Glossary

Completed operations

Liability coverage for injury or damage that occurs after a contractor or service provider finishes a job and leaves, arising out of the finished work.

Also called: completed operations hazard, completed ops, products-completed operations hazard, PCOH

Completed operations coverage answers claims that arise after your work is done: a deck you built collapses a year later, or wiring you installed starts a fire after you were paid. Under the ISO CGL (CG 00 01) these fall in the products-completed operations hazard, which is bodily injury or property damage occurring away from your premises and arising out of "your work" or "your product" after the work is finished.

The form deems work completed at the earliest of three points: when all the work called for in the contract is done; when all the work at the job site is done, if the contract covers more than one site; or when the part you did at a site has been put to its intended use. Until then, a claim sits under ongoing operations.

The pitfalls are timing and continuity. On an occurrence policy, coverage depends on the policy in force when the injury happens, not when the job ended. A contractor who drops general liability after retiring can face a claim with nothing behind it. Contracts also tend to require completed operations coverage for years after a project closes, often through an additional insured endorsement such as CG 20 37.

Completed operations has its own annual cap, the products-completed operations aggregate. The coverage is explained in products and completed operations coverage, and occurrence explains why the date of injury controls.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Products-completed operations aggregate The most a general liability policy pays per policy period for injury or damage in the products-completed operations hazard, apart from the general aggregate. Product liability A manufacturer's, distributor's or seller's legal responsibility for injury or damage caused by a defective or unreasonably dangerous product. Occurrence In liability insurance, the event that triggers coverage and determines which limit and deductible apply; the ISO CGL form defines it as an accident. Additional insured A person or business added by endorsement to someone else's liability policy so it can claim directly for suits tied to the policyholder's work or premises. General aggregate The most a general liability policy pays in one policy period for all claims other than products-completed operations, however many occurrences there are.

Related guides

Additional insured endorsements explained What CG 20 10, CG 20 37, CG 20 26 and CG 20 38 do, how the 04 13 wording limits additional insured coverage, and why a certificate is not the endorsement. AIA A201-2017 insurance requirements, provision by provision What AIA A201-2017 Article 11 and the A101 Exhibit A require of owner and contractor: liability, builder's risk, waivers, bonds and what to negotiate. CGL exclusions: what a general liability policy does not cover The ISO CGL lists 17 Coverage A exclusions plus a Coverage B list, and endorsements add more. What each removes and where the gap gets filled. ConsensusDocs 200 and 750 insurance requirements explained How ConsensusDocs 200 Article 10 and the 750 subcontract handle indemnity, CGL, builder's risk, waivers, additional insureds and bonds, versus AIA. Product liability insurance for makers, sellers and importers How product liability coverage works for makers, distributors, retailers and importers: what the CGL pays, what it excludes, and where vendors endorsements fit. Products and completed operations coverage What the products-completed operations hazard covers in a CGL policy, when work counts as completed, why it has its own aggregate, and how to keep it in force.

Related industries

Electrician insurance Electrician insurance: fire and completed-operations liability, workers' comp for shock and falls, solar and alarm exposures, and state license insurance rules. General contractor insurance What a general contractor needs: CGL with the right endorsements, workers' comp, umbrella, builders risk and bonds, and why subcontract terms drive price. 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. HVAC contractor insurance HVAC contractor insurance: liability for fire, carbon monoxide and water damage, refrigerant rules, workers' comp, tools, and state license insurance minimums. Manufacturer insurance What manufacturers need: products liability, recall, property with equipment breakdown, workers' comp for plant hazards, vendor's endorsements and contracts. Painting contractor insurance Insurance for painting contractors: GL and completed operations, workers' comp for ladder and height work, lead-paint pollution gaps, and contract requirements.

Related tools

Contract insurance requirements checker Enter what a contract, lease or subcontract requires and what your policies have, and get a gap list with the endorsements usually used to close each gap. Subcontractor insurance requirements builder Build the insurance exhibit for a subcontract: coverages, limits, additional insured, waiver and notice terms as numbered clauses you can copy or print.

Related en español

Cobertura de productos y operaciones terminadas Qué cubre el riesgo de productos y operaciones terminadas en la póliza CGL, cuándo un trabajo se da por terminado, su agregado propio y cómo mantenerla vigente. Endosos de asegurado adicional, explicados Qué hace cada endoso CG 20 10, CG 20 37, CG 20 26 y CG 20 38, cómo la edición 04 13 limita la cobertura y por qué el certificado no es el endoso.