Business insurance in Highland and the Town of Lloyd
Highland is the hamlet at the west end of the Walkway Over the Hudson, in a town that has long drawn visitors for the river and the outdoors. Here's what a Highland business needs, and the Town of Lloyd rules that change it.
A Highland 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. Highland is a hamlet in the Town of Lloyd, so the Town sets the local rules: building permits and road openings need proof of workers' compensation and liability insurance with the Town named, and short-term rentals need a Planning Board special use permit and a yearly fire safety inspection. The Twaalfskill and Black Creek have flooded, and commercial property policies exclude flood. My office is in Clifton Park, and I work with Highland businesses by phone, email and video.
What's different about insuring a business in Highland
- A hamlet, so the Town sets the rules. Highland is a hamlet within the Town of Lloyd, with no village government of its own, so permits and inspections go through the Town's Building and Zoning Enforcement Department at Town Hall, 12 Church Street. The Town's 2013 comprehensive plan, as the county's hazard plan quotes it, aims to keep the town's rural, residential and agricultural character while encouraging commercial development.
- Walkway and river visitors. The Walkway Over the Hudson, now a state park, connects Highland to Poughkeepsie; the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, part of the Empire State Trail, runs west from it; and the Town has a boat launch at Highland Landing Park and a Black Creek launch on Route 299. The Town's own welcome page points visitors to restaurants, delis, taverns and specialty shops. See restaurant and bar insurance, liquor liability under the Dram Shop Act, retail shops and general liability.
- Contractors and Town permits. The Building Department's permit checklist asks for proof of workers' compensation on form C-105.2 and proof of liability insurance with the Town of Lloyd named as co-insured. Road openings need a cash or surety bond and the same insurance forms. See contractor insurance and workers' compensation; work at height carries Scaffold Law exposure.
- B&Bs and short-term rentals. Short-term rentals need a Planning Board special use permit under section 100-42.a and a fire safety and property maintenance inspection before the permit and at least once a year after it; the permit runs two years. See landlord and short-term rental insurance.
- The Twaalfskill and Black Creek. The county's hazard plan says the Twaalfskill runs along Route 44/55 and Vineyard Avenue through the hamlet, which flooded in Irene, Lee and Sandy; Black Creek flooding caused the most damage in the Town, and properties near the Swartekill in the west can flood too. The Town has three repetitive loss and one severe repetitive loss properties. Commercial property excludes flood; flood insurance is a separate policy.
What Highland 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, clients and the Town
General liability naming them as additional insured, with the wording a lease, contract or Town permit asks for, or a business owners policy that packages liability with property and lost income for a shop, deli or small restaurant. New LLC owners can read business insurance for a new LLC.
Worth adding
Flood insurance if FEMA's map puts your address in a flood zone, cyber for card payments and online bookings, inland marine for tools and equipment that leave the shop, employment practices liability once you have staff, and a commercial umbrella above general liability, liquor liability and auto.
By industry
- Restaurants, delis and taverns, liquor liability, food trucks
- Specialty and antique shops, salons, medical and dental offices
- Contractors and trades, landscapers and cleaning services
- Auto repair shops and convenience stores and gas stations
- B&Bs and rental properties
How I quote a Highland business
A short conversation about what you do and what your lease, contract or Town permit requires; quotes from several carriers with what each leaves out, side by side; and once you choose and the policies are in force, I get you the certificates. My office is in Clifton Park, and I work with Highland businesses by phone, email and video; audits and claims come through me afterward. The business gap check takes three minutes. County filings and permits are on the Ulster County business insurance page. Nearby: New Paltz, Kingston and Poughkeepsie.
Turning 65, or helping a parent with Medicare? Medicare help in Highland; there's no fee for Medicare plan help.
