The Drawing Everyone Builds From Is Yours.
Protecting drafters and CAD services
Drafters produce the drawings everyone else relies on — construction documents, shop drawings, as-builts, mechanical and electrical details, and CAD models prepared for architects, engineers, contractors, and manufacturers. The exposure is deceptively simple: a wrong dimension, a missed detail, an outdated revision, or a misread specification gets built, fabricated, or ordered from, and the cost of fixing the real-world result lands far above the drafting fee. Many drafters assume that because they work under a licensed architect or engineer the liability is someone else's — but a drafting error traced to your work can come straight back to you, and the error-causing-loss claim is a professional one a general policy will not touch. This is a professional service that needs coverage built around the accuracy of the drawing. It sits alongside architects and engineers in the design professions.
Properly structured coverage protects the drafter, the professionals who stamp the work, and everyone who builds from it.
The Draftsman's Signature Exposures
The signature exposure is professional errors and omissions in the drawings. The recurring claims are an incorrect dimension or scale, a missing or wrong detail, an uncoordinated revision that leaves parties building from different versions, and a misinterpreted specification. Because drawings are relied on downstream, a single error can drive rework, material waste, and schedule delay far beyond the fee. Working under a licensed architect or engineer does not automatically transfer the error — responsibility can be apportioned back to the drafter, and contracts often require the drafter to carry professional liability. The drawing, and the reliance others place on it, are the exposure.
Key Risks in Drafting
Drafting services face exposure related to:
An incorrect dimension, scale, or measurement that others build from
A missing or wrong detail in the construction or shop drawings
An uncoordinated revision that leaves parties working from different versions
A misread or misapplied specification
Rework, material waste, and delay that dwarf the drafting fee
Contract requirements to carry professional liability from the firms you serve
Breach or loss of CAD files, drawings, and project records
The drafting-error-causing-loss claim and the downstream reliance on it are what most define the service.
Core Coverages for Draftsmen
A properly built drafting program typically includes:
Professional Liability / E&O — Covers defense and damages when a drawing is alleged negligent or in error and causes a loss — the core policy, written claims-made.
General Liability — Protects against third-party bodily injury and property damage, commonly bundled into a business-owner's policy.
Valuable Papers & Documents — Reimburses the cost to recreate drawings and CAD files after a covered loss.
Cyber & Data Breach — Protects project files and client data from breach or loss.
Commercial Property / BOP — Covers the office, workstations, plotters, and business income.
Workers' Compensation — Provides legally required coverage once the firm has staff.
Employment Practices Liability — Defends employee discrimination, harassment, and wrongful-termination claims.
Umbrella / Excess Liability — Adds higher limits above the primary program.
What's Commonly Overlooked
Drafting programs are most often weakened by:
Assuming the stamping architect or engineer absorbs every drafting error
A general or business-owner's policy relied on for what is really a design error
A retroactive date or missing tail that leaves earlier projects uncovered
No coverage to recreate lost drawings and CAD files
Contract requirements to carry professional liability left unmet
The gap that hurts most is relying on someone else's policy for a drafting error that traces back to your drawing.
Real-World Claim Examples
A wrong dimension is built in the field and the owner demands rework
A missed detail causes a fabrication or installation to fail
Parties build from different revisions because a change was not coordinated
A misread specification leads to the wrong materials being ordered
A firm you drafted for is sued and names you for the drawing error
A single error carried into the field can cost many times the fee, so limits and claims-made terms matter.
Regulatory & Contract Context
Drafting itself is generally unlicensed, and final documents are usually stamped by a licensed architect or engineer — but that stamp does not erase the drafter's own responsibility for the work. In practice, the firms that engage drafters set the requirements: design firms and contractors commonly require professional liability at set limits, proof by certificate of insurance, and sometimes additional-insured status. Clear scope, revision control, and documented coordination are central to both defensibility and insurability.
Why Proper Placement Matters
Underwriters weigh revenue, the project types and whether the work touches life-safety systems, the firm's role relative to the stamping professional, contract quality, and prior claims. Professional liability is claims-made, so the retroactive date and tail matter when a drafter changes firms or the practice is sold. Matching limits to the contracts of the firms you serve, and placing the program with design-professional markets, is what keeps the coverage sound.
Our Approach
At Cory Washington & Co., we insure drafters around the exposure that defines the work — the accuracy of the drawing others build from. We structure errors-and-omissions to meet the contract requirements of the architects, engineers, and contractors you serve, add coverage to recreate lost drawings, and coordinate general liability, property, and umbrella into one program. We also insure related design practices, including architects and engineers, landscape architects, and product design firms.
The drawing everyone builds from is yours — we build coverage that stands behind it.
All insurance descriptions on this website are provided by Cory Washington & Co. LLC strictly for general informational purposes. They are not intended to be, and should not be relied upon as, legal, financial, or insurance advice. The information presented is general in nature and does not guarantee the availability, terms, conditions, or scope of any insurance coverage. Actual coverage is determined solely by the specific policy language issued by the insurer and remains subject to underwriting approval. Nothing on this website creates or implies an agent-client relationship, binds coverage, or alters any existing policy. Cory Washington & Co. LLC expressly disclaims any liability for actions taken, or not taken, based on the content provided here. For advice regarding your particular situation, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional at Cory Washington & Co. LLC or another qualified insurance professional, and always review your policy documents in full.
See the coverages a draftsman business may carry — core, prevalent, and situational — plus the gap most often missed, in the Draftsman Coverage Checklist.
Complete the Draftsman Supplemental online in a few guided steps, download the fillable PDF, or browse all applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get draftsman insurance through Cory Washington & Co.?
Request a quote or contact our team. We start with a short conversation about your operations, analyze your exposures, then negotiate draftsman insurance across multiple carriers that compete for your account and present options with the trade-offs explained. Cory Washington & Co. LLC is licensed in all 50 states.
How much does draftsman insurance cost?
There is no flat rate. The cost of draftsman insurance reflects your industry, your size (payroll and revenue), your claims history, and the limits and deductibles you choose. We market your account to multiple carriers, compare the real quotes side by side, and explain what is driving each number so you can weigh coverage against price with confidence.
Who needs draftsman insurance?
Whether draftsman insurance is strictly required depends on your state, your contracts, and your lenders or clients. Even where it is not mandatory, going without it can leave serious financial gaps. We assess your exposure and any contractual requirements, then structure coverage that meets both.
What if another agency has already declined or non-renewed my coverage?
Difficult, specialty, and previously-declined placements are a core part of our work. We access excess & surplus (E&S) and specialty markets that many generalist agencies cannot, and we explain the trade-offs clearly so you can decide with confidence.
Available in all 50 states. See how requirements differ in California, Texas, Florida, New York, or choose your state.