Milwaukee Construction Insurance
for the contractors, crews & job sites that actually build this city.
From small remodelers running one truck out of Bay View, to multi-crew contractors covering Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine and Kenosha, Insurance Technology Group designs construction insurance programs that match real job sites — not just paperwork. GL, workers’ comp, commercial auto, tools, equipment, umbrella and more, built around how you actually work.
What “construction insurance” usually means in Milwaukee.
For most contractors we work with between Milwaukee and Waukesha, a healthy construction program includes:
- Commercial general liability (operations & completed work).
- Workers’ compensation for crews on-site and in transit.
- Commercial auto for trucks, vans, trailers and plow rigs.
- Contractor’s equipment for tools, small equipment and big iron.
- Umbrella/excess liability when job sizes and contracts get bigger.
- Optional pollution liability, professional liability and bonds depending on your work.
We start with those building blocks, then tune limits, deductibles and endorsements around your mix of job types — roofing in Shorewood, concrete in Franklin, tenant buildouts in the Third Ward, or municipal work along the I-94 and I-43 corridors.
Milwaukee construction isn’t generic — your insurance shouldn’t be either.
Milwaukee is a mix of lakefront neighborhoods, historic Cream City brick, older housing stock, new subdivisions and industrial corridors. The way you take risk as a contractor here doesn’t look anything like a generic “Wisconsin” textbook. We build around this metro, not a zip code list.
In a single week, one contractor might:
- Demo a small storefront on Kinnickinnic in Bay View,
- Pour a driveway in Franklin,
- Finish drywall in a Third Ward condo, and
- Plow a parking lot in Brookfield after an overnight storm.
Same business name on the truck, but four completely different risk profiles — pedestrians in tight city corridors, older utilities and unknown wiring, higher-end condos near the river, and heavy traffic around busy shopping centers.
When we say Milwaukee construction insurance, we mean a program that acknowledges:
- How many trucks and crews you’re running and where they actually go each day.
- Whether you self-perform most work or coordinate subs and specialty trades.
- Typical job size – $5,000 service calls vs $250,000 buildouts vs multi-million projects.
- How weather, old buildings, lake effect and traffic really show up in your work.
Construction businesses we see every week in and around Milwaukee.
“Construction insurance” is a big umbrella. On any given day ITG might be working with general contractors, small trades, multi-crew outfits and one- or two-person operations that fill in the gaps between large projects.
General contractors & remodelers
From single-kitchen remodelers in Wauwatosa to GCs overseeing multi-tenant buildouts downtown, general contractors carry the broadest exposure. One mistake from a sub, and the GC’s name is on the lawsuit.
- GL and completed ops for structural and cosmetic work.
- Workers’ comp for in-house crews and finish carpenters.
- Commercial auto for project managers running from job to job.
- Builders risk when they also control the project value.
Concrete, excavation & site work
Concrete and dirt work bring heavy equipment, moving vehicles, trenches and tight timelines. A wrong utility mark in Franklin or Oak Creek can turn into a six-figure problem.
- GL for property damage, collapsed structures and utility strikes.
- Workers’ comp for labor-heavy crews and operators.
- Inland marine / equipment coverage for skid steers, excavators and attachments.
- Pollution options for washout, dust and fuel spills.
Roofing, siding & exterior contractors
On a windy day along the lakefront, materials and tools can travel. Roofing and exterior contractors in Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, St. Francis and Bay View need protection for more than just the roof.
- GL for falling debris, overspray, and water intrusion claims.
- Workers’ comp for crews at height.
- Equipment coverage for lifts, scaffolding and safety systems.
- Umbrella limits when GCs or property managers mandate higher coverage.
Electrical, plumbing & HVAC trades
Service trucks in and out of tight driveways, older wiring and plumbing in Milwaukee’s older housing stock, and complex commercial systems in Waukesha and Brookfield – MEP trades touch everything.
- GL for fire, water damage and system failures.
- Workers’ comp for techs crawling attics, basements and rooftops.
- Commercial auto for vans and service trucks crisscrossing the metro daily.
- Professional liability where design–build is part of the job.
Drywall, painting & finish crews
These trades are often last in before move-in and carry a lot of “finished work” exposure in condos, apartments and office spaces throughout Milwaukee, Greenfield, and West Allis.
- GL for overspray, dust, and damage to finished surfaces.
- Workers’ comp for ladder and scaffold work.
- Tools coverage for sprayers, taping tools and finishing equipment.
- Umbrella where contracts demand added protection.
Masonry, tuckpointing & chimney work
Working on old brick in neighborhoods like Brewer’s Hill, Walker’s Point and the East Side means dealing with fragile structures and unknown prior repairs.
- GL for falling brick, debris and water intrusion.
- Workers’ comp for ladder and rooftop exposures.
- Equipment coverage for mixers, scaffolding and lifts.
- Optional pollution for chimney and flue-related work.
