General Liability · Exclusion / limitation
CG 22 94: Exclusion, Damage to Work Performed by Subcontractors on Your Behalf
CG 22 94 removes the subcontractor exception from the CGL policy's "damage to your work" exclusion. Under the standard form, property damage to a contractor's completed work is excluded unless the damaged work, or the work that caused the damage, was performed by a subcontractor. CG 22 94 deletes that carve-back, so damage to the project caused by a lower-tier subcontractor's defective work is no longer covered. On a general contractor's or major trade contractor's policy, it is a red flag.
Key facts
CG 22 94
Sub work exclusion
- Form number
- CG 22 94
- Line of business
- General Liability
- Protection
- Exclusion / limitation
- Current edition
- 10 01
- Editions tracked
- 1
- Stance
- Its presence weakens your protection
Pikorua Security reads this form's number, edition stamp and schedule from the endorsement page itself, not the certificate.
Edition history
The edition stamp in the endorsement footer identifies the exact wording. Pikorua Security reads it on every page and compares it with the editions your contract accepts.
| Edition | What changed |
|---|---|
| 10 01Latest | The edition in use. Replaces exclusion l. (Damage to Your Work) with a version that has no exception for work performed on your behalf by a subcontractor. CG 22 95 10 01 applies the same change to designated sites or operations only. |
What the subcontractor exception does, and what CG 22 94 removes
Exclusion l. of the CGL coverage form, Damage To Your Work, excludes property damage to "your work" arising out of it or any part of it and included in the products-completed operations hazard. The exclusion ends with an exception: it does not apply if the damaged work, or the work out of which the damage arises, was performed on your behalf by a subcontractor. That one sentence is why a general contractor's policy can respond when a plumbing subcontractor's failed fitting floods finished drywall, flooring and millwork installed by other trades.
CG 22 94 replaces exclusion l. with a version that has no subcontractor exception. With it attached, property damage to any part of the named insured's completed work is excluded, even when a subcontractor performed both the defective work and the damaged work. Bodily injury and damage to property other than the insured's own work are not affected. The cost to repair the defective work itself was never the point of the exception; the change is about resulting damage to the rest of the project.
CG 22 95 makes the same change only for the sites or operations designated in its schedule.
Why it matters to owners, general contractors and trade contractors
For a property owner or REIT reviewing a general contractor's policy, CG 22 94 means the contractor's insurance will not pay for project damage caused by its subcontractors' defective work after completion, which is the core of most construction defect claims. For a general contractor reviewing subcontractors, the exclusion matters on trade contractors that subcontract further down: a mechanical contractor using sheet metal and insulation sub-subcontractors, or a roofing contractor using a separate flashing shop.
It also matters for additional insured tenders. When you tender a completed operations property damage claim under a subcontractor's CG 20 37, the subcontractor's own exclusions still apply. If that subcontractor's scope was performed by its lower-tier subcontractors and its policy carries CG 22 94, the damage to your work exclusion can defeat coverage for damage to that scope.
Edition history and related exclusions
CG 22 94 10 01 is the edition in circulation, along with its designated-sites companion CG 22 95 10 01. Both are optional endorsements attached during underwriting. Some carriers will remove CG 22 94, or substitute CG 22 95 for designated projects, at additional premium; availability and price vary by carrier and state.
Read CG 22 94 together with other work-related exclusions that often travel with it, such as residential or condominium exclusions, the EIFS exclusion (CG 21 86) and the contractors professional liability exclusion (CG 22 79). Taken together they can leave a contractor's completed operations coverage much narrower than its declarations page suggests.
What to require in owner agreements and subcontracts
In owner agreements, require the general contractor's CGL policy to include products-completed operations coverage without any endorsement that deletes the subcontractor exception to the damage to your work exclusion. In subcontracts, impose the same requirement on trade contractors that subcontract any part of their scope, and require disclosure of the full forms schedule.
- No CG 22 94 or CG 22 95, and no carrier endorsement with similar effect, without written approval.
- Products-completed operations aggregate that meets the exhibit minimum.
- Forms schedule delivered with each certificate and each renewal.
- Insurance requirements flowed down in writing to lower-tier subcontractors.
How Pikorua Security flags CG 22 94
Rule EX-07 flags CG 22 94 and CG 22 95 by form number and reads carrier endorsements that replace exclusion l., so manuscript versions are caught too. Severity follows the vendor's role: on a general contractor or construction manager in a property owner's portfolio the finding is Deficient by default; on a self-performing subcontractor with no lower tiers it can be set to a warning.
When the rule fires, Pikorua Security sends a deficiency notice to the vendor and its broker asking for removal of the endorsement or written confirmation of the carrier's buy-back, and records the response in the vendor's audit history.
Defect traps carriers and brokers miss
Findings Pikorua Security raises on CG 22 94
6 checks- Flag 01
CG 22 94 on a general contractor's policy in an owner's portfolio, removing coverage for most construction defect property damage.
- Flag 02
CG 22 95 designating your project as the site, which looks narrow but applies exactly where it matters.
- Flag 03
Carrier exclusion with a different form number that rewrites exclusion l. without the subcontractor exception.
- Flag 04
Trade contractor that subcontracts most of its scope carries CG 22 94, undermining completed operations tenders for that scope.
- Flag 05
No forms schedule in the packet, so the exclusion stays invisible until a claim is denied.
- Flag 06
Endorsement added at a renewal after closeout, during the years when completed operations claims are most likely.
Contract exhibit wording
Paste this into the insurance exhibit of your subcontract or vendor agreement, then adjust parties, limits and durations to the project.
Insurance exhibit clause
CG 22 94: Sub work exclusion
Damage to Your Work. Contractor's Commercial General Liability policy shall include products-completed operations coverage under which the Damage to Your Work exclusion retains the exception for work performed on the named insured's behalf by a subcontractor, as provided in ISO form CG 00 01. The policy shall not include ISO form CG 22 94 (Exclusion, Damage to Work Performed by Subcontractors on Your Behalf), ISO form CG 22 95, or any other endorsement deleting or limiting that exception, unless Owner approves the endorsement in writing before the Work begins. This requirement applies to every policy term during which products-completed operations coverage must be maintained under this Agreement, and Contractor shall include the same requirement in each subcontract under which the subcontractor further subcontracts any part of its work. Contractor shall deliver the policy's complete schedule of forms and endorsements with each certificate of insurance.
Have counsel conform the clause to the governing law of your contract. Pikorua Security verifies insurance documents against the requirements you set; it does not provide legal advice and does not sell, bind or underwrite insurance.
When the claim arrives
Tender defensibility
CG 22 94 rarely surfaces during construction; it surfaces when a completed operations property damage claim is denied. The carrier's position is simple: the damage is to the named insured's work and the subcontractor exception was deleted. The defensible file is the one that caught the endorsement at certificate review, documented the request for removal or buy-back, and recorded either the corrected policy or a signed variance. That record will not create coverage, but it shows the owner or general contractor enforced its insurance requirement, which matters once the dispute becomes a breach of contract claim.
Frequently asked questions
Does CG 22 94 exclude bodily injury claims?
Why would a carrier attach CG 22 94?
What is the difference between CG 22 94 and CG 22 95?
Should a general contractor reject a subcontractor's policy with CG 22 94?
14-day free production trial
Verify CG 22 94 on every packet, every renewal.
Pikorua Security reads the endorsement pages behind each certificate, checks the edition and schedule against your contract, and chases the broker until the fix arrives.