Wis. Stat. s. 101.11 requires employers and owners of public buildings to keep the premises as safe as the nature of the place reasonably permits. It is a higher bar than ordinary negligence, it includes a duty to inspect, and you cannot delegate it to a contractor. That is why premises liability limits deserve extra attention in Wisconsin.
FAQ_category: (HIDDEN) Industry FAQs
Penalties stack. The base is twice the unpaid premium or $750, whichever is greater. A short first lapse can add $100 per uninsured day up to seven days. DWD can order your business closed. If a worker is injured, the Uninsured Employers Fund pays and then holds you personally liable for reimbursement.
On the day you hire a third full-time or part-time employee. It is also required once you have one or more employees and pay $500 or more in combined gross wages in any calendar quarter for Wisconsin work. Under the payroll trigger, coverage is due by the tenth day of the next quarter’s first month.
Not as one universal package. Worker’s compensation becomes mandatory at Wisconsin’s employee or payroll threshold, and vehicles must meet state liability minimums. Beyond that, your license, lease, lender, and customer contracts create the requirements. Wisconsin’s safe place statute also raises what a premises claim can cost you.
Independent contractors may not be legally required to carry every policy. Clients and project owners often require evidence of general liability, professional liability, auto, or workers’ compensation coverage. The worker’s actual legal status also matters. Calling someone an independent contractor does not, by itself, determine whether the person is an employee.