Get the landscaping insurance you need so you can focus on successfully growing and running your lawn care business!
Why LandPro?
- Specialized coverage options specifically for the landscaping & lawn care industry
- Risk control, claims management, and compliance & safety resources
- We handle crane and boom exposures, snow & ice removal that many of our competitors ignore
Landscapers and lawn care specialists are faced with many challenges, not the least of which is managing complex risk and insuring themselves against loss. Don’t let an accident, injury, property damage, or theft put you out of business. The right landscaping insurance policy can help you manage the legal and financial burdens if the unexpected happens.
Types of Landscaping Work We Cover
- Landscape Contracting
- Landscape Gardening
- Lawn Care Services
- Lawn Sprinkler Services
- Spraying Operations
- Sprinkler and Irrigation Installation and Repair
- Pesticide Application (non-aerial)
Landscaping Insurance Coverages
General Liability
A standard insurance policy issued to businesses to protect them against liability claims for bodily injury and property damage from out of premises, operations, products, and completed operations.
Example: A client hires your landscaping company for a mowing job. While mowing the lawn, one of your employees accidentally hits a sprinkler head. The sprinkler head is damaged and need to be repaired. In this scenario, general liability will most likely cover the cost to replace the sprinkler head since it was damaged due to your work.
Automobile Liability
Insurance that protects the insured against financial loss because of legal liability for automobile-related injuries to others or damage to their property by an automobile.
Example: One of your employees is driving a work van back from a landscaping job. While traveling, your driver rear ends another vehicle at a stop light. Your commercial auto liability insurance would cover the vehicle and any property damage incurred during the accident. A personal auto insurance policy will typically not cover your work vehicles – even if the driver is off duty.
Property
An insurance policy for businesses that insures against damage to their buildings and contents due to a covered cause of loss, such as a fire. The policy may also cover loss of income or increase in expenses that result from property damage.
Example: The building you use as the main office for your business is severely damaged by a severe windstorm. In addition to the building damage, the equipment you were storing in the building was damaged by debris from the building. Your property insurance would cover the physical structure itself, as well as, the property you have stored inside of it.
Inland Marine
Insurance policy that covers the loss or damage to any transport by which the property is transferred, acquired, or held between the point of origin and the final destination.
Example: On the way to a lawn care job, you make a stop before getting to the jobsite. While away from the vehicle, you notice the trailer you were hauling has been broken into and some of the equipment that was in it has been stolen. In this instance, Inland Marine insurance would cover the cost to help replace the stolen tools and equipment that was in transit.
Umbrella Liability
Umbrella liability insurance covers claims in excess of regular homeowners and auto policy coverage with the main purpose of protecting assets from an unforeseen event, such as a tragic accident in which the business is liable.
Example: While working at a jobsite, you are digging up an area a client to install an additional sprinkler. While digging, you accidentally hit the irrigation line subsequently causing the client’s entire yard to flood. The cost of the repairs and lawsuit exceed the limits set by your General Liability policy. In this case, your Umbrella policy would provide the extra coverage needed to handle the expenses incurred from the accident.
Crime
A commercial crime insurance policy typically provides several different types of crime coverage including employee dishonesty coverage, forgery or alteration coverage, computer fraud coverage, funds transfer fraud coverage, kidnap, ransom, or extortion coverage.
Example: Several your employees work onsite at the main office of your landscaping company. At some point, you discover that one of your employees has been stealing company tools and selling them. Your Crime policy would cover the items the employee has been stealing.
Contractors Pollution Liability
Contractor-based insurance policy, offered on a claims-made or occurrence basis, that provides third-party coverage for bodily injury, property damage, defense, cleanup, and related defense costs as a result of pollution conditions arising from contracting operations performed by or on behalf of the contractor.
Example: A corporate office client hired your landscaping company to prune some spray pesticide around the perimeter of their building. While performing the pesticide application, one of your employees accidentally overturns their spray rig, dumping pesticide on the client’s lawn. Several of the office employees claim that they are feeling ill after being in contact with the area where the spill occurred. A pollution liability policy will cover not just area damaged from the pesticide spill, but also any injuries caused by pollution.
Employment Practices Liability
Employment practices liability insurance protects employees against resulting litigation, including claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination.
Example: An employee of your landscaping is terminated due to their work performance. However, the employee claims wrongful termination on the grounds of discrimination. In this instance, an Employment Practices Liability policy would protect you against a potential employee lawsuit related to this claim.
