Contractor Insurance in Paterson, NJ

Contractor insurance in Paterson has to price an old city: on the 2020–2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, 59.2 percent of Paterson's housing units were built in 1959 or earlier. NJ Contractors Insurance Center, a Friedlander Associates agency based in Flemington, New Jersey and licensed in all 21 counties, quotes contractor insurance for Paterson trades.

Population: 158,735 (ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates)
Code office: Paterson Construction Code Enforcing Agency, Community Improvements Division (Chapter 183, § 183-1)
Local licence: Chapter 153, Builders and Contractors — $100 on application, $50 annual renewal (§ 153-3, amended 4-28-1992)
Right-of-way permits: Chapter 435, Article III, Street Openings and Excavations — certificate of insurance not less than $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident and $50,000 property damage (§ 435-38, Article III adopted 12-18-1979)
Flood: NFIP participating community, CID 340404B (FEMA Community Status Book, 09/15/2026)
Lines quoted here: GL, Workers Comp, Auto, Tools, Umbrella, Builders Risk
Phone: (908) 948-8856

Houses along Arlington Avenue on the west side of Paterson, New Jersey — Photo: Arlington Avenue nb, Paterson, NJ, Jan. 2025 by Mr. Matté · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Paterson licence on top of the state registration

Paterson licenses contractors itself. Chapter 153, Builders and Contractors, provides at § 153-1A that no person shall engage in the business of constructing, altering, repairing, reroofing, residing, moving or demolishing any part of a building for which a permit is required, until licensed by the Department of Community Development. Section 153-3 sets $100 on application and a $50 annual renewal, as amended 4-28-1992, and the term ends December 31 of the issuing year.

Occupied and older buildings in Paterson

On the 2020–2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, 54.6 percent of Paterson's housing units sit in two- to four-unit buildings, and the occupied ones run on the owner's calendar. Chapter 175 requires a certificate of re-rental approval from the Division of Community Improvements before a new tenant takes possession (§ 175-3A, amended 12-19-1995), and Chapter 351, Paint, Lead-Based, requires a certificate of inspection from the Division of Health before occupancy (§ 351-3A).

Flood and floodplain work in Paterson

Paterson is an NFIP participating community, CID 340404B (FEMA Community Status Book, 09/15/2026). The Flood Insurance Study for Passaic County, New Jersey (34031CV001B, revised April 17, 2020) names Molly Ann Brook and Slippery Rock Brook among the city's flood sources and two locations with extensive flooding: East 33rd Street between McLean Boulevard and Park Avenue, and Graham Avenue between Twelfth Avenue and Broadway. Builders Risk on ground like that is priced as its own question.

Paterson's contractor base and coverage stack

The 2023 County Business Patterns table for Passaic County counts 1,318 construction establishments, 848 of them specialty trade contractors. Appetite is set trade by trade, which is why General Liability, Workers Comp, Auto, Tools, Umbrella and Builders Risk are quoted in one pass.

→General Contractors →Electricians →HVAC →Restoration →Carpenters →Painters

How the COI workflow runs → · All fifteen trades

Contractor insurance by trade in Paterson

General contractors, electricians, HVAC, carpenters, painters, roofers, plumbers, masons and restoration crews quote from the same multi-line intake.

See the Passaic County page for county-wide detail, or browse all 15 trades we write and the six coverage lines.

Paterson contractor insurance questions

Do I need a Paterson licence to contract on top of the state HIC registration?

Paterson has its own, under Chapter 153, Builders and Contractors. Section 153-1A says no person shall engage in the business of constructing, altering, repairing, reroofing or demolishing part of a building for which a permit is required until licensed by the Department of Community Development. Section 153-3 sets $100 on application and $50 to renew annually, as amended 4-28-1992.

What changes when I work on an occupied or older Paterson building?

Chapter 175 requires a certificate of re-rental approval from the Division of Community Improvements before a new tenant takes possession, and Section 175-3B requires that inspection while the housing space is vacant and within 30 days of possession. On the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, 59.2 percent of Paterson housing units were built in 1959 or earlier.

Do I need workers comp for officers and 1099 subs on Paterson jobs?

New Jersey requires workers comp for employees, and most corporate officers are counted in. A 1099 sub without a policy of their own is charged to your payroll at audit, so collect certificates as the subs start. The 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates put 54.6 percent of Paterson housing units in two- to four-unit buildings.

Which trades do you write in Paterson?

Fifteen, and the city's own licence classes map onto them. Section 153-4 sorts a Paterson contractor licence into ten classes, among them general contractor, roofing and siding contractor, demolition contractor, swimming pool contractor, sign or billboard contractor, sidewalk contractor and driveway contractor. General Liability, Workers Comp, Auto, Tools, Umbrella and Builders Risk quote from one intake whichever class you hold.

Get a contractor insurance quote in Paterson

Request a quote or call (908) 948-8856 — a producer follows up within one business day.