15+ Commercial Carriers
We place business insurance across Travelers, Nationwide, The Hartford, Chubb, Liberty Mutual, CNA, Zurich, and specialty markets. The right carrier for your class is not always obvious - that's what our shopping is for.
Commercial Insurance for SD Businesses Since 1987
Business & Commercial Insurance for San Diego - Every Line, Every Industry
Kennedy Insurance places the full commercial insurance stack for San Diego businesses - BOP, General Liability, Commercial Property, Professional Liability (E&O), Cyber, EPLI, Commercial Auto, and Umbrella. Shopped across 15+ carriers with appetite for every California business class. Same-day Certificate of Insurance for lease and vendor requirements.
15+
Commercial Carriers
9
Core Coverage Lines
Same-day
COI Issuance
37+
Years Serving SD Business
Why Kennedy
Why San Diego Businesses Trust Us for Commercial Insurance
Commercial insurance isn't one policy - it's a stack. Get the stack wrong and you'll either overpay for overlapping coverage or find out the hard way that a critical exposure is uninsured. We've built the right stack for San Diego businesses for 37 years.
Right-Stack Approach
Most San Diego small businesses need 3-5 coverage lines. We build the stack - not one-size-fits-all. If you don't need EPLI, we won't push it. If you do need cyber, we'll tell you exactly why.
Same-Day COI Service
San Diego commercial landlords, municipal contracts, and enterprise vendors all require COIs before moving forward. We turn around most requests within 1-4 hours with exact additional-insured language.
Package & Account Pricing
Placing GL, Property, Auto, and Workers Comp with one carrier often unlocks account credits that individually-purchased policies can't. We package strategically where it saves you money.
Dedicated Commercial Manager
Every San Diego business client is assigned one commercial account manager who knows your operation, your renewal dates, your COI library, and your vendor requirements.
37 Years of Local Relationships
Underwriter relationships built over nearly four decades in San Diego get borderline business risks placed where other brokers get declined.
Coverage Lines
The Full Business & Commercial Insurance Stack
Nine coverage lines most San Diego businesses should at least evaluate. "Core" lines are needed by nearly every business; others are industry-dependent or scale with size.
Business Owners Policy (BOP) Core
Bundles General Liability plus Commercial Property. The easiest, cheapest way for most small San Diego businesses to cover their two biggest exposures.
General Liability (GL) Core
Third-party bodily injury and property damage. Foundation for every San Diego commercial account. Typical limit: $1M/$2M.
Commercial Property
Buildings, contents, equipment, inventory, and business income. Critical for brick-and-mortar San Diego businesses and those with significant inventory or specialized equipment.
Professional Liability (E&O)
Errors and omissions for consultants, agencies, attorneys, accountants, designers, and technology firms. Covers claims of negligent advice or professional mistakes.
Cyber Liability
Data breach response, ransomware, business interruption, social engineering, and regulatory fines. Excluded from standard BOP - must be scheduled separately.
Employment Practices Liability (EPLI)
Wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation. California's employee-friendly law makes this worth considering the moment you hire.
Commercial Auto
Owned vehicles, hired/non-owned auto, commercial fleets. Personal auto does not cover business use.
Commercial Umbrella
Excess liability above GL, auto, and employer's liability. Often required by large San Diego contracts or municipal agreements.
Directors & Officers (D&O)
Personal-liability protection for officers of San Diego private companies, startups, and nonprofits. Increasingly requested by investors and board members.
Industries We Serve
San Diego Industries We Place Commercial Insurance For
Our commercial insurance book is intentionally broad. Below are the San Diego industry verticals where our team has the deepest carrier relationships and fastest turnaround.
Retail & Storefront
Specialty retail, boutiques, galleries, storefront service. BOP with commercial property sized to inventory.
Restaurants & Bars
Full-service, fast-casual, bars, food trucks. Liquor liability, assault and battery, and equipment breakdown.
Tech & Startups
Pre-revenue to Series C. Tech E&O, cyber liability, D&O for founders, and standard BOP for office space.
Professional Services
Law firms, accounting practices, consultancies. Professional liability is the primary need; cyber for client-data protection.
Healthcare & Medical
Physician offices, dental, chiropractic, home health. Medical malpractice, HIPAA-related cyber, workers comp codes 8833/8835.
Wholesale & Distribution
Warehouse, distribution, e-commerce fulfillment. Property sized to inventory, GL, commercial auto, and cargo.
Manufacturing
Product liability, commercial property, business income, and machinery breakdown. Specialty carriers preferred.