Paving, asphalt & parking lot contractors
Parking lots at churches, schools, strip malls and distribution centers in Brookfield, New Berlin and Oak Creek bring traffic, heavy equipment and hot materials into busy spaces.
- GL for damage to vehicles, structures and underground utilities.
- Workers’ comp for crews on hot surfaces and around traffic.
- Equipment coverage for pavers, rollers and skid steers.
- Auto coverage for dump trucks, trailers and support vehicles.
Road & infrastructure contractors
Working along I-94, I-43, county highways or city streets introduces traffic control, lane shifts and public safety into every decision.
- GL for work in and around moving traffic.
- Workers’ comp for flaggers, operators and laborers.
- Auto and fleet coverage for trucks and equipment haulers.
- Umbrella and excess limits often required on public work.
Demo, abatement & environmental contractors
When you’re tearing out old materials, cutting concrete or abating hazards, general liability isn’t the whole picture. Dust, debris and environmental exposures matter.
- GL for property damage during demo and tear-out.
- Workers’ comp for crews in higher-risk conditions.
- Pollution liability for dust, fibers, spills and improper disposal.
- Equipment coverage for demo tools, saws and excavators.
Snow & ice management contractors
A “construction” outfit in July may become a snow contractor in January, plowing lots in Brookfield, New Berlin, Waukesha and along the lakefront. One slip-and-fall can undo a season’s profit.
- GL with snow & ice wording aligned to your contracts.
- Commercial auto for plow trucks and salters.
- Umbrella limits for higher-traffic plazas and retail centers.
- Workers’ comp for crews on shoveling and sidewalk detail.
Small handyman, turn & punch-list crews
One truck, a couple of ladders, and a good reputation across neighborhoods like West Allis, South Milwaukee, Cudahy and Glendale still needs a smart insurance plan.
- GL tailored to the variety of work you say “yes” to.
- Commercial auto replacing personal policies that no longer fit.
- Tools coverage for the gear you can’t afford to lose.
- Workers’ comp when you add that first employee.
The backbone of a Milwaukee construction insurance program.
Most construction outfits in and around Milwaukee use the same core building blocks. The art — and where we spend our time — is in getting limits, exclusions and endorsements right for your mix of projects.
General liability (operations & completed work)
GL sits in the middle of every construction program. It responds when your work allegedly causes property damage or bodily injury — whether that’s a ladder bumping a neighbor’s Audi in Bay View, or a water leak from a buildout in the Third Ward that damages the store below.
- Bodily injury and property damage to others.
- Products and completed operations after you leave the site.
- Personal and advertising injury in certain circumstances.
- Defense costs when claims or lawsuits show up.
For Milwaukee contractors, we pay particular attention to additional insured wording, primary/non-contributory language, waiver of subrogation, and how GL coordinates with builders risk and any project-specific requirements.
Workers’ compensation
If you have employees on payroll in Wisconsin, workers’ comp isn’t optional. Roofers in Shorewood, concrete crews in Franklin and demo teams in West Allis are all doing physically demanding work with real injury potential.
- Medical care for employees injured on the job.
- Wage replacement when they’re unable to work.
- Certain rehabilitation and return-to-work benefits.
We help contractors move from “informal” arrangements into a clean, compliant structure where field crews, office staff and owners know how they’re covered — and where your experience mod can be managed on purpose, not by surprise.
Commercial auto & fleet coverage
Service vans, pickup trucks, flatbeds, dump trucks and plow rigs fill every on-ramp between Milwaukee and Waukesha at 6:15am. Those vehicles are a huge part of your construction risk.
- Liability for accidents where you or your employees are at fault.
- Physical damage coverage (comp & collision) for your vehicles.
- Hired and non-owned auto when you rent or your employees use personal vehicles for work.
- Towing, rental and roadside options that keep jobs moving.
We look at driver lists, vehicle schedules, garaging locations and how your trucks actually move through Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine and Kenosha over the course of a week.
Contractor’s equipment & tools (inland marine)
If you added up the value of every tool in the back of your trucks and trailers — plus the bigger iron parked on job sites — you’d likely be surprised at the total. Most contractors are.
- Scheduled coverage for big-ticket items like skid steers, lifts and excavators.
- Unscheduled coverage for smaller tools and equipment.
- Protection while equipment is on-site, in storage or in transit.
- Options for rented/leased equipment from local yards.
Theft from job sites in Milwaukee, break-ins at storage yards in West Allis or damage during loading in Waukesha all show up here. We try to make sure your tools and equipment aren’t an afterthought.
Umbrella & excess liability
As job sizes and contract demands grow, $1M / $2M GL limits may not be enough. GCs, developers and public entities often ask for higher limits and proof that you can stand behind your work.
- Additional layers of liability over GL, auto and employers’ liability.
- Helps you qualify for larger and higher-profile projects.
- Often required by contract for work at hospitals, schools and municipal buildings.
