Architects and Engineers Insurance in Greenville, SC

Reviewed by Vic Morgano, independent insurance agent in Greenville, SC. Last updated July 2026.

An architecture or engineering firm in Greenville needs professional liability (errors and omissions) as its core coverage, backed by general liability, commercial property, workers compensation, and cyber liability for the rest of the practice. The Morgano Agency, an independent insurance agency in Greenville, SC, builds A&E programs around that professional liability piece first, because a design error can surface years after a building opens and carries liability long after the project itself is closed out.

This guide covers what architects and engineers insurance is, what it covers, what it does not cover, South Carolina requirements, typical costs, and the questions principals ask most. If your business needs general professional liability outside of design work, see our professional liability insurance page instead; this page is built specifically around the A&E program design firms actually buy.

What Architects and Engineers Insurance Is

Architects and engineers insurance (A&E insurance) is a coordinated set of professional and commercial coverages packaged for the design industry. The program centers on professional liability (E&O) for design errors and omissions, supported by general liability for the office, commercial property, workers compensation, cyber liability, and a project-specific structure for larger contracts.

Most A&E professional liability is written through specialty carriers that understand the long-tail nature of design claims (a problem can surface years after the building opens). The Morgano Agency works with the leading carriers in this space.

What Architects and Engineers Insurance Covers

A typical architects and engineers insurance program in Greenville includes the following coverages:

• Professional liability (E&O). Pays for claims that the firm’s design caused damages. Specifying the wrong member size, missing a load calculation, omitting a code requirement. Most A&E firms carry $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 per claim and aggregate.
• General liability. Office-based exposure. Visitor slip-and-fall, copier accidents, third-party injury claims unrelated to professional work.
• Commercial property. Covers office equipment, computers, drafting equipment, plotters, and tenant improvements.
• Workers compensation. Required in SC at four or more employees. Architecture and engineering classifications have moderate rates.
• Cyber liability. Critical. Firms hold confidential design files, client data, and bank information. A breach response is excluded from professional and general liability.
• Business auto and hired and non-owned auto. Staff drive to job sites in personal or firm vehicles. Hired and non-owned coverage is required for personal-vehicle business use.
• Project-specific insurance. For larger projects, a separate per-project policy may be written to keep the practice E&O clean for the firm’s other work.
• Employment practices liability. Hiring, termination, and discrimination claims by staff.

Limits should match contract requirements. Most public-sector clients (USC system, SC DOT, federal projects) require $5,000,000 per claim with project-specific endorsements. Private commercial clients usually require $1,000,000 to $3,000,000.

What Architects and Engineers Insurance Does Not Cover

Even a complete architects and engineers insurance program has limits. The coverages above usually exclude:

• Claims known before policy inception. A claim already reported or known is excluded under the standard E&O claims-made form.
• Bodily injury and property damage from the design. Standard E&O excludes BI and PD as those fall under the CGL or the contractor’s coverage. The boundary between professional and general liability is contract-specific.
• Express warranties beyond standard of care. Most E&O carriers exclude promises that exceed the professional standard of care (guarantees of cost, completion date, performance).
• Faulty workmanship by the contractor. The firm is responsible for design errors, not the contractor’s installation errors.
• Cost overruns. Standard E&O excludes cost-of-construction overruns unless the overrun is directly caused by a design error.
• Punitive damages and intentional acts. Not insurable in most states for intentional misconduct.

Most of these gaps can be filled with an endorsement or a separate policy when the exposure is real for the business.

A&E Insurance Requirements in South Carolina

Architects in SC are licensed by the SC Board of Architectural Examiners under SC Code 40-3. A Certificate of Authorization (COA) is required for firms practicing in the state. Continuing education is set at 12 contact hours annually per SC Code 40-3, including a code-related component.

Engineers in SC are licensed by the SC Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. Firms must register and maintain a qualifying licensee on staff.

Workers compensation is required at four or more employees under SC Code 42-1-360.

Public-sector contracts (state, county, school district, federal) almost always require $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 of professional liability and proof of workers compensation.

Many of these same contracts also set a required layer of excess liability above the base limits. See our guide to commercial umbrella insurance and our post on how South Carolina contracts set umbrella insurance requirements for how those limits usually get structured on a design contract.

What Architects and Engineers Insurance Costs in Greenville

Premium varies by design firm. The factors that move the bill most are:

• Annual gross revenue
• Discipline mix (architecture, civil, structural, MEP, geotech)
• Public versus private project mix
• Three-year claims history
• Firm size and headcount
• Limit selected and aggregate structure
• Whether project-specific policies are used
• Continuing education and risk-management discipline

The cheapest carrier for one design firm is rarely the cheapest for another. The Morgano Agency shops the program across multiple carriers at every renewal so the rate stays competitive.

How to File a A&E insurance Claim

The claim process determines whether the policy actually pays. The typical sequence:

1. Stop work and document the situation immediately. Save the design files at the version-in-question.
2. Call The Morgano Agency before responding to the client.
3. Notice the carrier in writing per the claims-made policy form. Late notice is the most common reason E&O claims get denied.
4. Cooperate with the carrier’s panel counsel. Do not admit fault or accept design responsibility on a call with the client without counsel.
5. Preserve project records, correspondence, and meeting minutes.
6. Keep records of every communication with the client and contractor.

For minor losses where the deductible exceeds the damage, filing a claim can cost more in future premium than the payout recovers. We help evaluate that math before anything gets reported.

Frequently Asked Questions