The job of a structural engineer is closely similar to that of civil engineers. You’re responsible for the analysis and design of beams and other structures that help a building withstand earthquakes, winds, and other elements. Ensuring that the work of other engineers is correct also falls on your shoulder.
While you can get insured through a civil engineer insurance package, the best protection is a specialty structural engineer insurance plan. This solely covers the risks unique to your profession. Read this guide to know what this is, how much premiums cost, and where to get the best coverage.
You need liability insurance. Liability insurance pertains to policies that grant protection against lawsuits. The most common types of structural engineer liability insurance are general liability, public liability, and professional indemnity policies.
| CoverWallet | NEXT | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $250,000/$1,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Can be included |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $50/$10,000 |
You hold a degree of liability if issues arise because of your output or advice. Because of this, it’s crucial to include a professional indemnity policy in your insurance plan. This is also called PI insurance for short and alternatively, professional liability insurance.
Use the table above to compare the professional indemnity insurance of companies we recommend for structural engineers.
Professional indemnity insurance takes care of expenses if clients have qualms about your services and decide to file a claim. Here are some situations where PI insurance for structural engineers is useful:
You failed to recognize errors in the blueprints submitted by an associate. An accident happened because of this, resulting in injuries and significant structural damages to the construction site
Columns were wrongfully positioned despite your supervision. The entire construction work has to be halted for a while to make way for adjustments. The client lost a lot of money because of this
You failed to submit plans, reports, and blueprints on time because of technical issues, overlapping workloads, etc.
Structural engineer professional liability insurance is available as a claims-made policy or occurrence policy.
Another thing to note is that a professional indemnity insurance might offer defective work coverage and license defense coverage.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 |
| Products and completed operations aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Advertising injury coverage aggregate limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Tenant’s legal liability coverage limit | $1,000,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Can be included |
| Hired/non-owned auto liability coverage included? | Yes | No | Can be included |
| Equipment breakdown floater included? | No | Yes | Can be included |
| Can you get a certificate of insurance online? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Structural engineer insurance programs offer a general liability policy as a primary coverage. This is also the case with related commercial protection packages such as gas engineer insurance and electrical engineer insurance.
Use the table above to compare the general liability insurance of companies we recommend for structural engineers.
Structural failures are common. Sometimes, these might involve pedestrians, building inspectors, and other third parties. Here are some concrete examples of when general liability insurance can help:
A crane is being used to lift a beam. The cable snapped because of the excessive weight. As a result, the beam fell and rolled to a sidewalk near the construction site. Passerby got hurt
You were working on a two-story building. During construction, the building collapsed and it damaged nearby structures
General liability insurance accounts for the resulting costs if you’re liable for accidents that result in bodily injuries or property damage. Most structural engineers use general liability insurance to pay for:
Medical treatment of injured third parties
Reimbursement for the damaged properties of third parties
Attorney fees, investigation fees, and other defense costs
Court judgments
Similar to the general liability policy of safety consultant insurance plans, the general liability policy of structural engineer insurance plans has automatic add-ons. These are the most common ones:
Rented premises liability coverage
Products and completed operations coverage
Medical expenses coverage
You also get the option of customizing a general liability policy by adding optional policies to it. Insurance companies allow you to avail the following from their structural engineer general liability policy at an additional cost:
Hired/non-owned auto liability coverage
Tools and equipment coverage
Waiver of subrogation
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $210,000 | $25,000 |
| Contents coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Outdoor signs | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded |
| Accounts receivable | Excluded | Excluded | Included |
| Money and securities | Excluded | $2,500 | Included |
| Lock and keys | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded |
| Business interruption floater | Excluded | Included | Included |
| Equipment breakdown floater | Excluded | Included | Excluded |
| Inland marine insurance floater | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded |
| Employee dishonesty floater | Excluded | $5,000 | Included |
Similar to the insurance program for mechanical engineers, a structural engineer’s insurance plan comes with commercial property insurance. Commercial property insurance is the coverage for the office, co-working space, commercial condo or any other building you’re utilizing in your day-to-day operations as a structural engineer.
