Lawn Care Business Insurance

Whether you’re a solo grass mower or a lawn care/landscaping business with a team of employees, lawn care insurance could help protect you from a variety of business risks. The right type of insurance coverage could help protect you from financial losses related to:

• Damage to someone’s property. An area of a client’s yard is overwatered, causing a leak into a neighbor’s basement. The general liability coverage in your insurance package could help pay for repairs.**
• Workplace injuries. An employee falls and twists their ankle while working on a sloped property. Workers’ comp coverage could help cover medical bills and lost wages.
• Accidents that hurt someone. A client trips over a tool hidden in the grass. Lawn care liability insurance could help pay for medical costs and legal fees.
• Workmanship mistakes. You forget to apply pesticide and some of your client’s plants die. Business insurance could help you pay for replacements.
• Theft or damage to your tools. Several tools are stolen from a job site overnight. Tools and equipment insurance could help pay for replacements.
• Damage to your own business property. A fallen tree damages the roof of your office, warehouse or storage shed, and after it rains, the contents inside are soaked and water damaged. Commercial property insurance could help with replacement or repair costs.

The best insurance for lawn care business owners to start with is usually general liability. This type of coverage could help with injuries to non-employees and accidental damage to other people’s property during work.

Depending on the specifics of your business, you might also be required to carry workers’ compensation insurance if you have employees. Commercial property insurance could cover your business gear and building spaces, like a warehouse or storage shed, you use for your business. A Business Owner’s Policy (BOP insurance) bundles general liability and commercial property coverage together into one package that’s often more cost-effective than two separate policies. Contractor’s E&O insurance could help if someone accuses you of a workmanship mistake. And commercial auto insurance could help if you regularly use a vehicle to drive for work.

Get a free instant quote to learn which coverage will provide the best protection for your business.

Most lawn care companies benefit from insurance, whether you’re mowing lawns, applying treatments, installing irrigation systems or handling seasonal cleanups. Even solo operators can be held responsible for property damage or injuries, while larger crews face increased risks tied to additional employees, equipment and vehicles.

Even if you’re only taking on a few lawn care jobs a week, there’s still potential risk. Even just one accident — like if you break a window while mowing — could lead to costs that far exceed what you’re earning from part-time work.

General liability could cover injuries to third parties (like clients or someone just walking by on the sidewalk while you’re mowing lawns), or damage to property you don’t own. Workers’ compensation could cover injuries to employees while they’re working. If you have part-time or full-time employees, you’ll typically need both.

In many cases, property managers, HOAs and other commercial clients will require proof of insurance before you can start work. They may also ask to be listed as an additional insured on your policy.

If your mower, edger or another piece of lawn care equipment causes damages — like cracking a window or damaging siding — general liability insurance could help cover the cost if you’re held responsible.

You’ll typically need tools and equipment insurance coverage to help protect your lawn care tools if they’re stolen, lost or damaged at a job site.

If you’re using a vehicle for your business to travel from job to job, you’ll likely need commercial auto insurance. Your personal auto policy doesn’t usually cover vehicle accidents that happen during business use.

Even if you only bring in help occasionally, as opposed to having a team of steady employees, you could be held responsible if something goes wrong. If you hire employees to support your lawn care business, workers’ compensation is typically required.