Convenience store, deli and gas station insurance
Corner stores, delis and gas stations are long-hours, cash-heavy businesses with stock that spoils, coolers that fail, and, at gas stations, tanks in the ground that the state cares about a great deal. Many of the owners I work with in Albany, Schenectady and Troy run them as families. The insurance is a package, and the package has to be built around what you actually sell.
A convenience store needs general liability, property coverage for stock and equipment, crime coverage for cash and employee theft, workers' compensation, and liquor liability if it sells beer or wine. A gas station adds underground storage tank pollution liability, which New York requires tank owners to demonstrate financial responsibility for, and canopy and pump property coverage. Tobacco, lottery and EBT sales each bring their own underwriting questions.
The store package
- General liability: slips on wet floors, the parking lot, food you prepare.
- Property: building or improvements, stock, coolers, shelving, POS, signage, plus spoilage and equipment breakdown.
- Business income: a fire or a long outage stops the till.
- Crime: money inside and outside, employee dishonesty, lottery stock.
- Liquor liability for beer and wine sales.
- Workers' compensation and DBL/PFL, including for family members on the payroll.
- Cyber: card skimming at the pump and the POS is a real exposure.
Gas station additions
| Coverage | Why |
|---|---|
| Underground storage tank pollution liability | DEC financial responsibility; cleanup and third-party claims from leaks |
| Canopy, pumps and dispensers | Property items with their own values and wind and vehicle-impact exposure |
| Garage liability or garagekeepers | If you offer repairs, inspections or car washes |
| Higher liability limits | Fuel handling and vehicle traffic raise the injury exposure |
Get the tank records before you sign
Tank age, registration, tightness tests and any prior spill history decide whether a pollution policy is available and at what price. A station with an undocumented 1980s steel tank can be uninsurable for pollution, which makes it unfinanceable. Ask for the DEC registration and test records as part of due diligence, and send them to me.
What I need to quote
- Sales by category: fuel, grocery, prepared food, beer and wine, tobacco, lottery.
- Hours, employees and payroll, family members included.
- Building, equipment and stock values; cash on hand and safes.
- For gas stations: tank registration, age, construction and test records.
Request a quote. Also available in Turkish.
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
Still have a question? Call (518) 902-8822 or book a call.
What insurance does a gas station need for its tanks?
New York requires owners of petroleum storage tanks to register them with the Department of Environmental Conservation and to be able to pay for cleanup and third-party damage from a leak. Underground storage tank pollution liability insurance is the usual way to meet that, and general liability excludes pollution entirely. Tank age, construction and leak detection drive the premium.
Do I need liquor liability to sell beer?
Off-premises sales carry lower rates than a bar, but the Dram Shop exposure for selling to a visibly intoxicated person or a minor is the same, and general liability excludes it. Yes, carry it; the premium is modest for a store. See the liquor liability page.
Is spoilage covered when a cooler fails?
Only with a spoilage endorsement, which pays for stock lost to equipment breakdown or a power outage. Add equipment breakdown for the coolers and compressors themselves. For a store with $20,000 of refrigerated stock, both are essential.
What about robbery and employee theft?
Crime coverage: money and securities inside and outside the premises, and employee dishonesty. Late-night cash businesses need it. Carriers will ask about drop safes, cameras and cash-handling procedures, and they price accordingly.
Do tobacco, vape and lottery sales affect coverage?
They affect underwriting. Some carriers decline stores with a high share of tobacco or vape sales; lottery terminals require crime coverage adequate for the ticket stock; and stores that lose a tobacco or lottery license lose revenue the policy won't replace. I ask about each on the application so the quote holds.
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 work in person across six counties, the four on the map plus Warren and Washington, or by phone.
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.