The main function of commercial property insurance is to reimburse the replacement cost or actual cash value of the commercial space if it gets damaged or destroyed by:
Fire
Theft
Vandalism
Civil commotion
Malicious mischief
Sinkhole collapse
Volcanic action
Weather
Lightning
Impact
Vehicle
Aircraft
Falling objects
If something happens to the building, it’s rare for what’s inside to remain unscathed. And so, commercial property insurance will also reimburse losses if valuable papers and records, computers, blueprints, cameras, prisms, compasses, magnetic locators, furniture, and other building contents get damaged.
Note that commercial property insurance doesn’t cover any of the construction projects you’re working on. There’s another type of structural engineer insurance for this purpose.
Also, you can’t use commercial property insurance to cover business property damage caused by earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, and war.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General liability aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 |
| Commercial property coverage limit | $50,000 | $210,000 | $25,000 |
| Optional policies can be added? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds for free? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BOP discount? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
A business owner’s policy might be offered if you’re a structural engineer with a growing business profile.
Use the table above to compare the business owner’s policy of insurance companies we recommend for structural engineers.
Insuring yourself against legal liabilities and business property damage is best done with a business owner’s policy rather than purchasing commercial property or general liability insurance as separate policies.
A business owner’s policy is a combination of general liability insurance and commercial property insurance. That said, you can use this when business property gets damaged by fire or other perils and when third parties file a claim for bodily injuries or property damage.
Note that it's possible for a business owner’s policy to offer additional structural engineer insurance policies such as professional liability, business interruption, cyber liability, and others.
| NEXT (Best) | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|
| Aggregate limit | $5,000/$10,000 | $5,000/$25,000 |
| Covers hired and borrowed equipment? | $5,000/$10,000 | No |
| Miscellaneous equipment also covered? | $5,000/$10,000 | No |
| Offered as an endorsement to general liability insurance? | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $500 | $0 |
Tools and equipment, whether owned, borrowed, or rented, is always a part of every construction project you’re overseeing as a structural engineer.
The implements used in the construction process are not cheap. And if these get damaged, lost, or destroyed, you’ll face heavy repair or replacement expenses.
It’s smart to include a tools and equipment policy in your structural engineer insurance plan. This will cover the cost of repairing or replacing compact tractors, scrapers, welding machines, mixers, drills, and any other equipment that gets destroyed, lost, or damaged because of:
Fire
Theft
Vandalism
Mysterious disappearance
Electrical shorts
Electrical breakdown
Mechanical breakdown
Tools and equipment insurance is available as a stand-alone policy that provides up to more than $100,000 coverage.
You can also get this as an add-on to general liability insurance, business owner’s policy, or commercial property insurance. However, coverage is very limited if you avail the policy this way.
Use the table above to compare the tools and equipment insurance of companies we recommend for structural engineers.
Builders risk insurance enables you to insure a construction project against the unexpected.
This insurance will protect the construction project during its completion. The coverage of builders risk insurance applies when the structures, materials, or the entire construction project gets damaged or destroyed because of:
Fire
Theft
Vandalism
Explosions
Impact
Employee error
Acts of god
Hail
So how does builder's risk insurance work in practice? This insurance will reimburse financial losses based on the estimated value of the construction project, its structures, or materials.
Failures in design, workmanship, or calculation can result in defects. The problem is it’s possible for defects to only manifest years later after a construction project has been completed.
Clients can still run after you in such a situation. This is why it’s a good idea to get latent defects insurance. Latent defects insurance will cover the extra expenses for reworking on a construction project you once completed.
So how long does the coverage of this insurance last? Latent defects insurance for structural engineers lasts for 10-12 years.
Inland marine insurance takes care of portable construction equipment and materials while in transit. If such valuables get damaged or lost during transportation, inland marine insurance will reimburse your losses based on the actual cash value or replacement cost. You can get this insurance as an add-on to general liability, commercial property, or business owner’s policy.
