Tools & Equipment Insurance for California Plumbing Contractors
Press tools, sewer cameras, locators and jetters are the most stolen things in the trade, and neither your auto nor your liability policy covers them.
Reviewed October 23, 2026 · Written by a licensed producer · Not legal advice
- Blanket
Smaller hand and power tools covered as a group up to a per-item limit; no schedule needed. - Scheduled
Cameras, locators, jetters, press tools above the per-item limit, listed with serial numbers and values. - Anywhere
Inland marine follows the equipment: in the van, on the job, in the shop, in a rented yard.
Contractor's equipment coverage, written on an inland marine form, insures your tools and equipment against theft, vandalism, fire, collision damage in transit and similar perils wherever the equipment is. Smaller items are usually covered on a blanket basis up to a per-item limit; higher-value items (sewer cameras, locators, trailer-mounted jetters, press tool kits) are scheduled individually. It fills the gap left by your auto policy, which does not cover cargo, and your property policy, which covers the shop but not the van.
Why California plumbing contractors need it
A working plumbing van carries a lot of value: a press kit, a camera and locator, drain machines, a jetter on the trailer behind it, plus hand tools and inventory. Vans get broken into; trailers get stolen whole. When it happens, the auto policy pays for the van's window and nothing inside it, and the company stops producing until the tools are replaced, often with a credit card.
Equipment coverage is one of the least expensive lines a plumbing company buys relative to the loss it prevents, and it is also where the paperwork matters most: a claim is settled on the list you gave the carrier, so an accurate schedule is the difference between a check and an argument.
What it covers: common plumbing exposures
Theft from the van or jobsite
Break-ins, stolen trailers and jobsite theft, subject to the policy's conditions (some require visible signs of forced entry for theft from a vehicle).
Damage in transit
A camera reel crushed when a load shifts, a jetter damaged in a trailer accident.
Fire, vandalism, flood at the shop or yard
Where the equipment policy, rather than a building policy, is the one that lists the gear.
Rented and leased equipment
Optional coverage for equipment you rent for a job (excavators, trench boxes, pumps), which the rental agreement makes you responsible for.
Employee tools
Optional extension for tools employees bring to work, subject to a sublimit.
Installation floater
A related inland marine form that covers materials and fixtures you have bought for a job until they are installed and accepted.
What it does not cover
Common limitations on contractor policies. Every policy differs; the exclusions and endorsements on your own form control.
Mysterious disappearance
Tools that are simply missing, with no evidence of theft, are commonly excluded.
Wear, tear and breakdown
Maintenance, gradual deterioration and mechanical failure are not covered perils.
Unscheduled high-value items
An item worth more than the blanket per-item limit that was never scheduled is paid only up to that limit.
Vehicles and trailers themselves
Those belong on the commercial auto policy; the equipment on them belongs here.
Unattended vehicle theft without forced entry
A frequent condition: no coverage for theft from an unlocked or unforced vehicle.
California requirements
No California statute or CSLB licensing condition requires contractors to insure their tools and equipment. This coverage is entirely a business decision; the state's only interest in your equipment is through tax depreciation.
What general contractors and customers require
General contractors occasionally require subcontractors to carry coverage for equipment brought onto a site, and rental agreements routinely make you responsible for rented equipment (and may require proof of insurance or sell you a damage waiver). Otherwise, nobody requires this coverage; the reason to buy it is the loss, not the contract.
What drives the premium
We don't publish prices; premiums are set by each carrier's underwriting. These are the factors that move them.
- Total insured values: blanket limit plus the scheduled items.
- Per-item limits and deductible selected.
- Type of equipment: trailer-mounted jetters and cameras are theft targets and priced accordingly.
- Storage: locked yard, GPS trackers, vehicles garaged inside versus on the street.
- Territory and radius, including any out-of-state work.
- Theft and loss history.
- Valuation basis: replacement cost costs more than actual cash value and pays more at claim time.
What we need to quote
- An equipment list: description, make, model, serial number, year and current value for each item above the blanket limit
- Total value of smaller tools to be covered on a blanket basis
- Where vehicles and equipment are stored overnight and any security measures (locked yard, trackers, alarms)
- Whether you rent equipment and the typical rented values
- Current carrier and expiring premium, if any
- Loss history for theft and equipment claims
Claims examples
Hypothetical scenarios, not customer stories, chosen because they are the shapes claims usually take.
