1. A commercial general liability (CGL) policy primarily covers a business's liability for:

Bodily injury and property damage to third parties arising from operations or products

The CGL covers a business's legal liability for third-party bodily injury and property damage arising from premises, operations, products, and completed operations.

2. An occurrence-based CGL policy responds to claims based on when:

The bodily injury or property damage takes place during the policy period

An occurrence form covers injury or damage that takes place during the policy period, regardless of when the claim is later made.

3. A claims-made CGL policy generally covers claims:

First made during the policy period (subject to a retroactive date)

A claims-made form responds to claims first made during the policy period, often subject to a retroactive date that limits coverage for prior events.

4. Products and completed operations coverage under a CGL applies to injury or damage arising:

After the insured's product or work has left the insured's control

Products-completed operations coverage applies to bodily injury and property damage arising out of the insured's products or completed work away from the premises.