part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. 4,5,6

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 4.68% of premium when Hawaiʻi is the home state Hawaiʻi applies a 4.68% tax when it is the insured’s home state. Surplus-lines coverage is placed with an unauthorized insurer, so do not assume the Hawaiʻi Insurance Guaranty Association protects the policy; confirm the insurer’s status and policy terms with your broker. 7,8

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Umbrella and excess 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 Hawaii. 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. 11
  • 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. 14
  • 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. 15

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Hawaii

  1. Is this limit for contractor licensure, a private customer contract, a government award, or a lender/lease requirement?
  2. Does your excess policy schedule the correct commercial-auto and general-liability policies, insured entities, and limits?
  3. For a contractor, is the board’s certificate current, and does the board have proof of uninterrupted coverage?
  4. If a sole proprietor has no employees, has the required workers’ compensation exclusion been filed, and are liability requirements still satisfied?

Umbrella And Excess Liability in Hawaii: FAQ

Does Hawaiʻi require every contractor to buy an umbrella? 1,2

The cited contractor statute and board application require liability insurance and specify minimum license limits; neither establishes one universal umbrella limit for all businesses. A project or customer may require excess limits, so use the signed contract and policy schedule to determine the amount. 1,2

Do Hawaiʻi’s 2026 40/80/20 auto minimums set my company’s commercial limit? 3

No. The DCCA describes 40/80/20 as the minimum for personal-auto policies effective on or after January 1, 2026. Check the business auto policy and any contract-specific limits separately. 3

Umbrella And Excess Liability in Other States

Other Coverage in Hawaii

Sources

  1. HRS §444-11.1, Requirements to maintain license. Hawaiʻi State Legislature; Subsections (a)–(d): continuous WC (with exceptions), liability insurance, board-required bond, forfeiture and 60-day restoration/new-application consequence. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. Contractor License Requirements – Sole Proprietor. Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing; pp. 6–7: sole-proprietor workers’ compensation exception, liability floors, eligible out-of-state non-admitted placement and continuity/60-day rules. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. FAQ: Auto Insurance Minimum Limits (effective January 1, 2026). Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Insurance Division; p. 1, lines on new and renewal policy effective dates; 40/80/20 limits and personal-auto scope. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Insurance Division. Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Official division homepage; scope, license search, complaints, contact information. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Insurance Licenses and Registrations. Hawaiʻi Insurance Division; Insurance license information; links to state-based system for license applications and status. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. Filing a Complaint. Hawaiʻi Insurance Division; Online complaint form and published consumer phone. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Surplus Lines Tax. Hawaiʻi Insurance Division; 4.68% rate and home-state application under HRS § 431:8-315. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. HRS § 431:16-105: Definitions. Hawaiʻi Legislature; Defines a member insurer as an insurer licensed or holding a certificate of authority in Hawaiʻi; cross-read with HRS § 431:8-102 and § 431:8-301 for unauthorized surplus-lines placements. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  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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