We help you decide when it makes sense to extend your limit stack — and how to do it in a way that balances cost, competitiveness and risk appetite.
Pollution, professional & other specialty coverages
Certain Milwaukee contractors need more than the standard four or five policies, especially when they touch design, environmental hazards or complex building systems.
- Contractors pollution liability for demo, abatement, concrete washout, spills and dust.
- Professional liability / E&O for design–build, consulting and engineering elements.
- Bonds – bid, performance and payment – when you chase municipal or public work.
- Cyber coverage for contractors running on cloud systems, accepting ACH and storing blueprints and contracts electronically.
If you’re moving from purely private work to city, county or state jobs, we’ll walk through how these pieces fit into your construction insurance program so you’re not caught off guard by bid specs and RFQs.
How construction insurance actually shows up in Milwaukee.
Names and details change, but these are the kinds of stories we hear every week. The goal is not to scare you — it’s to make sure your coverage matches what can really happen on site.
Roofing crew in Shorewood
A roofing crew is tearing off an old asphalt roof on a cold but windy day near the lake. A gust catches a bundle of shingles, sends it down two stories and onto a parked car. The neighbor is not amused.
Where coverage comes from: GL responds to the property damage claim, and the contractor’s umbrella might become important if the vehicle is high-value or multiple cars are involved. Workers’ comp would respond if a crew member is injured in the same event.
Concrete crew in Franklin
A concrete crew is pouring a new driveway and walk for a homeowner on a sloped lot. While backing a truck down the driveway, a helper misjudges distance and pushes the drum into the corner of the garage.
Where coverage comes from: Commercial auto coverage addresses the accident, and GL may also be involved depending on how the policy is structured. Contractors equipment coverage can help if tools are damaged in the process.
Tenant finish in the Third Ward
A small GC is finishing out a restaurant space in the Third Ward. A plumbing connection fails overnight, sending water down into the retail space below. By morning, flooring, inventory and equipment have been damaged.
Where coverage comes from: GL and completed operations come into play for the property damage, while the GC’s coverage is reviewed alongside the plumber’s and potentially the landlord’s policies. Strong contract language and additional insured endorsements suddenly matter a lot.
Snow contractor in Brookfield
A snow and ice contractor is responsible for a busy plaza off Bluemound. After a fast-moving storm, crews clear the lot but ice remains near a walkway. A customer slips, falls and suffers a serious injury.
Where coverage comes from: GL with carefully structured snow & ice wording becomes critical. Umbrella limits may be drawn upon if the injury leads to a large settlement. Auto coverage responds if there’s also a plow-related accident in the same event.
Multi-truck electrician based in Waukesha
A small electrical contractor with five service vans runs work in Waukesha, Milwaukee, Greenfield and West Allis. In one week, there are two minor fender-benders and one significant at-fault accident at an intersection in Milwaukee.
Where coverage comes from: Commercial auto handles the sequence of claims, but this is also where driver selection, MVR reviews and how your fleet is structured start to affect long-term pricing. We look at that proactively so one bad month doesn’t define your whole program.
Demo crew in Menomonee Valley
A demo contractor is tearing out old interior buildouts in a former industrial building. Dust control and debris management are imperfect, and a neighboring occupant complains of dust and odors affecting their space.
Where coverage comes from: GL might respond depending on policy language, but this is exactly where a contractors pollution liability policy shines. Having a pollution policy in place before the job begins dramatically changes the conversation.
A construction insurance process built for busy Milwaukee contractors.
You don’t want to become an insurance expert. You want to build. Our process is designed so you can keep running jobs while we build a coverage stack that makes sense — and evolves as your company grows.
Not just your NAICS code. We ask about the projects you’re most proud of, the jobs that make you nervous, how many trucks you’re running, where your crews actually go, and what your best customers expect from you.
We look at your GL, workers’ comp, auto, equipment, umbrella and any specialty risks like pollution or professional. Then we build a picture of where you’re strong, where you’re light, and where contracts may be asking for more than you currently have.
You’ll see one to three program options with clear limits, deductibles and carriers — not just a single premium number. We connect each option back to the projects, contracts and “what ifs” we discussed in Step 1.
Once you’re comfortable with a plan, we bind coverage, issue certificates, coordinate with GCs and lenders, and adjust as your business changes — new trucks, additional crews, bigger jobs or new service areas across Wisconsin and Illinois.
Milwaukee construction insurance FAQs.
The best conversations often start with simple questions. Here are a few we hear regularly from contractors in and around Milwaukee.
Ready to talk about your construction business in Milwaukee?
Whether you run one truck or a whole fleet, whether you’re focused on Bay View remodels or multi-crew operations across Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine and Kenosha, we’d love to see how you’re building — and help design a construction insurance program that matches your reality.
Bring us your current policies, a few of your typical contracts, and a clear picture of the jobs you want more of. We’ll bring the questions, the markets and a bias toward straight answers.