Oregon Subcontractor Insurance Requirements: What GCs Must Require from Subs
Oregon is one of the few states that writes liability insurance and bond minimums into the contractor license itself. What those minimums are for each endorsement, what a GC should require above them, and how workers' comp and exempt status work.
The most common mistake: treating the CCB minimum as the requirement. A residential specialty sub needs only $300,000 per occurrence to keep its license — a figure that won't survive a serious claim on a commercial job.
Oregon's Construction Contractors Board requires every licensed contractor to carry general liability insurance and a bond at amounts set by its endorsement — from $100,000 per occurrence for a residential limited contractor up to $2 million aggregate for a Level 1 commercial general contractor. GCs typically require more: $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate general liability, $1M commercial auto, and an umbrella on larger jobs. Workers' compensation is required for any contractor with employees, through SAIF or a private carrier; a CCB license marked exempt means the sub has declared it has none.
In this guide
The CCB's minimums by endorsement
To hold an Oregon license, a contractor must keep a bond and general liability insurance at the amounts set for its endorsement. The CCB suspends licenses whose insurance or bond lapses.
| Endorsement | Liability insurance | Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Residential General Contractor | $500,000 per occurrence | $25,000 |
| Residential Specialty Contractor | $300,000 per occurrence | $20,000 |
| Residential Limited Contractor | $100,000 per occurrence | $15,000 |
| Commercial General Contractor — Level 1 | $2,000,000 aggregate | $80,000 |
| Commercial General Contractor — Level 2 | $1,000,000 aggregate | $25,000 |
| Commercial Specialty Contractor — Level 1 | $1,000,000 aggregate | $55,000 |
| Commercial Specialty Contractor — Level 2 | $500,000 per occurrence | $25,000 |
The bond protects owners and others with claims against the contractor through the CCB's dispute process; it is not coverage for the GC. For the licensing side, see the Oregon subcontractor license requirements.
What GCs should require
| Coverage | Typical GC requirement | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial General Liability | $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate | Bodily injury and property damage from the sub's operations and completed work |
| Workers' Compensation | Oregon statutory, if the sub has employees | Medical costs and lost wages for the sub's injured employees |
| Employer's Liability | $500K–$1M each accident / disease | Employee injury suits outside WC; part of the WC policy |
| Commercial Auto | $1M combined single limit | Vehicles used in the sub's operations |
| Umbrella / Excess | $1M–$5M, by project | Limits above GL, auto and employer's liability |
Workers' compensation and exempt status
Oregon requires workers' compensation for every employer with one or more employees. Coverage comes from SAIF, the state-chartered insurer, or from a private carrier, so an Oregon COI normally shows a WC carrier — SAIF is a normal entry, not an oddity.
The CCB records each contractor as exempt (no employees, no workers' comp needed — including some family-owned businesses) or nonexempt (has employees or leased workers, must carry workers' comp and report the carrier to the CCB).
Exempt means nobody else on site. If an exempt sub arrives with helpers, those workers have no coverage. A certificate with no WC line and an exempt license is consistent only if the owner is the only person working.
Additional insured and waiver of subrogation
- Additional insured status for your company (and the owner, where required) on the sub's GL and auto, on a primary and non-contributory basis, for ongoing and completed operations — see CG 20 10 vs CG 20 37.
- Waiver of subrogation in your favor on GL, auto and workers' comp.
The endorsements on the policy grant these, not a line in the Description of Operations box. Oregon also limits how far a sub can be made to indemnify a GC for the GC's own negligence, and additional insured requirements are read in that light — have your broker or counsel review the indemnity and insurance exhibit together.
Adjusting minimums by project type
| Project type | Suggested GL | Suggested umbrella |
|---|---|---|
| Residential remodel / small commercial | $1M / $2M | Often not required |
| Mid-size commercial ($1M–$10M) | $1M / $2M | $1M–$2M |
| Large commercial / industrial ($10M+) | $2M / $4M | $5M+ |
| High-hazard trades (demolition, roofing, structural) | $2M / $4M | $5M+ |
Collecting and tracking certificates of insurance
- Collect the COI before work begins and check it against your subcontract, not against the CCB minimum.
- Check the CCB license the same day: active status, the endorsement, and exempt or nonexempt.
- Track each policy's own expiration date.
- Re-check the license at the start of each new project.
How TrackMyVendor automates this
- Every certificate is read on upload — carrier, policy numbers, each coverage row’s limits and its own dates — and measured against the minimums you set, so a $300K limit shows as short of your $1M.
- BCD electrical and plumbing licences are re-checked every day, and a sub’s CCB licence is tracked by its expiration date, beside the certificate on the same sub.
- Per-deadline reminders at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days go to your team and to the sub, with the upload link in the sub’s copy. Starter and above
- The endorsement pages are read too — additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory. Pro
Collecting COIs from Oregon subs?
Everything above is a check you can run by hand. This is what it looks like when it runs itself.
On the free plan
- Your first 25 subs, no credit card
- Subs upload certificates, licences and W-9s through a one-time link — no account, no app
- Every certificate read automatically: coverage rows, limits and each policy’s own dates
- Contractor licences checked against the state board’s own records
- A Monday summary of everything expired or expiring
- Oregon BCD trade licences re-checked against the division’s records every day
Per-deadline alerts at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days, sent to your team and to the sub, start on Starter. Compare plans
Stop checking by hand
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Add your subs — or import the whole list from a spreadsheet on Starter — send each a one-time upload link, and the certificates, licences and W-9s arrive already read. No demo, no sales call, no implementation project.
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