Business Insurance in Nevada
In Nevada, you cannot get a city or county business license without signing a workers comp affidavit. Here is what Nevada law requires, what your lease and contracts require, and what changes for contractors licensed by the State Contractors Board.
Business Insurance › Nevada
Most business owners buy insurance when a lease or contract demands a certificate, then find the gaps when a claim lands. Start instead with what Nevada requires, add what your deals require, then cover what could actually put you out of business.
Grit is licensed in Nevada and writes commercial insurance for Nevada businesses from our Salt Lake City headquarters.
Written and reviewed by the Grit Insurance Group team · Last reviewed October 12, 2026
Grit is an independent brokerage licensed in Nevada. We place commercial insurance and surety bonds for Nevada businesses from our headquarters in Salt Lake City.
What Insurance Does a Business Need in Nevada?
Required by Nevada law: workers compensation from your first employee, and auto liability on every vehicle registered in Nevada. Required by your deals: general liability, property, and often an umbrella. Required for contractors: workers comp proof and a license bond for the State Contractors Board.
| Coverage | Required by Nevada law? | Who usually requires it anyway |
|---|---|---|
| Workers compensation | Yes, from the first employee (NRS 616B.633) | Every county and city business license, the Contractors Board, and general contractors checking subs |
| Commercial auto | Yes, at least 25/50/20 on vehicles registered in Nevada (NRS 485.185) | Lenders and contracts, usually at far higher limits |
| General liability | No statewide requirement, and no Contractors Board minimum | Landlords, general contractors and project owners |
| Commercial property | No | Lenders and landlords |
| Umbrella / excess | No | Contracts above $1,000,000 |
The auto minimum is $25,000 for bodily injury to one person in any one crash, $50,000 for two or more people, and $20,000 for property damage. It applies to business vehicles the same as personal ones. Most commercial contracts require far more.
The Business License Workers Comp Affidavit
This is the Nevada rule most owners meet first. Under NRS 244.33505 (counties) and NRS 268.0955 (cities), a business license may not be issued unless the applicant signs an affidavit that the business:
- has workers comp coverage from a private carrier,
- holds a valid certificate of self-insurance,
- is a member of an association of self-insured employers, or
- is not subject to Nevada's workers comp law.
Clark County's business license application asks it directly: "Have you complied with the provisions of NRS 244.33505 Industrial Insurance?" If you have employees, answer that question with a policy in force. Our Nevada workers comp page covers who counts.
Is General Liability Insurance Required in Nevada?
Not statewide. Nevada does not require most businesses to carry general liability, and the State Contractors Board does not set a GL minimum to license a contractor. Your deals require it instead. Landlords, lenders, general contractors and project owners write their own minimums into the paperwork, and $1,000,000 per occurrence is the usual starting point. For how the policy works, see our general liability insurance guide.
For contractors, the Nevada law that matters most for GL is the construction defect statute.
NRS 40.693: residential indemnity and the CGL-first rule
For residential construction contracts entered on or after February 24, 2015, a provision requiring a subcontractor to indemnify, defend or hold harmless the controlling party for a constructional defect caused by the controlling party's own negligence or intentional act is void and unenforceable. Indemnity limited to the sub's own scope of work, negligence or intentional acts is still enforceable.
The second half is the one that touches your policy. When a claim is covered by the sub's commercial general liability policy and the general contractor is named as an additional insured, the general contractor must pursue its defense fees and costs under that policy before it can pursue a claim against the sub. In plain English: your GL policy and its additional insured endorsement are the first stop, which is why the endorsement wording matters.
NRS 40.693 is a residential rule. On commercial work, have your attorney review the indemnity and additional insured language before you sign. We will tell you what your policy actually provides.
A 10-year statute of repose
Under NRS 11.202, an action for a deficiency, property damage, injury or death tied to an improvement to real property generally cannot be brought more than 10 years after substantial completion, with no limit for fraud. That is a long tail. Completed operations coverage, and keeping old policies and certificates on file, matter for a decade after the job closes.
Nevada Contractor Insurance and NSCB Requirements
The Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) licenses contractors statewide. Its insurance and bond rules are specific:
- Workers comp is a condition of every license. Before granting an original or renewal license, the Board requires proof of workers comp, a self-insurance certificate, or an affidavit that you are not subject to the law (NRS 624.256). The affidavit only works if all three are true: you have no employees, you are not and do not intend to be a subcontractor for a principal contractor, and you do not intend to bid a job for a principal contractor or sub.
- A lapse costs you the license. The Division of Industrial Relations must tell the Board within 10 days of learning your coverage lapsed (NRS 616B.630). The Board gives 30 days, then a summary suspension. A suspended contractor cannot bid new work and is added to the Labor Commissioner's list of contractors disqualified from bidding public works.
- No GL minimum. Nothing in NRS 624 or NAC 624 sets a general liability requirement for licensing. Your contracts will.
