Inland Marine vs. Commercial Property: What’s the Difference?

The California Department of Insurance describes commercial property as covering buildings, business personal property, and property of others, and describes inland marine as a specialized property line with transportation and equipment-floater forms. A commercial-property policy may already extend to some property away from premises, so the names alone do not determine whether there is a gap.

Compare covered property, locations, transit, causes of loss, valuation, limits, and exclusions across both policies. Look for laptops or tools away from the office, inventory in shipment, customer property, and property at temporary sites. Ask the broker to map each exposure to a specific form and identify overlapping deductibles or missing periods of coverage.