As a landscape professional, you work on diverse projects that can involve lawn mowing, backyard remodeling and sometimes even irrigation installation. Throughout these endeavors, costly issues can pop up.
Someone could snatch your mower and leaf blower from your storage shed, or an employee could be injured while moving heavy materials. Landscaper insurance—also known as lawn care business insurance—is essential for protecting your business from potentially expensive risks and liabilities.
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What Is Landscaper Insurance?
Landscaper insurance is specialized small business insurance crafted for the distinct risks found in the landscaping industry. It offers various types of coverage to provide your landscaping business with financial protection against accidents, income losses, legal disputes and theft, loss or damage of crucial tools or machinery.
Who Needs Landscaper Insurance?
In the world of landscaping, proper coverage is vital for safeguarding your business against financial losses stemming from work-related accidents and other unexpected situations.
Here are some examples of landscape business owners who would benefit from having landscaping insurance.
- Arborists
- General landscapers
- Hardscape architects and landscapers
- Landscape architects and contractors
- Landscape designers
- Landscape pesticide and herbicide applicators
- Lawn care companies
- Lawn irrigation contractor
- Tree trimmers
What Does Landscaper Insurance Cover?
A dependable lawn care business insurance policy will offer a range of coverage to protect your landscaping business from surprise costs. These may include legal claims and lawsuit expenses or the replacement of damaged tools and equipment. The key to finding the ideal insurance policy is to select coverage types that match the unique needs of your landscaping enterprise.
A good starting point is a business owners policy (BOP), which bundles three crucial coverage types into a comprehensive business insurance package. A BOP typically includes:
General liability insurance. A must-have for landscapers, this insurance protects your business against financial losses in case of injuries to third parties or damage to their property while on your business premises or due to your operations. If you’re working on a landscaping project and something goes wrong that harms your client’s property, general liability insurance covers the repair costs so you won’t have to worry.
Commercial property insurance. Commercial property insurance compensates you if the physical assets of your landscaping business—including equipment, tools and machinery—are damaged by problems such as fire, theft, vandalism or certain natural disasters covered by your policy.
Business interruption insurance. If a covered disaster or other unforeseen event temporarily suspends your landscaping business operations, business interruption insurance compensates you for lost income and ongoing expenses during the downtime.
What’s Not Covered by Landscaper Insurance?
Landscaper insurance typically comes with exclusions, meaning certain issues won’t be covered.
- Armed conflicts or war
- Contagious illnesses
- Deliberate and deceptive actions
- Earthquakes. You’ll need a commercial earthquake insurance policy.
- Flooding. You’ll need a separate flood insurance policy.
- Government seizure of property through eminent domain
- Radioactive contamination
- Unlawful dismissal. You’re not protected from these claims unless your BOP includes employment practices liability insurance.
Examples of Landscaper Insurance Claims
How Much Does Landscaper Insurance Cost?
The median yearly landscaper insurance cost is $45 per month, or about $530 a year, for a policy with coverage of $1 million in general liability, according to Insureon, but your exact costs will depend on your situation and needs.
Several factors influence the amount you’ll pay for landscaper insurance.
Type of business. The type of landscaping business you own can affect your rates. For example, the median yearly insurance cost for a tree service company is $1,650, compared to just $507 for a landscape designer, according to Insureon.
Coverage type and limits. The type of coverage you select and your policy limits play a significant role in what you pay for your policy. Selecting a plan with higher coverage amounts will usually lead to an increase in your insurance premiums.
Number of employees and occupational risks. The number of employees you hire and the physically demanding nature of their jobs directly impact your workers compensation insurance costs.
Claims history. A track record of workplace accidents often results in higher insurance premiums.
Additional considerations. Insurance companies also look at other cost factors when setting your insurance premiums, such as the size of your business, its location, the property related to the business, employee driving records and payroll size.
