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Make this coverage review specific to your business

Alcohol service requires details of the venue, events and serving arrangements.

Prepare these details

Licences, hours, training, sales and special events.

Ask before accepting a proposal

Are all alcohol-related activities and event arrangements accepted?

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Hypothetical situation

An allegation follows an incident involving a patron.

Ask which wording, conditions and notification requirements would apply. A scenario does not establish coverage or guarantee an outcome.

Home / Business Insurance / Knowledge base / Liquor Liability
Liability

Liquor Liability

Covers liability arising from serving alcohol, including harm caused by a patron after leaving.

20%
What could a lower premium mean for you?Illustrative example: $2,400 → $1,920 per year is $480 less. Not an available offer. Try your own numbers →
Your next step starts hereNo obligation to buy

Choose your insurance type and continue to the contact options. This step does not submit an application.

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Serving alcohol changes the risk.Explain service, venues and events
Liquor liability, explained.Review conditions for your operations
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From Insurance Genie

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Who needs it

Licensed premises, caterers, event hosts and volunteer organizations running a bar.

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What it does not cover

Host liquor liability under a CGL is not the same as liquor legal liability for a licensed seller. Serving for profit changes what responds.

Canadian wording

Where the Canadian form differs.

Canadian licensing bodies impose their own requirements — the AGCO in Ontario, and equivalents elsewhere.

Also calledHost liquor liability, liquor legal liability

At a glance

Canonical nameLiquor Liability
Abbreviation—
How it is boughtEndorsement or standalone
CategoryLiability
Typical limitsRange only, with the basis stated — Canada publishes no commercial tariff

Limits are written to the exposure and to what your contracts demand, not to a rule of thumb. Any page quoting a single “standard” limit for a class of business is quoting one broker’s habit.

Know what you need. Now get it priced.

One request, and someone licensed to place this coverage picks it up.

Is this the wording my policy actually uses?
Not necessarily. Canada has no single mandated commercial wording the way the US has ISO. The IBC form is the reference; many Canadian insurers write their own manuscript wordings derived from a mix of IBC and ISO. Where we describe the IBC form we say so, and the only authority on your coverage is your own policy document.
How much does this cost?
We publish ranges with the basis stated, never a single figure. Commercial premiums are driven by class, revenue, payroll, claims history, limits and the market cycle. A page quoting one number for a whole class of business is quoting a habit, not a market.
My contract demands this. How fast can I get it?
For most standard coverages, same day to a few days. Bonds and specialty lines take longer because they are underwritten individually. If you have a deadline, say so at the start of the request rather than at the end.
Does Insurance Genie sell this?
No. InsuranceGenie.ca is not a brokerage or an insurer. We explain the coverage and connect you with an appropriately licensed organization that can quote and place it, and we name them before your details are shared.

Be prepared

Claims scenarios: what happens next?

Hypothetical situations to help you prepare questions—not actual client claims or promises of coverage.

A shop employee assisting a customer after a slip

A customer alleges an injury

Scenario: Someone alleges an injury arose from the business operations.

What happens next: Preserve incident records and notify the insurer. Declared activities, liability wording and the facts determine whether a policy responds.

Illustration: equipment is damaged

Equipment is damaged

Scenario: Equipment used by the business is damaged or stolen.

What happens next: Document ownership, location and cause. Ask the insurer to review the insured property, exclusions, valuation and deductible.

Illustration: operations are interrupted

Operations are interrupted

Scenario: Damage prevents the business from operating normally.

What happens next: Keep revenue and expense records. Business interruption depends on the insured trigger, selected coverage and applicable terms.

Actual outcomes depend on the facts and applicable wording. Read claims guidance · Ask about the next step