Nonprofits
San Diego 501(c)(3)s - D&O for board members, EPLI, GL, social services professional liability, abuse & molestation.
Salons & Personal Care
Hair, nail, spa, massage, fitness. Professional liability for service-based businesses plus BOP for the shop.
Schools & Childcare
Preschools, daycare, tutoring, after-school programs. Abuse & molestation endorsement is non-negotiable.
Contractors & Trades
GL, workers comp, commercial auto, tools coverage, CSLB and surety bonds. Every California contractor class code.
Other / Not Listed
Whatever your industry, we have a carrier and a stack. Call 619-797-1440 - most San Diego business classes we've already written.
Quote Process
How to Quote Your San Diego Business & Commercial Insurance
Most commercial quotes wrap within 2-3 business days. Complex accounts with multiple lines may take a week.
Business Profile
Industry, revenue, payroll, employees, locations, vehicles, current coverage.
Risk Assessment
Identify needed coverage lines for your specific San Diego operation.
Multi-Carrier Quote
Travelers, Nationwide, Hartford, Chubb, Liberty, CNA, and specialty markets.
Review Packages
Side by side - coverage, limits, endorsements, premium, industry credits.
Bind & COI
Same-day binding. First Certificate of Insurance issued immediately.
FAQ
Business & Commercial Insurance FAQ
Answers to the most common commercial insurance questions from San Diego business owners.
Minimum: General Liability or a Business Owners Policy (BOP), Workers Comp if you have employees, and Commercial Auto if the business owns vehicles. Depending on business type: Professional Liability (E&O), Cyber, EPLI, Umbrella, and industry-specific endorsements.
BOP bundles GL and Commercial Property into one policy, usually at lower total premium. Designed for small-to-mid low-to-moderate-hazard businesses. Once you grow or get higher-risk, separate policies on a commercial package often fit better.
Increasingly yes - especially if you process credit cards, store PII, run e-commerce, use cloud tools, or have employees clicking email. Standard GL/BOP excludes cyber. Most San Diego cyber policies start at $1M limit for $1,500-$3,000/year.
Employment Practices Liability covers wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation. Worth considering the moment you have employees in California - DFEH and PAGA claims can cost $100K+ in defense alone.
Varies by industry, revenue, payroll, and claims. Office-based professional service: $500-$1,500/year for a BOP. Restaurant or contractor: $3,000-$10,000+. Mid-market with auto/WC/multiple lines: $20K+. Have us shop it - bundled pricing beats piecemeal.
Yes. Pre-revenue startups through 100+ employee mid-market. Startup focus: lean coverage that passes landlord/vendor requirements. Established: optimize across BOP, specialty lines, umbrella, workers comp.
Yes. Most COI requests with specific AI and waiver-of-subrogation language turn around within 1-4 hours. Recurring COIs can be automated for ongoing client or vendor relationships.
Retail, restaurants, professional services, office-based firms, manufacturers, wholesalers, healthcare, nonprofits, and contractors of every trade. Our carrier network covers nearly every legitimate California business class.
Business Reviews
What San Diego Businesses Say
Reviews from San Diego commercial clients across retail, professional services, and healthcare.
Opened our second location in Hillcrest and needed a COI by Friday for the lease. Kennedy had it to our landlord by Tuesday afternoon with every AI requirement nailed.
Priya S.
Specialty Retailer · Hillcrest
Our startup got hit with a cyber claim in month 9. We had the coverage because Kennedy insisted. Breach response paid for itself 50x over.
James W.
SaaS Founder · Sorrento Valley
Switched our law firm's commercial package from a direct carrier to Kennedy. Better professional liability, same cost, and they actually answer the phone.
Bill F.
Attorney · 13+ Years as Client
Nonprofit with a 10-person board, 4 employees. Kennedy built us D&O, EPLI, GL, and abuse & molestation in one package at half the premium we'd been quoted elsewhere.
Dara R.
Nonprofit ED · San Diego
Commercial Carriers
15+ Commercial Carriers Shopped
The business and commercial insurance carriers we place through for San Diego companies.
Travelers
Nationwide
The Hartford
Chubb
Liberty Mutual
CNA
Zurich
Employers
Mercury Commercial
Nationwide Agribusiness
Philadelphia
CNA / Hiscox (Cyber)
Specialty E&S Markets
Talk to Commercial Desk
Get Your San Diego Business & Commercial Insurance Quote
Call, email, or chat. Send us your current commercial declarations pages or a quick operations overview - we'll stack-match the right coverages and return competing quotes within 2-3 business days. Same-day COI when you need to move fast.