Siding Contractor Insurance

Siding work stacks two serious risks: you're at height all day, and you're building the wall that keeps Washington's rain out. Get either wrong and the claims are big.

Start with the rain. Puget Sound gets 35 to 60 inches a year. Your siding, flashing, and house wrap are the shell that holds it back. One missed overlap or a badly flashed window lets water in behind the siding — where it rots framing, soaks insulation, and grows mold for years before anyone notices. Fixing it can mean stripping the whole exterior. Moisture lawsuits against siding contractors routinely run $50,000 to $200,000, and Washington's defect statute gives homeowners six years to bring them.

Height is the everyday danger. Siding crews climb all day — ladders on uneven ground, scaffolding in wind, surfaces wet half the year. A roofer works one plane. You reposition constantly, and every repositioning is a fresh chance to fall. WISHA fall-protection rules apply, and violations add fines to injuries.

Wind is the third act. If a panel you fastened rips off in a storm and hits a car — or a person — that's your completed operations coverage on the line. Coastal and foothill towns see real wind, and improperly nailed siding is a recurring claim source there.

And the routine stuff never stops: a nail through a window, a ladder through a gutter, scaffolding in the flowerbed. Small claims that quietly shape your premium.

Washington requires siding contractors to register with L&I, post a $15,000 specialty bond, and carry general liability. Disturb siding on a pre-1978 building and you need EPA lead certification too.

Fiber cement and wood cost more to insure than vinyl — the work demands more precision and mistakes cost more. We place siding crews with carriers that understand envelope risk and write completed operations built for a six-year, rain-country tail. That's the coverage that matters here.