ISO · General Liability
CG 20 01
Primary and Non-Contributory
Primary and Noncontributory — Other Insurance Condition (ISO General Liability)
Modifies the GL policy's Other Insurance condition so the named insured's policy pays first and does not seek contribution from the additional insured's own coverage.
What it does
Almost every commercial lease and construction contract includes a primary-and-non-contributory (P&NC) requirement. The default ISO Other Insurance condition treats two policies covering the same loss as co-primary and shares the loss pro rata. CG 20 01 overrides that default for any party the named insured has agreed in a written contract to make primary and non-contributory toward. Without this endorsement attached, satisfying a P&NC clause via wording in the certificate's Description of Operations alone is not enforceable on the carrier — only the policy form is.
When you need it
- A lease requires the tenant's GL to be primary and non-contributory to the landlord's GL.
- A GC's subcontract requires the sub's GL to be primary over the GC's own coverage.
- A lender or CMBS servicer's insurance schedule lists P&NC as a required endorsement.
- A property manager requires every vendor on site to provide primary coverage.
Common mistakes
- Listing 'primary and non-contributory' in the certificate's remarks section without the endorsement actually attached — Bindly's COI verifier flags this as a description-only finding.
- Naming the wrong P&NC trigger — CG 20 01 only acts when there is a written contract requiring P&NC; oral agreements don't qualify.
- Assuming a blanket Additional Insured endorsement also grants P&NC. It usually doesn't; they're separate forms.
Related forms
- CG 20 10Additional Insured — Ongoing Operations (Scheduled)General Liability · ISO
- CG 20 37Additional Insured — Completed Operations (Scheduled)General Liability · ISO
- CG 20 33Additional Insured — Automatic Status (Construction Agreement)General Liability · ISO
- CG 20 38Additional Insured — Automatic Status (Other Parties)General Liability · ISO
Verifying CG 20 01 on a real certificate?
Bindly Compliance auto-verifies endorsement attachment, named parties, and edition dates on every COI we track. Description-only language and missing forms surface as deficiencies in your dashboard before they become claims.