Low-voltage insurance carriers and minimum coverage
Compare the carriers and programs that write security, alarm, cabling and AV contractors, then pick the minimum limits that clear the subcontract requirements you will actually see.
Most companies that hire low-voltage subs want the same thing first: a COI showing $1M per occurrence general liability and $1M auto. (S10, S11, S17, S18) Alarm, camera and access control work adds a second exposure, a claim that the system failed to detect or transmit. That is why the programs below pair general liability with errors and omissions (E&O). (S4, S5) For each company's own requirements, see Companies that use low-voltage subcontractors.
Quick comparison
| Carrier or program | Type | Lines written | Fits | How to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hartford | National carrier | GL, professional, umbrella/excess, WC, auto, inland marine, cyber | Not published | Agent/broker or carrier |
| Security America (ESA) | Trade-association program | GL, E&O, cyber, umbrella, HNOA, EL, WC, auto, inland marine, EPLI | Small to mid crews | Direct or with your broker |
| Alarm Protect (Ryan Specialty) | Program (wholesale) | GL, E&O, umbrella/excess, WC, auto, property | Installers and monitoring firms, new ventures OK | Retail agent |
| OnPoint Security Alarm Program | E&S (Lloyd's, non-admitted) | GL plus E&O, excess up to $5M | Small to mid security and LV contractors | Agent |
| AlarmPro (NIP Group) | Program | Property, GL, auto, WC, excess, inland marine, E&O, pollution, crime, cyber, EPLI | Larger firms ($25,000 package minimum); CA, MA, NJ, NY, PA only | Broker |
| NSCA x TrueNorth | Trade-association program | Tools/equipment, GL, E&O, auto, WC, cyber, benefits | 8 to 80+ employees | Through NSCA/TrueNorth |
| ERGO NEXT | Digital, admitted | GL (with limited contractor professional), WC, cyber add-on, umbrella up to $2M | Solo and small crews up to 20 employees | Online, direct |
Carriers and programs
The Hartford
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | The Hartford |
| Type | National carrier with a dedicated alarm contractor page (S1) |
| Lines written | General liability with a per-project aggregate, automatic additional insured for your work including completed operations, and waiver of subrogation when required in writing. Professional liability for alarm contracting errors. Umbrella/excess to a maximum of $10M. Workers' comp (pay-as-you-go option), commercial auto, inland marine and cyber. (S1) |
| Who it fits | Installers, monitoring stations and CCTV installers. Crew size not published. (S1) |
| How to buy | Through an agent/broker or The Hartford (S1) |
Security America (ESA)
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Security America, formed by the Electronic Security Association (ESA) |
| Type | Trade-association program; a Vermont risk purchasing group buying from licensed and surplus lines insurers (S3) |
| Lines written | Professional liability/E&O and GL to $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate; umbrella up to $5M over primary; cyber; hired and non-owned auto; employer's liability (select states); employee benefits liability; inland marine; WC through AmTrust; commercial auto for qualifying accounts; EPLI. (S2, S3) |
| Who it fits | Electronic security, life safety installation and monitoring businesses. ESA members save 20%. (S2, S3) |
| How to buy | Direct or working with your existing broker; contract review and fast COIs offered (S2, S3) |
Alarm Protect (Ryan Specialty)
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Alarm Protect, Ryan Specialty National Programs |
| Type | Specialty program with a top-tier carrier (S4) |
| Lines written | GL and professional liability, E&O, personal injury, lost key, care custody and control, excess/umbrella (in-house binding up to $5M), WC, commercial auto, property (S4) |
| Who it fits | Installation, monitoring, CCTV/access control, home theater and automation. New ventures quoted with an acceptable resume. Short-form application for firms under $2M revenue. (S4) |
| How to buy | Retail insurance agents submit to the program. Have ACORD forms, 5 years of loss runs and your customer contract with a liquidated damages clause. (S4) |
OnPoint Security Alarm Program
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | OnPoint Underwriting, Security Alarm Program |
| Type | E&S: Underwriters at Lloyd's, non-admitted (S5) |
| Lines written | GL combined with professional liability (E&O) at $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate; excess/umbrella up to an additional $5M (S5) |
| Who it fits | Small to mid-sized integrators, alarm and monitoring contractors, CCTV and access control techs, and low-voltage electrical contractors nationwide (S5) |
| How to buy | Through an agent; 48-hour quote turnaround (S5) |
AlarmPro (NIP Group)
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | AlarmPro by NIP Group |
| Type | Program with an A+ (A.M. Best) carrier (S6) |
| Lines written | Property, GL, commercial auto, WC, excess, inland marine, E&O, contractors' pollution, crime, cyber, EPLI (S6) |
| Who it fits | Security and fire alarm installers and service contractors; $25,000 minimum package premium; CA, MA, NJ, NY and PA only (S6) |
| How to buy | Through a broker (S6) |
NSCA x TrueNorth
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | TrueNorth Companies, an NSCA Business Accelerator |
| Type | Trade-association program (S7) |
| Lines written | Equipment and tool coverage, GL, professional liability for system design, commercial auto, WC, cyber, plus employee benefits (S7) |
| Who it fits | Integrators from 8 employees to 80+ (S7) |
| How to buy | Through NSCA's TrueNorth program (S7) |
ERGO NEXT
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | ERGO NEXT Insurance |
| Type | Digital, admitted (S8, S9) |
| Lines written | GL $500K to $2M per occurrence, $500K to $4M aggregate; contractor professional liability add-on up to $50K; cyber add-on up to $250K; umbrella/excess up to $2M; workers' comp; free COIs. Contractor GL not available in New York. (S8, S9) |
| Who it fits | Contractors up to $5M revenue and 20 employees. Security and alarm installation is not listed as a named class, so check the appetite for your trade. (S8, S9) |
| How to buy | Online quote, direct (S9) |
Minimum coverage recommendation
The limits below clear the most requirements listed in the subcontractor guide. The tier you pick should match the work you bid.
