This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible

Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.

The contamination at this property — oil, gasoline, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons — traces directly to street maintenance operations that were underway well before 1970, placing them squarely within the era of occurrence-based CGL policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. The property owner now faces the prospect of additional remediation costs under the Standard Cleanup program beyond what the 2003 excavation addressed. Historical carriers who issued policies during those decades of municipal yard operations may be obligated to fund the cleanup costs this site still requires.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.