Los Angeles Business Insurance

Los Angeles is the second largest metropolitan city in the US, which sits on a hilly coastal plain along the Pacific Ocean. The city extends north to the Santa Monica mountains and east to the San Gabriel mountains. The principal weather influence is warm, moist Pacific air, keeping temperatures mild throughout the year. 

Los Angeles summers are dry and sunny with an average of 329 days of sun per year. Los Angeles also deals with the impact of the Santa Ana winds, which bring hot, dusty winds of up to 50 miles per hour from the surrounding mountains, along with the occasional flash floods, which causes mudslides.

Los Angeles is also a center of global banking and trade, manufacturing, and tourism. It is the largest major manufacturing center in the US with the largest element being apparel, which produces 68,300 jobs. Businesses located within the city of Los Angeles, CA, do more than just provide necessary commodities and local services in the community; they also play a part in the health of the local economy. During troubled times, business insurance makes sure these businesses remain productive.

Constructing a comprehensive business insurance policy package can be perplexing. However, you are not alone. Local independent insurance agents in Los Angeles can help to explain your business's individual risks and recommend the applicable policies to cover against them. Contact a local independent insurance agent near you to get started today.

Why Do Businesses in Los Angeles, CA, Need Business Liability Insurance?

Designed to cover your business’s court costs, legal fees, and financial damages if sued, business liability insurance is one of the most vital parts of every business insurance policy package. Without insurance, even if the courts look kindly upon your business, these costs can be large.

Making sure your business has the right types of liability insurance to cover against the particular risks your business faces, an independent agent can help. Some of the many business liability products available to you include the following:

• Premises liability insurance: This insurance option covers injuries, illnesses, and property damage that occurs to a third party due to an accident on your business property. 
• Product liability insurance: This insurance option covers injuries, illnesses, and property damage that occurs to a third party and are caused by defects in products that your business produces, sells, or promotes.
• Employment practices liability insurance: This insurance option covers claims related to allegations of illegal employment practices such as breach of contract, discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination.
• Cyber liability insurance: This insurance option covers financial losses and liabilities if 'Black Hat' hackers access your computer systems and steal sensitive customer data such as credit card numbers, financial information, Social Security numbers, or other personal data.
• Pollution liability insurance: This optional insurance covers cleaning costs and damage if your business is responsible for an accident that leads to the pollution of the air, ground, or water.
• Commercial vehicle liability insurance: This insurance is required by law if your business owns and operates automobiles. It can cover your business's increased liability risks if one of your drivers causes an accident that results in injuries or damage to a third party.

By consulting with a local independent insurance agent, you can learn more about these and many other business liability coverage options. Your agent can advise you about all the business liability products suitable for your Los Angeles business.

What Other Insurance Products Are Available to Cover Your Los Angeles, CA, Business Property?

Businesses in Los Angeles, CA, are most likely to experience property loss or damage due to hazards such as wildfires, structure fires, flooding, water damage, earthquakes, tremors, severe storms, lighting, burglary, and other property crimes.

Each of the above mentioned risks is covered by business property insurance, which is a standard part of all business insurance policies. Designed to cover your business owned property, it includes computers, furniture, inventory, merchandise, and other supplies.

Occasionally, you may find you need to add specific property insurance products to be necessary. Your local independent insurance agent may recommend adding one or more of the following:

• Inland marine insurance: This insurance option covers portable business property during transfer or if it is stored away from your place of business.
• Equipment breakdown insurance: This insurance option covers the repair or replacement of a broken down equipment and can also cover any losses related to machinery failures.
• Bailee's insurance: This insurance option covers valuable property owned by third parties whenever in your business’s care, such as when you are performing repair or upkeep services on it.
• Flood insurance: You should be mindful that business property insurance does not cover flood damage, even if the damage is the direct result of a covered hurricane.

Businesses located near waterways such as the Los Angeles River or the coast of the Pacific Ocean, are most at risk, although when heavy rains fall, flash flooding can happen virtually anywhere, so business flood insurance is recommended for most businesses.

A local independent insurance agent can help you make sure all your business holdings are suitably covered, and your coverage limits are high enough to enable you to rebuild, repair, or replace, as necessary.

Save on Business Insurance

Our independent agents shop around to find you the best coverage.

Request a quote

Why Is Business Interruption Insurance a Good Idea in Los Angeles, CA?

A major catastrophe such as a wildfire or flood damage can do so much more than just harm your business’s property. If the damage is especially severe, it could drive your business to close for an extended period, while fixes can be made to your business property.

• Number of federally declared disasters in CA since 1953: 330
• Most common reasons for declared disasters: fire/250
• Average number of tornadoes in CA per year: 11

A business closure lasting for several weeks or months can be economically devastating, especially for a small business. Business interruption insurance offers a solution by providing your business with an extension of income until your business can resume normal functions.

Are Businesses in Los Angeles, CA, required to Carry Workers’ Compensation Insurance?

As a business owner in Los Angeles, you are required to provide a safe place for your employees to perform their duties. Regrettably, even when all safety measures are taken, employees occasionally get injured or sick.

All business in California, including corporate officers and directors, are responsible for covering their employees' financial losses in the event of a workplace injury or illness, and workers’ compensation insurance is designed to provide this coverage. For any employees consistently working in California or who have entered into a contract of employment; an out-of-state employer must provide workers’ compensation coverage.

All employers in the state of California are required by law to cover their full-time and part-time employees with workers’ compensation insurance. However, there are a few exceptions. It is not required to buy coverage for the following:

Workers’ compensation insurance rates are based primarily on the types of jobs your employees perform and the chances they will be injured or get sick on the job. In fact, it would cost more to insure a US Marine Corps Seal than to cover a desk clerk at a police station.

Local independent insurance agents can help you assess your costs and fit you with an insurance company that specializes in covering businesses in your industry.

What Insurance Products Are Available for Employee Benefits Packages?

Even though healthcare coverage can be pricey, offering sponsored coverage to your employees can have economic benefits. Human resources managers have studied and demonstrated that when businesses offer a viable employee benefits package, they found it easier to attract and retain ideal employees.

• National annual amount spent on healthcare coverage: $2,305/person
• State average amount spent on healthcare coverage in CA: $1,166/person

There are numerous life insurance and health insurance products available for you and your employees to choose from, which make it difficult to decide which policies are best to include in your employee benefits package. A local independent insurance agent can go over the pros and cons of your options so you can make an informed decision.

Why Work with an Independent Insurance Agent in Los Angeles, CA?

Insurance companies allow business owners to fully personalize their business insurance because they understand that every business has it is own specific risks and practices. A local independent insurance agent can make looking for coverage simple by offering support and aiding you in finding the best and most affordable business insurance policies to cover your coverage needs.