General Liability Class Codes for Trucking, Commercial Property, Hotels, Restaurants, and Coffee Shops

General liability class codes are used by insurers to organize business operations into rating categories. The codes help determine the applicable exposure basis and rate, but they are not a complete description of a business and do not determine coverage by themselves.

The insurance policy, endorsements, underwriting information, and actual business operations control. A classification code is only one part of that process.

This article discusses 22 commonly encountered reference codes involving:

Trucking, freight, and warehousing
Commercial buildings and real-estate operations
Hotels
Restaurants and coffee shops

The descriptions below are plain-English summaries prepared by Cogo Insurance. They are not formal manual descriptions, rating rules, or a substitute for carrier or rating-bureau materials.

Trucking, freight, and warehousing

Code	Plain-English summary
99793	Trucking or motor-carrier operations
94617	Freight forwarding or freight-handling operations, excluding explosives and ammunition
94099	Express delivery and courier-type operations
99938	General warehouse operations
99917	Public refrigerated or cold-storage warehousing

These classifications illustrate why a single “trucking” code is often inadequate.

A motor carrier may simultaneously:

Operate trucks
Arrange transportation through other carriers
Store freight
Consolidate shipments
Provide final-mile delivery
Enter customers’ premises
Install or assemble delivered products
Operate a refrigerated warehouse
Act as a freight broker

A company performing several of these activities may require more than one classification. Trucking, freight forwarding, warehousing, installation, and professional logistics services do not present the same liability exposures.

The public class-code list published by RT Specialty separately identifies trucking, freight forwarding, express operations, general warehousing, and cold-storage warehousing.

Why the trucking code may be too broad

Code 99793 identifies a trucker, but it does not explain:

Whether the insured is a motor carrier, freight broker, or both
Whether it uses owner-operators
Whether it operates warehouses
Whether employees load or unload freight
Whether drivers enter homes or businesses
Whether the insured performs white-glove delivery
Whether products are installed or assembled
Whether freight is refrigerated, hazardous, high-value, or time-sensitive
Whether the insured performs fulfillment or inventory-management services

These facts may materially change the exposure, yet they cannot be communicated through one five-digit number.

Commercial buildings and real-estate operations

Code	Plain-English summary
61212	For-profit landlord exposure where the premises are generally not maintained by the insured
61217	For-profit landlord exposure where the insured maintains the premises
61226	For-profit office-building or office-premises exposure
62000	Commercial condominium association
60010	Apartment-building exposure
68606	Vacant nonindustrial building owned by a for-profit entity
46603	Public enclosed parking operation
47052	Property-management operations

Publicly available class-code lists distinguish landlord operations based on who maintains the property and separately identify office buildings, commercial condominiums, apartments, vacant buildings, parking, and property management.

Small building versus large building

There is not always a separate GL classification merely because one commercial building is small and another is large.

Building size is usually captured through the exposure basis, commonly area, and through underwriting information such as:

Number of stories
Total square footage
Tenant count
Occupancy
Public access
Maintenance responsibilities
Elevators
Parking
Security
Employees
Contractors
Vacancy
Construction or renovation
Roof or rooftop use
Common areas

Two buildings can share the same class code while presenting very different risks.

A two-story building occupied by a professional office is not equivalent to a twenty-story mixed-use property containing apartments, restaurants, retail stores, medical offices, parking, rooftop events, and short-term lodging. The classification number alone cannot convey that difference.

Mixed-use buildings expose a weakness in the classification system

Many current commercial buildings have multiple uses under one ownership structure. A property may include:

Apartments
Offices
Retail tenants
A restaurant
A coffee shop
A hotel component
Public parking
A coworking facility
A gym
Package storage
A rooftop event area
Short-term rental units
Electric-vehicle charging stations

Assigning one landlord or building classification to the entire property can conceal material exposures.

The better approach is to identify each material operation separately on the GL application and explain:

Who owns the building
Who maintains the premises
What each tenant does
Which areas are open to the public
Whether the owner operates any businesses at the location
Whether parking, security, property management, or maintenance is performed by the insured
Whether residential, lodging, restaurant, or entertainment operations are present

Hotels

Code	Plain-English summary
45190	Hotel or motel with a pool or beach, less than four stories
45191	Hotel or motel with a pool or beach, four stories or more
45192	Hotel or motel without a pool or beach, less than four stories
45193	Hotel or motel without a pool or beach, four stories or more

The public classifications divide hotels primarily by height and the presence of a pool or beach.

Those factors matter, but they do not describe many current hotel exposures, such as:

Restaurants and bars
Rooftop lounges
Conference facilities
Banquet operations
Fitness centers
Spas
Valet parking
Hotel-operated shuttles
Third-party parking garages
Extended-stay units
Short-term apartment rentals
Franchise versus management operations
Security personnel
Events open to the public
Retail concessions
Coworking space

A hotel may need separate classifications for restaurants, parking, property management, retail operations, or other activities.

A classification based on pools and story count may be too limited

The four principal hotel codes reflect easily measured physical characteristics. They may not adequately distinguish between:

A limited-service hotel with no restaurant
A luxury hotel with several restaurants and bars
An extended-stay hotel with kitchens in every unit
A hotel containing residential condominium units
A hotel with a rooftop nightclub
A hotel operated by a management company for a separate property owner

The class code is therefore a starting point rather than a complete hotel risk profile.