It’s possible to work alone as a structural engineer. However, you’ll eventually need a secretary, an engineering assistant, and maybe even a computer operator to provide better services to clients.
You need workers compensation insurance as soon as you employ one or more people. Authorities will be after you if you fail to get this coverage for your part-time and full-time employees.
Workers compensation insurance provides help when an employee sustains an injury or illness such as cuts, burns, musculoskeletal disorders, etc. This policy commonly covers these costs:
EMT service
Medical treatment
Hospitalization
Medication
Rehabilitation and retraining
Lost wages
Funeral expense and allowance to dependents in case of death
Workers compensation doesn’t provide automatic coverage to independent contractors, volunteers, and interns. You need to name them as additional insureds for coverage to take effect. Nonetheless, authorities don't require you to cover such workers with workers compensation insurance.
Consider insuring the dump trucks, flatbed trucks, bucket trucks, concrete mixer trucks, and other vehicles you use for a construction project with commercial auto insurance.
Commercial auto insurance shields you if something happens while construction vehicles are running. Here’s a quick summary of this policy’s functions:
Cover the medical treatment of third parties if your construction vehicles cause a vehicular accident
Cover the medical treatment of the driver and passengers if your construction vehicles get involved in an accident caused by an uninsured/underinsured driver
Cater to the repair or replacement costs if your construction vehicles sustains damage because of fire, theft, falling objects, collision, weather, and other covered perils
Cater to the repair or replacement cost of attachments to the construction vehicles that sustains damage because of fire, theft, falling objects, collision, weather, and other covered perils
Note that you can’t only use commercial auto insurance to cover owned construction vehicles. Vehicles borrowed or under lease can be also covered by this insurance.
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Deductible | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General liability insurance | $45 | $540 | $0-$500 |
| Professional liability insurance | $56 | $672 | $500-$1,000 |
| Commercial property insurance | $47 | $564 | $1,000-$2,500 |
| Business owner’s policy | $80 | $960 | $500-$1,000 |
| Commercial auto insurance | $99 | $1,188 | $1,000-$1,500 |
| Workers compensation insurance | $110 | $1,320 | $2,000-$5,000 |
| Inland marine insurance | $59 | $708 | $1,500 |
The average structural engineer insurance cost is $45 per month or $540 annually for a $1 million general liability policy. A carrier considers numerous factors that affect the cost of your premiums. These factors include:
Business location
Annual projected revenue
Policy limits and deductibles
Business property and equipment
Number of employees
The type of policy you purchase
Here’s another table that shows how much the best structural engineer insurance companies charge for a $1 million general liability policy:
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEXT | $25 | $300 | Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for structural engineers |
| CoverWallet | $30 | $360 | Structural engineer insurance online quotes comparison |
| Tivly | $35 | $420 | Comparing insurance quotes over the phone |
| Hiscox | $41.56 | $498.72 | Insurance for structural engineers that renews automatically |
| Hall & Company | $70 | $840 | Structural engineer professional indemnity insurance |
For a more accurate estimate, you can compare structural engineer insurance quotes online. Start by clicking the "Get Quotes" button to get the cheapest rates from the best companies.
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
Finding the most suitable structural engineer insurance for your company is critical. There's no shortage of insurance companies, but we have narrowed it down to some of the best to make it easier for you to select. Read to know their pros, cons, and monthly pricing for a $1 million general liability coverage
Best overall
Get an online proof of insurance and send as a text message, email, or social media post
Fastest general liability insurance for structural engineers
Great customer service and reputation
Issues an online proof of insurance instantly
Outstanding value for money
Bundle two or more insurance policies and get a 10% discount
Couldn’t find any
NEXT doesn’t have tailored structural engineer insurance. However, the company will cover you through its tailored engineering insurance. Inclusions are general liability insurance, commercial auto insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and commercial property insurance.