Cyber Liability
Cyber liability covers exposures when communicating or conducting business online. Potential liabilities include the internet and email. Online communication tools could result in claims alleging breaches of privacy rights, infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property, employment discrimination, violations of obscenity laws, the spreading of computer viruses, and defamation.
Example: Your landscaping company launches a new website to highlight the services you offer for customers in your area, book appointments, and make payments. Within a few weeks, you discover that your website has been hacked and your business is now being extorted to pay money in order to release the website. A cyber liability policy would cover lost income due to business interruption, extortion, data loss, and more.
Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation provides no-fault statutory benefits prescribed in state law by an employer to an employee (or the employee’s family) due to a job-related injury (including death) resulting from an accident or occupational disease.
Example: While mowing a client’s lawn, one your employees has an accident with a piece of equipment and is injured. Your Workers’ Compensation policy would cover the work-related injury to your employee. Workers’ Compensation is required in all states, the laws of which vary from state to state.
Landscaping Frequently Asked Questions
The landscaping and lawn care industry, like many other green industry sectors, has its high share of risks annually. Due to the nature of the work being performed, it is not uncommon for landscaping professionals to encounter claims stemming from workplace injuries, property damage due to work performed, or other associated risks. Professional landscaping and lawn care companies should always carry the proper landscaping insurance to protect themselves from these incidents. Without the right coverage, claims of this nature ultimately can destroy even the largest landscaping and lawn care businesses.
General liability is the most essential landscaping insurance coverage a landscaper should have for their day to day operations. General liability coverage will protect your business in the event a bodily injury or property related claim arises from your work. Workers’ Comp insurance is also necessary if you have employees, regardless if they are full-time or not. A commercial auto policy will protect your vehicle fleet by providing coverage that a personal auto policy normally will not be able to meet. Whether you’re based from home or have a physical office location, commercial property insurance will not only cover the building location, but also provides insurance on the landscaping tools and equipment you have stored there. An inland marine policy will protect any of the lawn care equipment you are transporting to and from jobsites.
The amount of insurance you carry is largely driven by the type of work you do and the size of your operation. For residential work, homeowners will be more comfortable with a landscaper they know has adequate insurance coverage. It is best to have more insurance than you feel is needed because in the unfortunate event a claim occurs, you don’t want to risk your business you spent years building.
Landscaping and lawn insurance cost varies from company to company. There are several factors that influence the cost of insurance, ranging from the size of your business, the assets you want to protect, and the area you work in. Additionally, lawn care insurance costs may be higher depending on the type and scope of the work your business performs. If your landscaping company generally undertakes higher risk work or utilizes heavy equipment (such as cranes or lifts), you are likely to see a higher premium cost because of the higher rate of exposure your business faces.
The most common claims seen by landscaping insurance companies vary from property or bodily injury due to work performed, commercial vehicle accidents, and workers’ compensation claims from work related injuries. The most common accidents landscaping and lawn care professionals encounter in their work range from transportation-related injuries or equipment related injuries (chainsaws, mowers, trimmers, etc.).
Earning or hiring an employee with a Landscape Industry Certified credential establishes your business as being highly skilled industry professionals. Additionally, a landscaping certification could help you acquire job bids and contracts that are normally not available to general landscapers. While a Landscape Industry Certified credential does not directly influence your lawn care insurance rates, it does establish a culture of safety and risk management which will help reduce your claims.
In the event of a landscaping related incident caused by your work, the first step is to document the incident in as much detail as possible. Make note of who was involved, the work being done when the incident occurred, and any injuries or damage that occurred. Next, contact your landscaping insurance carrier to report the incident and provide them with as much detail as necessary. As a LandPro client, you’ll be able to utilize our expert claims center to help you manage your claims and ensure your business continues operating without interruption.
LandPro offers every client premier service they need to keep their operations running. Our approach is to provide you with the coverage and protection you want and expect from your landscaping insurance. Additionally, LandPro helps you to reduce claims by providing access to our world class risk management services, expert claims assistance, and more. With over 30+ years of industry experience, LandPro knows exactly what tree care professionals need out of their insurance coverage.
Experience Modification Rate (EMR), also known as eMod or mod rate, is a critical component of an employer’s workers’ compensation insurance premiums. Your landscaping company’s losses throughout prior years directly influence what your Experience Modification Rate will be. The losses are examined to determine any potential future losses and appropriately price out your landscaping insurance premium.