Restaurants and coffee shops

Code	Plain-English summary
16900	Restaurant with table service and no alcohol sales
16901	Restaurant with seating but no table service and no alcohol sales
16902	Restaurant with no seating and no alcohol sales
16910	Restaurant with table service where alcohol represents less than 30 percent of receipts
16916	Restaurant where alcohol represents 30 percent to less than 75 percent of receipts, without a dance floor

Public class-code lists divide restaurants primarily according to seating, table service, alcohol receipts, and dance-floor exposure.

How coffee shops fit

A conventional coffee shop with seating and counter service may commonly fall within code 16901. A takeout-only coffee operation with no seating may be closer to code 16902. A café providing table service may be treated differently.

This shows why the business description matters more than the name on the storefront.

A “coffee shop” may be:

A small counter-service shop
A bakery and café
A full-service breakfast restaurant
A coworking facility
A coffee roaster
A retail seller of packaged coffee
A wine bar in the evening
A venue for live music
A catering operation
A mobile coffee business
A drive-through operation

Some businessowners programs use a separate classification such as 09041 for coffee bars or shops, while general-liability classification lists may place the same operation within broader restaurant codes. This illustrates the risk of mixing BOP, GL, workers’ compensation, SIC, and NAICS code systems.

Where restaurant classifications can appear dated

Several restaurant classifications depend heavily on traditional distinctions such as:

Table service versus counter service
Seating versus no seating
Percentage of alcohol receipts
Presence of a dance floor

These factors remain relevant, but they do not fully describe many current food-service operations.

A modern restaurant may combine:

Dine-in service
Takeout
Third-party delivery
A ghost kitchen
Catering
Packaged food sales
Online ordering
Cooking for multiple restaurant brands
Shared commercial kitchen space
Pop-up operations
Food-truck operations
Private events
Live entertainment
Alcohol delivery
Retail merchandise

The classification may place the business into one category while overlooking several activities that affect liability.

Why some classifications feel outdated or too generic

The classification system remains useful as a common rating framework. Its limitations become clear when a business does not fit one traditional category.

Many classifications were structured around recognizable business models:

A trucker transports freight
A warehouse stores goods
A restaurant serves food
A landlord rents a building
A hotel provides lodging

Current businesses often perform several of these functions at once.

Examples include:

A trucking company that brokers freight and operates fulfillment warehouses
A coffee shop that becomes a wine bar at night
A restaurant that operates several delivery-only brands from one kitchen
An apartment building with retail, coworking, restaurants, parking, and short-term rentals
A hotel containing residential condominiums, restaurants, a spa, and public event space
A property owner that operates its own management and maintenance company

A single class code cannot reliably describe these combinations.

The classification structure can sometimes focus on older proxies for risk while omitting newer exposures. Story count, seating, table service, dance floors, and alcohol percentages may matter, but so do delivery operations, platform-based sales, shared premises, cybersecurity, contractual risk, rooftop use, electric-vehicle charging, outsourced services, and mixed ownership.

Where GL codes belong on ACORD forms

ACORD 126: Commercial General Liability Section

ACORD 126 is the principal application form for entering general-liability classifications.

Its Schedule of Hazards is used to report:

Location
Hazard number
Class code
Classification description
Premium basis
Exposure
Territory
Rate
Premium

ACORD’s current forms index identifies the March 2025 edition of ACORD 126 as the Commercial General Liability Section.

Each materially different business operation should be considered separately.

For example, a business that operates trucks, stores freight, and performs freight forwarding should not automatically be represented by one trucking classification.

A mixed-use building may require separate hazard entries for:

Landlord exposure
Property management
Parking
Hotel operations
Restaurants
Other owner-operated businesses

ACORD 211: Schedule of Hazards

ACORD 211 is the continuation form used when more hazard rows are required.

It contains fields for the class code, classification description, premium basis, exposure, territory, rate, and premium. ACORD lists Form 211 as the Schedule of Hazards and identifies it as a related form for ACORD 126.

What should accompany the code

A submission should not consist only of a code and a business name. It should include a clear narrative describing:

Every material operation
How the insured earns revenue
Work performed away from the premises
Services performed by subcontractors
Premises open to customers or the public
Alcohol, entertainment, delivery, installation, or storage operations
Mixed-use or shared-premises arrangements
Separate entities operating at the same location
Payroll, sales, area, units, or other applicable exposure bases
Any activity that does not fit the primary classification

Conclusion

General liability codes are useful indexing and rating tools, but they are not a modern business taxonomy and should not be treated as one.

The correct approach is to combine the applicable code with:

A detailed business narrative
Separate hazard entries for materially different operations
Accurate exposure information
Carrier-specific underwriting review
Review of the actual policy and endorsements

The carrier’s current manual, classification decision, and policy terms control.

Disclaimer

The numerical references discussed in this article are provided for limited educational commentary concerning commercial insurance applications and classification practices. The descriptions are Cogo Insurance’s own plain-English summaries and are not formal bureau classification wording. This article is not a rating manual, classification manual, or substitute for licensed insurer or rating-bureau materials. Classifications, insurer practices, eligibility requirements, and rating rules may vary and may change.

General Liability Codes (GL Codes)