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Insurance for heavy civil and underground contractors — where one utility strike can be the whole year.

Excavation, grading, sewer, waterworks, utility and transmission work carry exposures a basic GL policy often excludes: underground damage, pollution, heavy equipment and public-agency contract requirements. We read your program for exactly those gaps.

What we check for you

  • Explosion, collapse & underground (XCU) exclusions on your GL
  • Pollution coverage for excavation, fuel and contaminated soil
  • Equipment schedule values — owned, leased and rented
  • Heavy-truck and trailer auto classifications
  • Public-agency and railroad insurance requirements
Who this is for

General engineering and heavy-civil licenses.

Earthwork and grading, underground utilities, sewer and storm drain, waterworks, paving, drilling, foundations and electrical transmission contractors working for cities, ADOT, utilities, developers and GCs.

AGeneral EngineeringKADual EngineeringA-4DrillingA-5Excavating, Grading & Oil SurfacingA-7Piers & FoundationsA-12Sewers, Drains & Pipe LayingA-14Asphalt PavingA-15Seal CoatingA-16WaterworksA-17Electrical & Transmission LinesCR-2Excavating, Grading & Oil Surfacing (dual)

Classification names are summarized. DANESURE is not affiliated with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors — confirm your license on roc.az.gov. Hold a license not listed here? See every trade we work with or just send us your policies.

Contract requirements you’ll see

Public-works and utility contracts ask for more.

Municipal, ADOT and utility contracts often add requirements on top of the usual GC list:

  • Higher GL and umbrella limits than private work
  • No XCU (explosion, collapse, underground) exclusion on the GL
  • Contractors pollution liability, sometimes with the owner as additional insured
  • Additional insured, primary & non-contributory and waiver of subrogation
  • Railroad protective liability for work near rail right-of-way
  • Performance and payment bonds on public projects

Send us the insurance page of your contract

Before you sign, forward the insurance requirements (usually an exhibit or a paragraph titled “Insurance”). We’ll tell you what your current policies already meet, what needs an endorsement, and what it would cost to close the gap — before the GC’s risk manager rejects your certificate.

Coverage

Coverage for dirt, pipe and heavy iron.

Every line priced at minimum, standard and higher limits — with your contract requirements as the floor, not an afterthought.

Liability

General liability without surprise exclusions

We check for XCU, subsidence and underground-utility exclusions before a strike, not after.

Pollution

Contractors pollution liability

Fuel spills, contaminated soil, silica and dust. Typically excluded from GL and often required by public owners.

Equipment

Contractors equipment

Excavators, loaders, trenchers and attachments — owned, leased or rented — including rental reimbursement.

Auto

Commercial auto

Dump trucks, lowboys, water trucks and service vehicles, rated on the right radius and use.

Workers’ comp

Workers’ compensation

Operator, laborer and driver payroll in the correct classes, with your experience mod checked line by line.

Excess

Umbrella / excess

The limits public owners and large GCs require, following form over the endorsements they ask for.

Bonds

License, bid & performance bonds

License and contract bonds: tell us what you need (ROC license bond, bid, performance or payment bond) and we’ll check whether we can place it through our network. We can’t promise every bond, but we’ll give you a straight answer.

Typical risks

Where heavy-civil contractors get hurt.

  • A utility strike denied under an underground exclusion nobody noticed
  • Pollution from a fuel release or disturbed soil with no pollution policy in place
  • Equipment scheduled at old values, or rented equipment left off the policy
  • Auto premiums rated on the wrong radius or vehicle class
  • An umbrella that doesn’t sit over pollution or auto the way the contract assumes
How it works

Honest timing, start to finish.

  1. Send us what you haveUpload your dec pages or policies (GL, workers’ comp, auto, equipment, umbrella) or email them to [email protected]. Add your EMR worksheet and a sample contract’s insurance section if you have them.
  2. Written Cost & Risk report within 24 hours of receiving your documentsWe read every line: class codes, experience mod, limits against your contract requirements, endorsements, exclusions and gaps. This is the review — not carrier quotes.
  3. A 15-minute callWe walk you through what we found, in plain English. If nothing needs fixing, we tell you that — you keep the report either way.
  4. If you want options, we shop itWe market your account to multiple carriers in our network. Carrier quotes typically take 1–2 business days once underwriters have what they need (payroll by class, loss runs, vehicle and equipment lists).
FAQ

Heavy civil and underground insurance questions.

What is an XCU exclusion?
XCU stands for explosion, collapse and underground property damage. Some GL policies exclude one or more of these — exactly the exposures an excavation or utility contractor has. We check your policy form and endorsements for them.
Does my GL cover a pollution release on a job?
Usually not. Most GL policies carry a broad pollution exclusion. Contractors pollution liability is a separate policy and is commonly required on public and utility work.
Is rented equipment covered by my equipment policy?
Only if the policy includes leased or rented equipment, at a limit high enough for what you actually rent. Rental companies will charge you or your insurer for damage either way.
Can you help with bonds for public work?
We can take the bond inquiry and check what our network can place. Bonds are underwritten on financials and experience, so there are no promises — but you’ll get a straight answer.
Free coverage review

Send us your policies. Get a straight answer in 24 hours.

A written Cost & Risk report within 24 hours of receiving your documents, then a 15-minute call. No cost, no obligation, no pressure to switch.

No policy yet? New ROC license — get covered to start work  ·  Or call (623) 323-8385

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