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Read MoreEducational Content for Landscapers
NALP landscaping & lawn care business safety resources covering everything from OSHA standards, landscaping equipment & jobsite safety, and lawn care professional training. Landscaping professionals should access & familiarize themselves with the safety topics and articles presented from the largest landscaping association in the country. In addition to free resources, the NALP also offers additional resources for associated members.
OSHA Young Workers Landscaping Safety
Resources, fact sheets, and regulations for young working involved in the landscaping industry. As the green industry continues to look for labor opportunities, a younger workforce is being encouraged to be brought in. Lawn care professionals looking to employ or engage young workers should access these resources for their benefit and to comply with the legal obligations set by OSHA.
OSHA Safety and health programs articles and standards available for lawn care service professionals. All green industry professionals in the landscaping & lawn care sectors must comply with the safety and health standards put in place by OSHA. Business owners should familiarize themselves with these standards and ensure their staff is properly trained on the correct OSHA safety standards.
DOL Young Landscapers Health & Safety
Brochure detailing common hazards, health risks, and issues young landscapers commonly encounter. Young workers being employed for landscape and green industry work should have their workers’ right made available to them. Additionally, landscaping business owners should ensure youth workers & senior staff be trained in the proper safety protocol for lawn care work, handling landscaping equipment, and more.
The OSHAcademy offers a number of training courses on topics that landscapers commonly face in their line of work. Course topics include bloodborne pathogens & personal protective equipment, heavy equipment safety, landscaper safety trainer qualifications, lawn care business management training, and more. Business owners and their staff can utilize these modules for extensive training purposes.
The NALP Apprenticeship Program is designed to pair landscaping business owners with top tier talent prospectives looking for careers in the green industry. As the green industry has been faced with a growing labor shortage, the NALP looks to help through partnering landscaping & lawn care business owners with young professionals. Business owners looking for new staff or to pass on their knowledge of the lawn care industry should participate in the program.
OSHA provides small business resources available for landscaping & lawn care business owners. Small business owners can access useful information regarding OSHA compliance assistance, handbooks, co-op programs, and more. OSHA also provides Spanish language resources, publications, and dictionaries. Green industry professionals should utilize these resources to manage their safety training, staff engagement, and business development.
A collection of toolkits & resources for green industry professionals & landscaping business owners. The NALP provides resources ranging from landscaper safety, lawn care technician training, finance, marketing, and more. Additionally, landscaping professionals can utilize operations guides and toolkits to help improve their business efforts.
American Society of Landscape Architects Online Learning
Online continuing education resources available for landscape architect professionals available through the American Society of Landscape Architects. The ASLA has a variety of resources covering topics ranging from running a landscape architecture business, landscape design, career development, and more. ASLA members & non-members can purchase courses that fulfill Professional Development Hours needed to meet state licensure requirements.
Official blog of the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Articles cover topics ranging from lawn care business management, landscaping equipment maintenance, and more. Landscaping professionals should utilize these blog to successfully manage their business efforts, help improve landscaping client satisfaction, and maximize their company profitability.
Lawn & Landscape Magazine Videos
A collection of video from Lawn & Landscape Magazine. Content & topics range from landscaping expert tips, lawn equipment management, podcasts, webinars, and more. Landscaping & lawn care professionals should find these videos useful as training modules to engage their staff. New content is added regularly covering all topics concerning the green industry, landscaping equipment, and lawn care techniques.
Irrigation & Green Industry Magazine Videos & Podcasts
Landscaping, green industry, and irrigation product reviews, podcasts, webisodes, and more. Irrigation & Green Industry magazine covers a wide array of topics in their video series. From irrigation & lawn care product reviews to the latest news concerning the green industry, viewers can access this free content at their convenience.
Turf Magazine Business Management Resources
Turf Magazine offers a library of current articles covering topics in landscaping & lawn care business management including lawn care equipment management, small landscaping business COVID-19 relief, and other green industry trends. New resources are updated regularly with the latest trends and topics concerning landscaping & green industry sectors.
Lawn & Landscape Benchmarking Your Business Report
A state by state collection of benchmarking data useful to landscaping professionals & lawn care business owners who need comparative information on landscaping equipment costs, lawn service rates, and employee wages. Business owners should utilize the provided data to road map their landscaping profit margins, expansion efforts, and more.
