Business insurance in Catskill
Catskill's downtown is a walkable Main Street of historic buildings beside Catskill Creek and the Hudson: stores, restaurants, businesses and cultural venues, with homes among them. Here's what a Catskill business usually needs, and the local rules that change it.
A Catskill small business needs workers' compensation from the first employee, DBL and Paid Family Leave once someone has worked 30 days in a calendar year, general liability for its landlord and clients, and commercial auto for work vehicles. Main Street restaurants and bars add liquor liability under New York's Dram Shop Act. Catskill Creek and the Hudson flooded waterfront businesses in 2011 and 2012, and commercial property policies exclude flood. Short-term rentals need a Village or Town permit, and the Village asks for an insurance binder. My office is in Clifton Park, and I work with Catskill businesses by phone, email and video.
What's different about insuring a business in Catskill
- Main Street. The State describes the village downtown as historic architecture, a pedestrian-scale Main Street and access to Catskill Creek, with a mix of stores, restaurants, businesses, cultural venues and homes. Your lease sets the liability limits and additional insureds, and your stock and improvements need their own property cover. See retail shop insurance and business owners policies.
- Restaurants and bars. General liability plus liquor liability under the Dram Shop Act, spoilage and equipment breakdown, and hired and non-owned auto for delivery. See restaurant and bar insurance.
- Catskill Creek and the Hudson. In 2011 Irene and Lee flooded the waterfront from the creek and the river, and Sandy's storm surge followed in 2012. The Village's report puts the businesses fronting the creek on West Bridge Street in the highest risk area, and the Village has a flood damage prevention ordinance. Flood is a separate policy; see flood insurance.
- The Historic District. The Village requires a permit for painting, windows and siding in the Historic District, as well as for roofs and renovations. Replacement cost and ordinance-or-law coverage are what make a rebuild of an old building possible. See commercial property insurance.
- Contractors. A Village sidewalk or street opening permit needs your certificate of insurance and a hold-harmless for the Village, and the Scaffold Law applies to every roof and facade. See contractor insurance.
- Short-term rentals. The Village and the Town of Catskill each require a permit and an inspection for stays of less than 30 days, the Village asks for an insurance binder, and Greene County asks owners to register. See landlord and short-term rental insurance.
What Catskill businesses carry
Required by New York
Workers' compensation from the first employee, part-time and seasonal staff included, and DBL and Paid Family Leave once someone has worked for you 30 days in a calendar year. Business vehicles need commercial auto.
Required by your landlord and clients
General liability naming them as additional insured, or a business owners policy that packages liability with property and lost income for a shop, studio or small restaurant.
Worth adding
Cyber for card payments and online bookings, employment practices liability once you have staff, a commercial umbrella above general liability and liquor liability, and flood insurance if FEMA's map puts your address in a flood zone, since commercial property policies exclude flood.
By industry
- Restaurants and bars, liquor liability, food trucks
- Gift and retail shops, salons, convenience stores and gas stations
- Contractors and trades, landscapers, cleaning services that turn over rentals
- Short-term and long-term rentals
How I quote a Catskill business
A short conversation about what you do and what your lease requires; quotes from several carriers with what each leaves out, side by side; and certificates usually the same day once you choose. My office is in Clifton Park, and I work with Catskill businesses by phone, email and video; certificates, audits and claims come from me afterward. The business gap check takes three minutes. Nearby: business insurance in Hudson.
Turning 65, or helping a parent with Medicare? Medicare help in Catskill; there's no fee for Medicare plan help.