Trailer stolen overnight
A jetter trailer parked at an employee's home is gone in the morning. The trailer is an auto claim (comprehensive), the jetter a scheduled equipment claim, paid at the scheduled value less the deductible.
Van break-in
Press tools, a camera and hand tools taken through a forced side door. Blanket coverage pays the hand tools; the camera and press kit pay at scheduled values. A police report and the serial numbers settle it in days.
Frequently asked questions
How do I insure my tools and equipment?
With a contractor's equipment policy, usually written on an inland marine form, which covers your tools and equipment against theft and damage wherever they are: in the van, on the jobsite, in the shop or in storage. Neither your general liability nor your commercial auto policy covers the tools themselves.
The policy is built in two layers. Scheduled items are listed individually with a serial number and a stated value, and that is the normal approach for anything expensive: sewer cameras, locators, trailer-mounted jetters, press tools, threading machines, trench shoring. Blanket coverage insures the rest — hand tools, drain machines, cordless tools, small meters — under one total limit with a per-item cap, so you do not have to list every wrench. The blanket limit should reflect what is actually in all of your vans added together, not one van.
Read the conditions before you rely on them. Theft from an unattended vehicle usually requires the vehicle to have been locked and show evidence of forced entry; some forms limit overnight theft on the street. Check whether the policy pays replacement cost or actual cash value (replacement cost minus depreciation), what the deductible is, whether employee-owned tools are included, and whether rented or borrowed equipment is covered up to a stated limit.
Keep an inventory with serial numbers, photos and receipts, and update the schedule when you buy or sell a major item. At claim time the adjuster pays from the list, not from memory.
Does commercial auto insurance cover tools stolen from a work truck?
Generally no. A commercial auto policy insures the vehicle, not the contents. Comprehensive coverage, if you bought it, pays for theft of or damage to the van itself and, depending on the form and endorsements, equipment permanently installed in it. Loose property inside the van — press tools, cameras, locators, drain machines, hand tools, parts — is not covered by a standard business auto form, subject to the exact wording of the policy you hold.
Tools and equipment are insured under a separate contractor's equipment or inland marine policy. That coverage follows the tools wherever they are: in the van, at the jobsite, in the shop or at a rental yard. Smaller items are usually covered on a blanket basis up to a per-item limit; higher-value items such as a sewer camera or a trailer-mounted jetter are scheduled individually with a stated value.
Read the theft conditions before you need them. Many equipment forms require the vehicle to have been locked and show visible signs of forced entry before they pay for theft from an unattended vehicle, and some limit or exclude overnight theft from a vehicle parked on the street. Keep a current inventory with serial numbers and purchase records; the adjuster will ask for it, and without it a blanket limit is hard to collect in full.
Does trenching or underground work change my insurance?
Yes. Trenching, sewer lateral replacement, water service and gas line work below grade are underwriting questions on every general liability and workers' compensation application, and the answers can change which carriers will quote you, what they exclude and what they charge.
On the general liability side, underwriters ask what share of your receipts comes from underground work, how deep you dig, whether you use shoring or trench boxes, how you locate utilities before digging, and whether you use directional boring. Some policies restrict or exclude damage from collapse, from striking underground utilities or from excavation beyond a certain depth, and some carriers will not write a plumbing contractor whose underground share is above their appetite. Read the exclusions page, not just the declarations.
On the workers' compensation side, a trench collapse is one of the most serious injury exposures in the trade, and Cal/OSHA's excavation rules set requirements for protective systems, inspections and a competent person on site. The carrier's loss control contact may ask about your trench safety program, and a serious citation can affect renewal. Payroll for some underground operations may also raise classification questions, so describe the work accurately rather than letting an auditor reclassify it later.
Tell your producer before you take on more underground work than your application described, and ask in writing whether your current policies cover it. For the current Cal/OSHA excavation requirements, consult DIR directly rather than relying on a summary.
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Sources
This page is general information for California plumbing contractors, not legal advice and not a description of any specific policy. Whether a loss is covered depends on the policy's terms, exclusions, endorsements, limits, underwriting and applicable law. Where a requirement comes from a contract or a carrier rather than California law, the page says so. Insurance is offered through Pembroke Insurance Solutions, a licensed insurance agency; no coverage is bound until a carrier issues it.