Green Industry Pros’ Lawn Care Business Hiring Best Practice Tips
The landscaping & lawn care industry has been challenge with a labor shortage but that should deter business owners from developing a hiring strategy to obtain the qualified employees for to help grow their operations. Green Industry Pros’ provides insight on how to weed through candidates to find employees that will fit your landscaping & lawn care business and will be engage for the long term.
Total Landscape Care’s Landscaping Company Finance Tips
In this article, Total Landscape Care offers five tips landscaping business owners should take to manage their company finances, plan for future growth, and maximize profits from their lawn care services. Landscaping business owners looking to plan a growth strategy and take their lawn care services to the next level will benefit greatly from these resources. Planning the future of your company’s finances could be the boost needed to keep your green industry business running for the long haul.
OSHA Safety & Compliance Standards
OSHA safety & compliance standards resources for landscaping professionals & lawn care service business owners. All landscaping & green industry workers must adhere the OSHA’s safety & compliance standards. Failure to comply with OSHA standards could result in safety violations, fines, or legal prosecution.
OSHA listing and description of landscaping and green industry job classification codes. Landscaping professionals should familiarize themselves these codes and the work that falls under each for insurance purposes. In order to determine accurate insurance coverage for a lawn care company, business owners should acquire coverage for the entire scope of their work.
List of OSHA published landscaping & lawn care industry related articles. A collections of quick cards, fact sheets, and more. OSHA provides publications regarding proper chainsaw safety, pesticide application hazards, and more landscaping related topics. Business owners should utilize these publications for employee awareness and training.
| 97047 – Lawn & Landscape |
| 99935 – Commercial Umbrella |
| 97050 – Lawn Care Services |
| 99777 – Tree Pruning, Dusting, Spraying, Repairing, Trimming or Fumigating |
| 95410 – Grading of Land |
| 91590 – Contractors Permanent Yards–Maintenance or Storage of Equipment or Material |
| 96702 – Irrigation or Drainage System Construction |
| 98483 – Plumbing–Residential or Domestic |
| 98482 – Plumbing-Commercial and Industrial |
| 16291 – Construction operations contractor (not railroads) |
| 99310 – Snow and Ice Removal-Contractor |
| 94007 – Excavation |
| 97447 – Masonry |
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In this webinar, John Bertoli & Marissa Weidenborner explain how your small or medium sized business can navigate COVID-19 relief resources.
Here are the most frequent claims that we see related to green industry professionals in the landscaping, lawn care service, and landscape design sectors:
| Loss Description Code | Business Classification |
| Collision or Sideswipe With Another Vehicle | Landscapers & lawn care service specialists |
| Collision with Other Vehicle | Lawn care service professionals |
| Other | Landscaping professionals |
| Struck while Parked | Landscapers & lawn care service specialists |
| Theft | Landscapers & landscape designers |
| Collision with a Fixed Object | Landscaping professionals |
Here are the most severe claims that we see related to green industry professionals in the landscaping, lawn care service, and landscape design sectors:
| State | Coverage | Loss Description | Total Incurred |
| CA | Auto Physical Damage | Fire | $59,513 |
| PA | Auto Liability | Collision or Sideswipe With Another Vehicle | $50,036 |
| NV | Auto Physical Damage | Fire | $45,128 |
| CA | Auto Physical Damage | Collision with Other Vehicle | $41,246 |
| NY | Inland Marine | Fire | $35,962 |
Here are the top 10 green industry professional accounts LandPro has recently bound throughout the landscaping, lawn care service, and landscape design sectors:
| State | Business Classification | Policy Type | Premium |
| FL | Landscape Contractor | GL, Prop, Auto, Inland Marine | $316,944 |
| AZ | Landscape Gardening Service | GL, Prop, Auto | $29,336 |
| CA | Landscape Gardening Service | GL, Prop, Auto, Inland Marine, Excess | $64,621 |
| NJ | Landscape Gardening Service | GL, Prop, Auto, Excess | $51,380 |
| NY | Landscape Contractor | GL, Prop, Auto | $96,807 |
| NY | Landscape Contractor | GL, Prop, Auto, Excess | $394,883 |
| CA | Landscape Gardening Service | GL, Prop, Auto, Inland Marine, Excess | $44,037 |
| FL | Landscape Contractor | GL, Prop, Auto | $118,751 |
| CA | Landscape Gardening Service | GL, Prop, Auto, Inland Marine | $28,301 |
| NY | Landscape Contractor | GL, Prop, Auto, Excess | $39,960 |