- Governor Hochul announces Capital Region winners of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward (March 12, 2025) — Village of Catskill: historic architecture, a pedestrian-scale Main Street and waterfront access along Catskill Creek; a mix of stores, restaurants, businesses, cultural venues and residences; read October 27, 2026
- About Our Town (Town of Catskill) — the village has a well-defined Main Street; Dutchman's Landing boat launch on the Hudson; western part of the town in the Catskill Park; read October 27, 2026
- Resilient Catskill: Report of the Catskill Waterfront Resilience Task Force (Village of Catskill and NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program, 2014) — Irene and Lee in 2011 brought flooding from Catskill Creek and storm surge from the Hudson, Sandy in 2012 a record storm surge; significant damages to waterfront homes and businesses; the entire waterfront including commercial areas and Catskill Point affected; businesses fronting the creek in the West Bridge Street area in the highest risk area; business downtime among the main concerns; read October 27, 2026
- Planning and Preparedness (Village of Catskill) — certain areas of the Village are susceptible to flooding; Flood Preparedness Guide; Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance; Waterfront Resilience Task Force report updated July 2020; read October 27, 2026
- Code Enforcement and Planning (Village of Catskill) — permits required for alterations and renovations, roofs, windows and siding, sidewalks and curb cuts, and painting, windows and siding in the Historic District; read October 27, 2026
- Short Term Rental Permit/Renewal Application (Village of Catskill) — Section 4.15 of the Village zoning: rentals of less than 30 days; copy of house insurance; copy of insurance binder and paid receipt; full inspection; permit expires December 31; a contact person available while the rental is occupied; no commercial events unless the event venue rules are met; read October 27, 2026
- Application for Sidewalk / Street Openings (Village of Catskill) — applicant holds the Village harmless from liability claims; contractor's insurance and the required certificate of insurance must be included; DPW inspection; read October 27, 2026
- Application for Short Term Rental Permit/Renewal (Town of Catskill Code Enforcement) — rentals of less than 30 days; inspection by a code enforcement officer; a host available by telephone at all times while occupied; Chapter 133 of the Town Code; read October 27, 2026
- Register Short-Term Rental Units in Greene County, NY (Greene County) — owners asked to register short-term rental units through the County's customer portal; read October 27, 2026
- Disability and Paid Family Leave coverage requirements (NY WCB) — required after employing one or more people for 30 days
- General Obligations Law §11-101, the Dram Shop Act (NY Senate)
- NY Labor Law §240 (Scaffold Law)
- Flood map service center (FEMA) — look up any Catskill address
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
Still have a question? Call (518) 902-8822 or book a call.
My business is near Catskill Creek. If it floods, am I covered?
Not by a standard commercial property policy; flood is excluded. The Village's 2014 resilience report describes flooding from Catskill Creek and storm surge from the Hudson during Tropical Storms Irene and Lee in 2011, then Sandy's storm surge in 2012, with significant damage to waterfront homes and businesses, and puts the businesses fronting the creek on West Bridge Street in the highest risk area. Flood is a separate policy, through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier, and business income usually pays only after damage from a covered cause, so ask how each quote treats flood.
What insurance do I need for a short-term rental permit in the Village of Catskill?
The Village's permit covers rentals of less than 30 days, runs to December 31 and needs an inspection. The application asks for a copy of your house insurance and an insurance binder, along with a named contact for while guests are there. A homeowners policy often limits or excludes paying guests, so I check that before you send it in. The Town of Catskill has its own permit under Chapter 133 of the Town Code, and Greene County asks owners to register their rentals. The landlord insurance page explains the options.
I'm a contractor working in the village. What will they ask for?
A building permit for most work, including roofs, windows and siding, and in the Historic District, painting, windows and siding too. Opening a sidewalk or street needs a Village permit, where you agree to hold the Village harmless and attach your contractor's certificate of insurance. Clients and general contractors ask for workers' comp and DBL certificates and general liability that names them when the contract requires it, and the Scaffold Law applies to any work at height; the contractor page goes through each.
My shop is in an old building on Main Street. What should the property policy say?
Replacement cost rather than actual cash value, a limit based on what it costs to rebuild that building today rather than its sale price, and ordinance-or-law coverage for the code upgrades a partial rebuild triggers. If you rent, make sure the improvements you paid for are covered; the landlord's policy usually doesn't cover them.
Are you in Catskill?
No. My office is in Clifton Park, and I work with Catskill businesses by phone, email and video; certificates, audits and claims come from me afterward.
Get a quote for your business
Tell me what you do, where, and roughly what payroll looks like. Quotes come from the private carriers I represent, usually within days.
Where I work
I'm based in Clifton Park and meet people in person across six counties. Catskill is outside them, so I work with Catskill businesses by phone, email and video.
Close to the Clifton Park office: Clifton Knolls, Country Knolls, Rexford, Vischer Ferry, Jonesville, Groom's Corners and Halfmoon across Route 9 — I'll come to you at home.
Auto, home and business insurance by town
Medicare has its own county and town pages.