Landscaper Insurance Policy Costs Example
Here are a few examples of coverage costs to give an idea of what you’ll pay for landscape insurance. The exact amount is determined by the type of plan you choose and the other factors that help determine pricing.
How to Save on Landscaper Insurance
You have several ways to cut your business insurance costs.
Shop around. Business insurance policies vary in price among different insurers. You can pinpoint cheap business insurance that still provides the most suitable coverage for your needs by comparing your options.
Bundle your policies. A BOP that combines general liability, business interruption and commercial property insurance generally costs less than purchasing those coverages separately.
Raise the deductible on your commercial auto policy. The deductible is the portion of the insurance claim taken from your claims pay out. By opting for a higher deductible, you reduce the amount the insurer will cover in the event of a claim—and score more affordable premiums.
Choose workers who are good drivers. Your workers’ driving records can impact your insurance costs. Employees with bad driving histories, including tickets, accidents and DUI offenses, can lead to higher insurance rates. But a team with excellent driving records can help reduce your insurance premiums. To make well-informed hiring decisions, you can usually obtain the driving record of a worker or job candidate—with their consent—by submitting a request to your state motor vehicles department.
Ensure proper classification of your workers. Having precise and comprehensive job descriptions for your employees and making sure they strictly adhere to their assigned roles can lead to savings on workers compensation insurance. If you have questions about the proper classification of your employees, consult your insurance agent for guidance.
Become a member of a trade or industry association. When you join a trade group with at least 300 members, including several who face risks similar to yours, you may be offered a reduced, group rate for your workers’ compensation insurance.
Establish a safety program for your business. You could become eligible for insurance savings and discounts by implementing and properly documenting safety measures.
Choose to pay insurance premiums in an annual lump sum. Switching from monthly billing could qualify you for a discount on your policy.
Where Can You Get Landscaper Insurance?
Lawn care business insurance offers a mix of essential coverage options tailored for the unique risks encountered by a landscaping company. Many insurers, including these, provide standard business insurance that you can personalize to create your ideal landscaper policy.
- Acuity
- Allianz
- Allstate
- American Family Insurance
- AmTrust Financial
- Auto-Owners Insurance
- Berkshire Hathaway
- Chubb
- Cincinnati Insurance
- Clear Blue Insurance Co.
- CNA
- Erie Insurance
- Farmers Insurance
- Frankenmuth Insurance
- The Hanover
- The Hartford
- Liberty Mutual
- Nationwide
- State Farm
- Tokio Marine
- Travelers
- Utica First Insurance
- Westfield Insurance
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Other Small Business Insurance Types
Although a BOP or other small business insurance policy provides a strong base for protecting your landscape business, you might consider enhancing your coverage with these additional types of insurance.
Commercial Auto Insurance
If you use your vehicle to transport work supplies, such as mowers, fertilizer and tools, you need a commercial auto policy. A personal auto insurance policy usually does not cover accidents that occur while a car is being used for work-related tasks. The best commercial auto insurance policies offer multiple coverages and allow you to select the ones from the list below that best suit your business requirements.
- Bodily injury liability: This part of your liability car insurance coverage pays costs for injuries to others that are caused by you or your employees in an accident.
- Property damage liability: This covers others’ property damage that you or your employees accidentally cause in an accident.
- Combined single limit (CSL): Instead of coverage with separate limits for bodily injury and property damage claims, CSL combines both under one overall limit.
- Personal injury protection and medical payment insurance: These coverages pay medical costs when you and your passengers are involved in an accident, no matter who is at fault. Personal injury protection also can pay for lost wages.
- Collision insurance: Collision insurance pays for repair or replacement costs for a company vehicle when it’s in an accident involving you or your employees.
- Comprehensive insurance: Comprehensive insurance coverage pays repair or replacement costs when your business vehicle is stolen or damaged by a non-crash event, such as vandalism, a fire or flooding.
- Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage: If you collide with an uninsured driver, uninsured motorist coverage pays for you and your passengers’ injuries.
Contractor’s Tools and Equipment Insurance
This coverage protects your business equipment and tools wherever you take them, and pays for repairs or replacement in the event of loss, theft or damage. It typically covers equipment—such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers and hand tools—that’s less than 5 years old.
Herbicide and Pesticide Application Insurance
This coverage protects you against liabilities over herbicides, pesticides and pollution. Landscapers who apply agents to kill weeds and pests may find themselves in legal trouble if chemicals drift and cause harm to crops in other areas. The insurance covers claims brought by your employees, customers and neighbors for any injuries or property damage resulting from herbicide and pesticide application.
Equipment Breakdown Insurance
This coverage comes into play if your mower or leaf blower malfunctions during a job: It helps offset the cost of repairs or replacement. Note that equipment breakdown insurance doesn’t cover regular wear and tear.
Commercial Umbrella Insurance
Commercial umbrella insurance offers an additional protection layer beyond your general liability and commercial auto coverage and fills the gap when a claim surpasses the limits of those policies. If your business is hit with a judgment demanding $700,000 in damages and your general liability coverage is capped at $500,000, your commercial umbrella insurance would cover the $200,000 shortfall. An umbrella policy stretches the shield safeguarding your business from unexpected, high-cost claims.
Workers Compensation Insurance
Workers comp offers vital financial support when an employee experiences a job-related injury or illness. For example, workers compensation insurance can help with medical expenses and offer access to essential medical treatments and benefits if an employee hurts their back while lifting heavy equipment. In most states, workers comp can be required even if you only have one employee.
Surety Bond
Each state has unique licensing and bonding prerequisites for professionals. If your state mandates licensing for individuals engaged in landscaping work, you need to obtain a surety bond. It covers claims related to substandard or unfinished work, also fraud or theft. The phrase “bonded and insured” typically refers to having a surety bond in place.
Inland Marine Insurance
If your landscape business regularly ships products or equipment, you’ll want to consider adding inland marine insurance to your coverage. This type of insurance protects cargo transported over land, including shipments of high-value products or materials commonly excluded from more basic property coverage.
Errors and Omissions Insurance
This type of policy, also called professional liability insurance, offers protection if a client accuses you of doing poor work. It safeguards you from potential legal and financial consequences, even if the claim isn’t valid. For example, if your client alleges that her backyard flooded because you made a mistake with your sprinkler installation, errors and omissions coverage can pay for expenses like your legal fees and any settlement.
Hired and Non-owned Auto Insurance
When you or your employees use rented or personally owned vehicles for your landscape business, this insurance covers bodily injuries and property damage to others. If, for example, an employee uses a rented truck to deliver boxwood trees to a client, the insurance would protect against liabilities resulting from accidents.
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Landscaper Business Insurance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why would a landscaper need insurance?
Landscapers need business insurance to prevent having to pay for unexpected costs that can arise while operating their business.
Regardless of the size of your landscape business, you’ll likely face the challenges of maintaining equipment, meeting appointment deadlines, providing top-quality service and keeping employees in line. To protect your business and employees against unexpected costs, having business insurance is not only crucial but also sometimes mandated by law. The insurance offers essential coverage for your operations and team while providing peace of mind and compliance with legal requirements.
What is liability insurance for a landscaper?
When your landscape business is held responsible for injuries or property damage accidentally caused to others, your general liability insurance helps pay the associated expenses, including legal fees. Some clients may not want to work with you unless you have this coverage.
Does my landscaping business need a commercial auto policy?
A commercial auto policy becomes essential if you use any vehicle for business purposes other than commuting. If you lack adequate coverage, you bear the financial responsibility if you or a driver operating your business vehicle causes an accident that results in injury or property damage to another person. The affected party can file a claim on your policy and initiate a lawsuit against you or the driver, potentially leading to substantial expenses.