- A license bond set by the Board. The amount is fixed by the Board between $1,000 and $500,000, based on your financial and professional responsibility and the size of your operations (NRS 624.270(4)). There is no published table by classification. The Board tells you the amount after license approval.
The Residential Recovery Fund
Residential contractors pay a Recovery Fund assessment every two years, based on monetary limit (NRS 624.470):
| Monetary limit | Assessment per biennium |
|---|---|
| $1,000,000 or less | $200 |
| More than $1,000,000 but limited | $500 |
| Unlimited | $1,000 |
The fund pays homeowners up to $40,000 per claim, and claims against any single contractor are capped at $750,000 or 20 percent of the fund balance, whichever is less (NRS 624.510). The Board is subrogated to the homeowner's rights, including the right to collect from your bond. The fund comes after the bond, not instead of it.
Bond details are on our Nevada contractor license bond page. Looking for public work? Start with our guide to finding construction work in Nevada. Bonding for the first time or need more capacity? Take the Bond Scorecard. Coverage by trade is on our contractor insurance page, and our contractor insurance requirements guide covers what contracts ask for.
Business Insurance in Las Vegas, Reno and Across Nevada
We write Nevada businesses from Las Vegas and Henderson to Reno, Carson City and Elko. A few things hold everywhere:
- Every business license needs the comp affidavit. County or city, the rule is the same.
- Leases drive requirements. Commercial leases routinely require additional insured status for the landlord, waiver of subrogation and specific property limits. We read the lease before we quote.
- Residential construction has its own rules. NRS 40.693 shapes sub contracts on residential work statewide.
The Policies That Make Up a Nevada Business Program
General liability
Injury to other people and damage to their property caused by your business, including products and completed work.
Business owners policy
Packages GL, property and business income for smaller businesses that qualify.
Commercial property
Your building or improvements, inventory and equipment, plus business income while a loss shuts you down.
Workers compensation
Required from the first employee. Nevada has no state fund, so coverage comes from private carriers, self-insurance, or the Nevada Workers' Compensation Insurance Plan.
Commercial auto
Owned vehicles plus hired and non-owned auto for employees driving rentals or their own cars on company business.
Umbrella, professional liability, cyber and employment practices
Higher limits above your primary policies, plus the professional, data and employee-claim exposures a GL policy does not touch.
How Much Does Business Insurance Cost in Nevada?
Premiums are driven by your industry and class codes, revenue and payroll, claims history, location, property values and the limits your contracts require. Online averages tell you little. A complete application quoted with several carriers tells you what you will actually pay.
Before Your Next Renewal: A Nevada Checklist
- Payroll. From October 1, 2026, the payroll counted for workers comp premium on private employers rose from $36,000 per employee to $98,433.60 on new and renewal policies. If you pay people above $36,000, your reported payroll changes.
- Employees. Did you hire your first employee? Nevada requires comp from the first one, and your business license affidavit has to match.
- Vehicles. Every vehicle registered in Nevada needs liability coverage. Employees driving their own cars for work need hired and non-owned auto.
- Contracts. Pull the insurance section of your largest contracts and leases and compare the limits and endorsements to what you carry.
- Values. Building, equipment and inventory values set at startup are often far below today's replacement cost.
Send us your current policies. We will find the gaps before a claim does.
Why Nevada Businesses Work With an Independent Agency
A captive agent can quote one company. An independent agency quotes many, so when one carrier raises your rate or exits your class, the account moves instead of lapsing. For a contractor, a lapse is not just a gap in coverage. It is a suspended license. We came from the industries we insure, we read the contract before we quote, and we stay on the account after it binds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What insurance does a business need in Nevada?
Nevada law requires workers compensation as soon as you have one employee and auto liability of at least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash and $20,000 property damage on vehicles registered in Nevada. Leases, lenders and contracts usually add general liability, property coverage and an umbrella.
Is general liability insurance required in Nevada?
Not statewide, and the Nevada State Contractors Board does not set a general liability minimum for licensing. Landlords, lenders, general contractors and project owners require it by contract, so most businesses carry it.
Do I need workers comp to get a business license in Nevada?
Yes, in effect. Nevada counties and cities may not issue a business license unless the applicant signs an affidavit stating the business has workers comp from a private carrier, is self-insured, belongs to a self-insured association, or is not subject to the workers comp law (NRS 244.33505 and 268.0955).
Does the Nevada State Contractors Board require general liability insurance?
No general liability minimum appears in NRS 624 or NAC 624. The Board does require proof of workers compensation, or a qualifying no-employee affidavit, for every original and renewal license, plus a license bond set by the Board between $1,000 and $500,000.
Can Grit insure my Las Vegas business?
Yes. Grit is licensed in Nevada and writes business insurance for Las Vegas, Reno and businesses across the state from our Salt Lake City headquarters. Call (801) 505-5500 or apply online.
Get a Nevada Business Insurance Quote
Tell us what your business does, where in Nevada it operates and what your lease and contracts require. We will build the program and quote it with the carriers that fit.
Call the Grit team at (801) 505-5500 or start online.