| Line | Solo 1099 | Small crew | Rollout and national sub |
|---|---|---|---|
| GL per occurrence / aggregate | $1M / $2M (S10, S11, S12, S17, S18) | $1M / $2M, per-project aggregate, $2M products/completed ops (S1, S13) | $2M / $2M or more (S14, S16) |
| Auto CSL | $1M including hired and non-owned (S10, S11, S18) | $1M owned, hired and non-owned (S13) | $2M, primary plus umbrella (S14) |
| Workers' comp / EL | Statutory, or your state's exemption or waiver (S10, S17, S18) | Statutory plus EL $1M (S13) | Statutory plus EL $1M (S13, S14) |
| Umbrella / excess | Optional | $2M (S15) | $5M (S14) |
| Professional / E&O | $1M if you program, design or do alarm work (S4, S5) | $1M, alarm and monitoring included (S3, S5) | Up to $10M combined professional/cyber for the largest integrators (S14) |
| Cyber | Optional | $1M (S7) | Combined with professional above (S14) |
| Inland marine (tools) | Tools you carry (S1) | Tools plus installation floater (S2) | Tools plus installation floater (S2, S6) |
- Solo: $1M/$2M GL and $1M auto clears Field Nation, Field Engineer, Cloudwork PRO, New Era and Global Axiom/SDS. (S10, S11, S12, S17, S18)
- Small crew: EL $1M clears both Johnson Controls ($500K) and Global Axiom/SDS ($500K) and meets ServiceChannel. (S13, S16, S18)
- Rollout: $2M GL, $2M auto, $5M umbrella and $10M professional/cyber is what Convergint asks for. (S14)
- Pavion triples its limits for work orders over $1M. (S15)
COI tips
- Match the W-9. The insured name on the COI must match the name on your W-9. (S18)
- Use the exact holder wording. Global Axiom/SDS wants all four entities as certificate holder and additional insured. New Era wants CW as certificate holder under GL. (S17, S18)
- Add additional insured. Pavion, Convergint and Johnson Controls require it. Ask for ongoing and completed operations. (S1, S14, S15, S16)
- Add waiver of subrogation. Convergint and Pavion require it. (S14, S15)
- Add primary and non-contributory. Convergint and Johnson Controls require it. (S14, S16)
- Show dates and policy numbers. New Era suspends you from jobs when insurance expires. ServiceChannel wants a new COI within 7 days of each renewal. (S13, S17)
- Handle WC exemptions on paper. If your state lets you opt out, send the state exemption form or a notarized waiver. (S10, S17, S18)
Sources
- The Hartford: Alarm Contractors Business Insurancewww.thehartford.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- ESA: Comprehensive Coverage for the Security Industry: What Security America Offers (Aug 27, 2026)esaweb.org · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- Security America: ESA insurance program brochureesaweb.org · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- Ryan Specialty: Alarm Protect programryanspecialty.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- OnPoint Underwriting: Security Alarm Program by OnPointcompletemarkets.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- NIP Group: AlarmPro, Security and Fire Alarm Service Insurancenipgroup.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- NSCA: Solutions Built for Integrators (TrueNorth)www.nsca.org · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- ERGO NEXT: General Liability Coverage Guideassets-prod.nextinsurance.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- ERGO NEXT: Small Business Contractors Insurancewww.nextinsurance.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- Field Nation: Work Order Legal Terms (Provider)app.fieldnation.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- Field Engineer: Insurancewww.fieldengineer.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- Cloudwork PRO: Technician FAQscloudworkpro.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- ServiceChannel Provider Standard Services Agreementservicechannel.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- Convergint: Terms and Conditions of Purchase (US/Canada/Europe) 03-02-2025 v1.1www.convergint.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- Pavion: Subcontracting Terms and Conditionspavion.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- Johnson Controls: Subcontract Terms and Conditions (US), effective 4/18/2025www.johnsoncontrols.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- New Era Technology vendor onboarding packet, 2024 (first-hand, received by LV Handbook)www.neweratech.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
- Global Axiom / SDS vendor onboarding packet, 2023 (first-hand)deliverables.formstack.com · pulled Oct 25, 2026
FAQs
Do I need E&O if I only pull cable?
Many cabling-only contracts ask for GL only. Once you program, design or touch alarms, programs like OnPoint and Alarm Protect pair E&O with GL. (S4, S5)
Can an umbrella count toward a higher GL requirement?
Often yes. New Era lets you combine primary and excess limits to reach its minimum. (S17)
What is hired and non-owned auto?
It covers liability when you or your techs drive rented or personal vehicles for work. ServiceChannel asks for owned, hired and non-owned. (S13)
Which program is built only for security dealers?
ESA's Security America program, which also writes cyber and inland marine. (S2, S3)
I'm a solo 1099 tech. What is the least I can carry?
$1M/$2M GL and $1M auto, plus workers' comp or your state's exemption. That clears most marketplaces. (S10, S11, S12)
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