Know that there’s a 10% discount if you buy more than one type of business insurance from NEXT. Also, this company is the best option if you’re particular about certificates of insurance. Upon getting insured, you can get a live certificate of insurance via the NEXT website or app and send it as a text message, email, or social media post.
Best for: Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for structural engineers
Average cost: $25 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Well-organized and easy to use with an online policy management system.
Easy to reach customer support and agents
A top commercial insurer
Coverwallet is an online brokerage firm, not a carrier
Coverwallet is an excellent option for structural engineering businesses looking to manage their insurance policies. It offers the best quote comparison and comprehensive insurance solutions at affordable and competitive prices.
Note that CoverWallet doesn’t have tailored insurance for structural engineers. Instead, it sells specialized insurance available for all kinds of engineers. This is available in four insurance plans:
Basic-Allows you to get insured with general liability insurance with products and completed operations. You can’t get other business insurance if you go for this one. The basic plan is a good choice for independent structural engineers
Standard-The standard plan is also a good match for independent structural engineers. In this one, you can decide to get general liability insurance and professional indemnity insurance
Pro-CoverWallet’s pro plan is a business owner’s policy that offers general liability insurance and professional liability insurance with commercial property insurance - get this one if you’re running a startup structural engineering firm
Pro plus-This is a custom plan where you’re free to get all insurance products CoverWallet sells to customers
Best for: Structural engineer insurance online quotes comparison
Average cost: $30 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Responsive customer service
Compare quotes over the phone
A partner of many reputable insurance companies
You need to call to get a quote
Tivly doesn’t have a structural engineer insurance program. However, you might get covered through this company’s contractor’s insurance package that offers general liability, commercial property, builders risk, and other insurance policies. Call Tivly now to talk with a representative and compare quotes over the phone.
Best for: Comparing insurance quotes over the phone
Average cost: $35 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Automatic policy renewal
14-day money-back guarantee
Upgrades can be included in your policies
Worldwide coverage
Doesn’t offer commercial property insurance as a stand-alone coverage
Hiscox doesn’t offer a structural engineer insurance package. Just like NEXT, it grants coverage through its engineer insurance plan, which offers general liability, professional liability, cyber liability, and business owner’s policies.
Hiscox’s general liability insurance has a $300,000-$2 million per occurrence limit. You can choose to include upgrades such as tools and equipment coverage, waiver of subrogation, and hired/non-owned auto liability coverage.
This company’s professional liability insurance, on the other hand, offers $250,000-$1 million per occurrence limit. Upgrades are also available.
As Hiscox’s business owner’s policy, this offers a general liability coverage with a $300,000-$2 million per occurrence limit and a commercial property insurance with a $25,000 minimum coverage for the building and its contents.
Best for: Insurance for structural engineers that renews automatically
Average cost: $41.56 per month
Our rating: 9/10
You can quickly get quotes online
Insightful and helpful customer support
Specializes in engineering firms
Doesn’t issue an online quote
Hall and Company specializes in professional liability insurance for structural engineering and other engineering fields. The company also provides other types of insurance coverage. The company provides insurance quotes from multiple companies so that you have plenty of coverage comparisons at your disposal.
Hall and Company excels in providing clients with meaningful input, responsive service, and thoughtful options, helping you develop customized covers that provide your structural engineering company with adequate coverage.
Best for: Structural engineer professional indemnity insurance
Average cost: $70 per month
Our rating: 8/10
Use anyone except Employers. Period. They are non-transparent and shameful. After I complained long enough to warrant a call from a supervisor, the supervisor called back from a PRIVATE NUMBER (no caller ID), left a message that they are not reversing their decision (without any communication with me), and failed to leave a phone number for me to call back. She was hiding! They also fact find via email and phone calls, which is terrific for speed and communication. However, after setting a precedence of email or phone calls, they send time sensitive information via email, without any heads up... they are hoping you miss it and forfeit via expiration. Evil policies. Go elsewhere.
This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
Not all those who wander are lost.
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