Glossary

Care, custody and control

A liability policy exclusion for damage to other people's property that the insured has in its possession or charge, such as a customer's car or goods.

Also called: CCC, care custody or control exclusion, care custody control

"Care, custody or control" is the wording of exclusion j(4) in the ISO commercial general liability form, CG 00 01. It removes coverage for property damage to personal property in the insured's care, custody or control. The logic is that the CGL insures you against liability to third parties, not for the property you have been entrusted with, which belongs under property or bailee coverage.

Neighboring exclusions in the same paragraph cover property you own, rent or occupy, property loaned to you, the part of real property you are working on, and the part of any property that must be repaired because your work was faulty. Together they leave a lot of everyday exposure uninsured under the CGL: a tailor who ruins a customer's suit, a mover who drops a client's piano, a body shop whose fire destroys the customers' cars inside.

The phrase is not defined in the form, and courts usually look at who had actual possession or the power to control the property when the damage happened. Expect disputes where two parties share a site. Fixes depend on the business: garagekeepers coverage coverage for vehicles, a bailee's customers form for goods, an inland marine floater for property in transit or at a customer's site. The guide on the Care, custody and control: why the CGL won't pay for property you hold shows how to find the gap in your own program, and bailee explains the legal relationship behind it.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Bailee A person or business holding someone else's property temporarily, such as a repair shop, dry cleaner or warehouse, with a duty to care for it and return it. Garagekeepers coverage Coverage for damage to customers' vehicles while they are in your care, such as at a repair shop, parking lot, car wash or valet stand. Inland marine Property coverage for goods in transit, movable equipment and certain specialty property, written outside the standard building and contents forms. Exclusion A policy provision that removes coverage for specified perils, property, people or types of loss that the insuring agreement would otherwise include. Property damage In liability policies, physical injury to tangible property including its loss of use, or loss of use of tangible property that was not physically injured.

Related guides

Bailee coverage: insuring customers' property in your care Bailee's customers coverage pays for customers' property held for service or repair. Legal liability vs direct forms, the processing exclusion, valuation, gaps. Care, custody and control: why the CGL won't pay for property you hold The CGL excludes damage to property in your care, custody or control. Who gets caught, where courts disagree, and which policies fill the gap. Garage liability and garagekeepers coverage How garage liability and garagekeepers coverage protect repair shops, dealers, valets and parking operators, and where the CGL and auto policy fall short. Motor truck cargo insurance: how it works and where it stops Motor truck cargo insurance pays what a carrier owes a shipper for lost or damaged freight. How Carmack liability, limits and exclusions work. Warehouse legal liability insurance: covering customers' stored goods Warehouse legal liability pays what an operator legally owes when customers' stored goods are lost or damaged. How contract caps, UCC rules and exclusions work.

Related industries

Auto dealer insurance What new and used car dealers need: garage liability, dealers open lot physical damage, garagekeepers, state dealer bonds, floorplan lender terms and cyber. Auto repair shop insurance What repair shops and body shops need: garage liability, garagekeepers for customers' cars, property, pollution, workers' comp and tools. Cleaning business insurance Janitorial, office and residential cleaning insurance: the care, custody and control gap, comp class codes, janitorial bonds, and what building owners require. Handyman insurance Handyman insurance depends on staying inside the policy's job-size and trade limits. See the coverages, license thresholds, lead-paint rules and cost factors. Jewelry store insurance Why jewelers use a jewelers block instead of a standard property form, and how theft, customers' goods, shipping and security warranties work. Moving company insurance What movers need: cargo and valuation liability under 49 CFR 375, auto liability, general liability, workers' comp and bailee cover, plus state mover rules.