Glossary

Primary and noncontributory

Wording that makes your liability policy respond first to a party you named as an additional insured, without drawing on that party's own insurance.

Also called: P&NC, primary non-contributory, primary and non-contributory endorsement, CG 20 01

Primary and noncontributory wording settles which policy pays first. Left alone, the other insurance condition of the ISO commercial general liability form can have your policy share a loss with the additional insured's own coverage. Owners, general contractors and landlords do not want their own insurer involved, so contracts require that the subcontractor's or tenant's policy pay first and not ask for help.

ISO's CG 20 01, Primary and Noncontributory, Other Insurance Condition, delivers this. It makes your policy primary to, and unwilling to seek contribution from, other insurance available to the additional insured, but only if the additional insured is a named insured on that other policy and you agreed in a written contract that your insurance would be primary and noncontributory.

Say a drywall subcontractor must give the general contractor primary and noncontributory status. A worker is injured, and the general contractor is sued. The subcontractor's insurer pays first, and the general contractor's own CGL stays out until the subcontractor's limits are used up.

Three cautions. The endorsement does not add limits. It works only for parties the contract names. A certificate of insurance does not create it; the endorsement must be on the policy. The guide on primary and noncontributory wording in contracts covers contract language, and additional insured explains the status it builds on.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

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. Other insurance clause A policy condition that decides which policy pays first, or how insurers share the cost, when more than one policy covers the same loss. Waiver of subrogation An endorsement in which an insurer gives up its right to recover a paid claim from a named party, usually one the policyholder contracted with. Certificate of insurance A one-page summary issued by an agent or insurer showing what coverage a business carried on the date issued, which confers no rights on the holder. Insured contract A contract in which you assume another's tort liability, which the CGL covers despite its contractual liability exclusion if it fits a listed type.

Related guides

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. Certificates of insurance: what they prove and what they do not How to read an ACORD 25 certificate of insurance, what it cannot prove about additional insured status or cancellation, and how state laws limit certificates. Certificate tracking software and digital COIs What certificate tracking software does and cannot verify, what to look for in each tool category, and the state laws that limit what a certificate may say. Insurance requirements in commercial leases What a commercial lease typically makes a tenant buy, from liability limits and additional insured status to waivers, and how to negotiate them before signing. The endorsements small businesses most often need The endorsements contracts and coverage gaps most often call for, with ISO form numbers: additional insured, waiver, primary, ordinance or law and more. 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.

Related insurers

Thimble Online agency owned by Arch selling general liability by the hour, month or year. Policies are issued by Markel Insurance Co. and National Specialty.

Related industries

E-commerce business insurance Product liability, marketplace insurance requirements, stock at fulfillment centers, cyber and shipping losses for online sellers.

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

Certificados de seguro: qué prueban y qué no Cómo leer un certificado de seguro ACORD 25, lo que no prueba sobre asegurado adicional o cancelación, y cómo las leyes estatales limitan los certificados.