Business insurance in Glens Falls

Published by Ibrahim Afyon, RSSA® New York–licensed P&C agent and broker · NPN 21711447 · Clifton Park, NY

What's different about insuring a business in Glens Falls and Queensbury

• Glen Street. The city's revitalization plan describes downtown as the commercial and cultural hub for Warren, Washington and upper Saratoga counties, with Glen Street lined by shops, restaurants, coffee shops, bars and professional offices. Restaurants and bars need liquor liability under the Dram Shop Act as well as general liability; see restaurant and bar insurance, retail shops and, for offices, professional liability.
• Historic brick buildings. Part of downtown is in the Three Squares Historic District: brick commercial and office buildings of two to five stories, many built after devastating fires. Older buildings cost more to rebuild than they sell for, so commercial property should be written at replacement cost with ordinance-or-law coverage.
• Ice dams and snow. The city's building code table marks ice-barrier underlayment as required, which it reserves for places with a history of ice-dam damage. Water from an ice dam and the weight of snow on a flat roof are property claims; I check how each quote treats them.
• Route 9 and Aviation Road. In Queensbury, the outlet shops on the stretch of Route 9 called the Million Dollar Half-Mile, the Great Escape and the campgrounds make summer traffic highly seasonal, and Aviation Road has retail toward the Aviation Mall. Plaza and mall leases set the liability limits and additional insureds, and summer hires need workers' comp from day one.
• Short-term rentals. Glens Falls requires a short-term rental permit under §220-40 of its zoning code, with proof of insurance for at least the value of the dwelling plus the minimum liability coverage for property damage and bodily injury that the city's form sets, and occupancy tax registration with the Warren County Treasurer. Queensbury short-term rentals register with Warren County. See landlord and short-term rental insurance.

What Glens Falls and Queensbury businesses carry

Required by New York

Workers' compensation from the first employee, 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, office or small restaurant.

Worth adding

Cyber for card payments and client records, 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
• Retail shops, salons and barbershops, convenience stores
• Medical and dental offices, consultants and other professionals
• Contractors and trades (New York's Scaffold Law applies on every roof and facade), landscapers, auto repair shops

How I quote a Glens Falls or Queensbury 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; certificates usually the same day once you choose; and one number afterward for certificates, audits and claims. My office is in Clifton Park, and I meet owners at their business, at the office, or by phone or video. The business gap check takes three minutes. Up the road: business insurance in Lake George.

The Town of Queensbury has its own business insurance page.

Turning 65, or helping a parent with Medicare? Medicare help in Glens Falls; there's no fee for Medicare plan help.