All About Lawn Care Insurance

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Written By: Mark Marino, a Massachusetts Core Applicator License holder
and owner/operator of Lawn Phix,

No AI pledge. Authored and reviewed by Mark, not robots. Learn more.

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What impacts the cost of my landscaping liability insurance?

Business owners need business insurance to protect financial assets. Businesses in all industries face risks that are mitigated by insurance. Lawn care insurance cost is an essential investment for a landscaping company.

The most common type of landscaping business insurance cost that business owners invest in is general liability insurance. General liability coverage protects against incidents of property damage, bodily injury, medical payments, legal defense, and more. Although it’s not a legal requirement to carry liability insurance, it’s very risky to operate without it.

Common situations that lawn mowing business insurance would cover for a landscaping business include damaging a fence with a lawnmower, broken windows from objects thrown from mower blades, or incorrectly applied fertilizer or herbicide resulting in damaged landscaping plants, as well as injuries to employees and customers.

General Liability Insurance

Commercial liability insurance is designed to minimize and protect against risk to your business. Safe and ethical business operations and practices can’t eliminate all risks. Accidents resulting in injury, property damage, or medical payments can be extremely costly, and insurance mitigates those costs. Industry-specific risks like cuts and amputations and difficult landscaping operations like using mowers for the lawn in all kinds of conditions are common hazards for landscapers. Liability is a common effective way to minimize the risk in hazardous business operations situations.

Cuts and amputations, property damage, and business misunderstandings and disputes are common in the landscaping industry. Risks require protection to avoid losses from legal and dangerous circumstances. Businesses need insurance because even the best business operations such as safety training, standard operating procedures, and sufficient oversight from managers and supervisors can’t mitigate all risks.

What Affects the Cost of Liability Insurance?

When you need insurance, the cost is one of the first questions you have after finding out about coverage. There are various factors that affect the cost of liability insurance, especially in the landscaping industry. The size of your business, your business vehicles and their use, and the number of claims you have had previously are common factors.

A growing business is normally a sign of success, but it can be a factor in higher insurance costs. That’s because more business operations mean more opportunities for incidents, as well as more employees and more equipment involved.        

Business vehicles and their use affect insurance costs. The value of the vehicle(s), how much they are driven for business use, and history of accidents and claims go into determining premiums. New vehicles with high mileage and drivers with many claims will warrant higher-cost policies. A well-maintained fleet with average driving and conservative claims histories will keep costs down.

The number of claims you have had previously, or your experience rating, and how it compares to similar businesses will affect your policy costs. Insurers use historical data to quote policy costs and underwrite policies. Your history will be modified by an analysis in three-year increments. This helps mitigate a bad year or a particularly bad accident.

Landscaping Liability Insurance FAQs

Is business insurance the same as general liability insurance?

“Business insurance” is described as any insurance coverage a business may need. General liability insurance is one type of coverage that business owners need to protect their assets.

What is included in business insurance?

Business insurance includes coverage such as general liability, business interruption protection, and property insurance. Business insurance policies are customizable, often including professional liability, commercial auto, or and other types of coverage depending on your business needs. Landscaping companies may want protection for herbicide and pesticide applications or snowplow operations.

When should you get business liability insurance?

You may think business insurance is a big expense for a new business, but you should have insurance in place before you begin business operations. You need to protect your assets and you can’t cover losses with insurance after an incident has already occurred.

What type of insurance does a landscaper need?

A landscaper needs at least general liability insurance. Other insurance that may be needed is commercial auto coverage, snowplow operations coverage, and commercial property coverage.

How much is insurance for a landscaping business?

Costs for insurance for landscaping businesses will vary depending on factors like landscaping profession (tree service, landscape design, etc), years in operation, industry risk, location, and policy limits. Higher risks operations and higher policy limits will have higher premiums. Insurance underwriters will ask about your business operations and use industry information to put together your policy and premiums.

How to Find Liability Insurance?

When you are organizing your business and preparing to start operations, you will need liability insurance. How do you get coverage? You can contact insurance providers you know about or have been referred to by colleagues or the legal council. You may want to talk to a local agent about your business or try a couple of online sources for quotes.

You might also consider working with a commercial insurance broker to understand your insurance needs and have them get quotes for you. They will analyze your business and suggest coverage types and amounts and providers. You will benefit from the industry experience and in-depth understanding of insurance with brokers, however, there may be a charge for their surfaces.

Additionally, working with brokers can give you an advantage when it comes to finding and managing your liability insurance. Brokers can work with you annually to review your coverage and your business needs and suggest changes to your policy if you have any business changes. They can help you find the best providers and work with providers to manage your insurance claims and coverage.

When it comes to liability insurance for a landscaping business, many factors come into play to determine how much a policy costs. Type of business, size of business, history of claims, location, and policy limits are going to be important determining factors that providers consider to provide quotes. When looking for a policy, be sure to look at what is covered, liability limits, cost, reviews of the providers, and customer experience for claims processes and managing your account.

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Author's Note: this piece has been updated for accuracy since its first publication on

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Author: Mark Marino
My name is Mark Marino, and I am the founder, owner, and operator of Lawn Phix. With a passion for lawn care and turf nutrition for over a decade, I've dedicated countless hours to correcting soil and perfecting lawns. Today, my expertise, backed by formal courses at UMass Extension Pesticide Education, allows me to offer top-tier lawn care services and advice. I am a fully licensed and insured lawn care applicator in Massachusetts, specializing in comprehensive turf nutrition, weed control, and lawn pest control. My license number is AL-0053865. Contact me at [email protected] or +1 (508) 500-8402.

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