AB
AUTHORITY BRANDS
15
brands ·
12
home service trades in scope
AUTHORITY BRANDS
FRANCHISE
INSURANCE
Authority Brands operates 15 home service franchise systems under one corporate umbrella. Each brand has its own FDD, its own insurance requirements, and its own dominant risk exposure. What the family shares is a starting point — not a coverage solution.
WHAT AUTHORITY BRANDS BRANDS SHARE
Across all brands — verify specifics per FDD
Corporate Manager Entity
AB Inc. — named on all additional insured endorsements
GL Policy Form
Occurrence form only — claims-made not accepted
GL Minimum (typical)
$1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate
WC Employers Liability
$1M / $1M / $1M across all trades
Additional Insured Basis
Primary & non-contributory — required
Waiver of Subrogation
Required on all policies
Verify per brand: Each brand has its own legal entity name for the additional insured endorsement, its own specific limits, and its own trade-specific endorsement requirements. The items above reflect what is consistently observed across Authority Brands FDDs — confirm exact requirements from your executed franchise agreement.
ABOUT THIS FRANCHISE FAMILY
15 BRANDS. ONE CORPORATE STRUCTURE.
15 SEPARATE INSURANCE PROGRAMS.
Authority Brands is one of the largest home service franchise companies in the United States, operating across electrical, HVAC, plumbing, restoration, cleaning, lawn care, pool service, pest control, tree service, and specialty home services. Their brands share AB Inc. as corporate manager and operate under common institutional standards — but each brand is its own franchise system with its own disclosure document, its own insurance requirements, and its own trade-specific risk profile.
The occurrence form requirement and the AB Inc. additional insured structure are consistent across the portfolio. Limits, trade-specific endorsements, and the dominant coverage gaps beyond the FDD minimum are entirely different for each brand. A program that protects a Mister Sparky electrical franchise does not protect a STOP Restoration franchise. The trade exposure drives the program — not the corporate family.
Multi-brand operators — franchisees who own two or more Authority Brands systems — need a separate compliant program for each brand. The additional insured endorsements are brand-specific, the NCCI workers' compensation classifications are trade-specific, and the gap-fill coverages beyond the FDD minimum are different for each trade category.
MULTI-BRAND OPERATORS
One Policy Does Not Cover Multiple Authority Brands
Each brand requires its own certificate of insurance naming its own legal entity as additional insured. An electrical policy structured for Mister Sparky is classified at NCCI 5190. A plumbing policy for Benjamin Franklin is classified at NCCI 5183. A restoration policy for STOP Restoration involves an entirely different carrier market. These are three separate programs, three separate certificates, three separate compliance reviews.
TRADE CATEGORIES IN THIS FAMILY
Electrical
1 Guide Live
HVAC
1 Guide Live
Plumbing
1 Guide Live
Restoration
2 Brands — In Development
Cleaning
In Development
Lawn & Outdoor
3 Brands — In Development
Pool Service
In Development
Specialty Home Services
2 Brands — In Development
ALL AUTHORITY BRANDS GUIDES
FIND YOUR BRAND'S
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
Live guides are built from the actual FDD — exact entity names, exact limits, real claim scenarios. In-development guides show the brand is in our queue.
ELECTRICAL
ELECTRICAL
·
AUTHORITY BRANDS
FDD 2025
MISTER SPARKY
Electrical fire from pre-existing panel conditions is the dominant exposure the FDD minimum doesn't address. NCCI 5190 for residential service work — 5183 for commercial tenant improvement, which carries a higher rate and triggers audit reclassification if not classified at inception.
GL | $1M / $2M · Occurrence |
Auto | $1M CSL any auto |
WC EL | $1M / $1M / $1M |
Entity | Mister Sparky Franchising SPE LLC |
HVAC
HVAC
·
AUTHORITY BRANDS
BENCHMARK
ONE HOUR HEATING & AIR
Refrigerant release and combustion byproducts are excluded under standard general liability through the pollution exclusion. Contractors Pollution Liability fills that gap. Completed operations exposure extends to HVAC system failures that surface months after installation.
GL | $1M / $2M · Occurrence |
Auto | $1M CSL any auto |
WC EL | $1M / $1M / $1M |
Entity | Mister Sparky Franchising SPE LLC |
PLUMBING
PLUMBING
·
AUTHORITY BRANDS
BENCHMARK
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PLUMBING
Mold from water intrusion is the dominant uninsured pathway — treated as a pollutant, excluded under standard general liability. The "on time or we pay" guarantee adds a Contractors Errors and Omissions exposure the FDD minimum does not address.
GL | $1M / $2M · Occurrence |
Auto | $1M CSL any auto |
WC EL | $1M / $1M / $1M |
Entity | Mister Sparky Franchising SPE LLC |
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS ABOUT
AUTHORITY BRANDS INSURANCE
I OWN BOTH A MISTER SPARKY AND A BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FRANCHISE — CAN ONE POLICY COVER BOTH?
+
Generally, no. Each Authority Brands franchise operates under its own franchise agreement with its own additional insured entity name, its own workers' compensation classification, and its own trade-specific endorsement requirements. A Mister Sparky policy is classified at NCCI 5190 for electrical service work. A Benjamin Franklin Plumbing policy is classified at NCCI 5183 for plumbing. Different class codes, different carrier markets in most cases, different certificate of insurance requirements. You need separate programs — and separate certificates — for each brand, even when both are Authority Brands.
WHAT ENTITY NAME GOES ON MY CERTIFICATE FOR EACH AUTHORITY BRANDS BRAND?
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Each brand has its own legal entity name that must appear on the additional insured endorsement. For Mister Sparky, the entity is Mister Sparky Franchising SPE LLC — a Delaware LLC — with AB Inc. named as manager. For One Hour and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, confirm the exact entity name from your specific executed franchise agreement. Authority Brands entity names can update between FDD cycles. Always use your executed agreement as the source — not a prior certificate, not a template.
DOES EVERY AUTHORITY BRANDS FRANCHISE NEED CONTRACTORS POLLUTION LIABILITY?
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Not every brand — but most home service trades in the Authority Brands portfolio face a pollution-related exclusion that standard general liability does not cover. One Hour franchisees face refrigerant and combustion byproduct exposure. Benjamin Franklin franchisees face mold from water intrusion. STOP Restoration and DRYmedic franchisees face extensive contamination exposure across every job. Mister Sparky franchisees have less direct pollution exposure — their dominant gap is fire liability from pre-existing conditions and completed operations. Whether you need Contractors Pollution Liability depends on your specific trade. Each brand guide addresses this directly.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST INSURANCE MISTAKE NEW AUTHORITY BRANDS FRANCHISEES MAKE?
+
Confusing compliance with protection. The FDD requirement tells you what the franchisor needs to be named as additional insured. It was written to protect the system — not to ensure a franchisee who invested their savings into the business is fully covered for the risks that trade actually creates. The dominant coverage gaps for each Authority Brands trade are different, and none of them are fully addressed by the FDD minimum alone. Getting compliant is one task. Getting protected is a different one — and the gap between them is where real claims land.
WADE MILLWARD, CIC
Founder & CEO · Rikor Insurance
Wade Millward has spent 18 years specializing in franchise insurance. He holds the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation and has reviewed hundreds of franchise disclosure documents across home service, food service, and commercial franchise verticals. He has built coverage programs for Authority Brands franchisees across electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and restoration trades.