- Ulster County Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024, Section 9.10: Town of Lloyd (August 2024) — in the eastern portion of Ulster County bordering the Hudson River; formed in 1845; long a destination for outdoor recreation; the hamlet of Highland within the Town; the Walkway Over the Hudson connects Highland on the west bank to Poughkeepsie on the east bank; 2013 comprehensive plan vision to preserve the rural, residential and agricultural character while encouraging commercial development; the all-volunteer Lloyd Economic Development Committee formed to help new and existing business; Flood Damage Prevention, Chapter 60; the Twaalfskill runs along Route 44/55-Vineyard Ave through the hamlet area, which flooded during Irene, Lee and Sandy; Black Creek flooding in those storms caused the most dollar damage in the Town; some flooding near the Swartekill in the west; three repetitive loss and one severe repetitive loss properties; read October 27, 2026
- Ulster County (NY.gov county profile) — municipalities include 'Lloyd, Town of'; no Village of Highland listed; read October 27, 2026
- Town of Lloyd home page — Town Hall, 12 Church Street, Highland, NY 12528; (845) 691-2144; checked October 27, 2026
- Welcome to the Town of Lloyd (Town Supervisor's Office) — the hamlet of Highland at the heart of the Town; the Walkway Over the Hudson, now a state park; the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, part of the Empire State Trail; Bob Shepard Highland Landing Park with free boat launching; a Black Creek launch on Route 299; restaurants, delis, pizza, taverns and specialty shops including antiques and musical instruments; B&Bs; read October 27, 2026
- Building Zoning Enforcement (Town of Lloyd) — 12 Church Street, Highland; (845) 691-2144; building permit applications, driveway permit, flood plain permit, road opening/road cut bond form, short-term rental special use permit application and regulations; checked October 27, 2026
- Building Permit Application, Short Form (Town of Lloyd) — checklist: proof of workers' compensation insurance (C105.2 form); proof of liability insurance with Town of Lloyd as co-insured, 'Town of Lloyd, 12 Church Street, Highland, NY 12528'; Ulster County electrical license; inspections at all reasonable times; read October 27, 2026
- Road Opening Bond Form (Town of Lloyd) — road repaired to the standards of the Town of Lloyd Highway Code, Chapter 89; deposit by check, cash or other surety bond, used for Town repairs if the work is not done to the Highway Superintendent's satisfaction; workers' compensation and liability insurance forms with the Town of Lloyd named as co-insured, to the Building Department; read October 27, 2026
- Short Term Rental notice, application and regulations (Town of Lloyd Building Department) — Section 100-42.a: special use permit and fire safety inspection required; Planning Board grants the permit, valid two years, renewable for two-year periods administratively by the Building Department; fire safety and property maintenance inspection before the initial permit and at least once per year thereafter; application lists hosting platforms, maximum occupancy set by the Code Enforcement Officer, fire safety devices, house rules and a copy of the Ulster County Commissioner of Finance Certificate of Authority; read October 27, 2026
- Flood Plain Development Permit (Town of Lloyd) — listed on the Building Zoning Enforcement page; checked October 27, 2026
- Disability and Paid Family Leave coverage requirements (NY WCB) — a covered employer has one or more employees on each of at least 30 days in any calendar year; read October 27, 2026
- General Obligations Law §11-101, the Dram Shop Act (NY Senate) — checked October 27, 2026
- NY Labor Law §240 (Scaffold Law) — checked October 27, 2026
- Flood map service center (FEMA) — look up any Highland address
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
Still have a question? Call (518) 902-8822 or book a call.
I'm a contractor pulling a building permit in the Town of Lloyd. What insurance does the Town want?
The Building Department's permit application checklist asks for proof of workers' compensation on form C-105.2 and proof of liability insurance with the Town of Lloyd, 12 Church Street, Highland, named as co-insured, along with an Ulster County electrical license. Road openings go through the Road Opening Bond Form: a cash or surety bond deposit, the road put back to the Town Highway Code standard, and the same workers' comp and liability forms naming the Town. Once the policies are in force, I get you the certificates and request the workers' comp form from your carrier.
I want to rent my place in Highland to visitors. What does the Town require?
Under section 100-42.a of the Town Code, as the Building Department's notice describes it, a short-term rental needs a special use permit from the Planning Board and a fire safety and property maintenance inspection before the permit is issued, then at least once a year while the permit is valid. The permit runs two years and is renewed through the Building Department. The application asks for your hosting platforms, maximum occupancy, fire safety devices, house rules and a copy of the Ulster County Certificate of Authority. A homeowners policy often limits or excludes paying guests, so the rental needs a policy written for it.
My business is near the Twaalfskill or Black Creek. If it floods, am I covered?
Not by a standard commercial property policy; flood is excluded. The Town's section of the county's 2024 hazard plan says the Twaalfskill runs along Route 44/55 and Vineyard Avenue through the hamlet, which flooded during Irene, Lee and Sandy, and that Black Creek flooding in those storms caused the most damage in the Town. Building in the floodplain needs the Town's flood plain development permit. Flood is a separate policy, through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier, and business income pays only after damage from a covered cause, so ask how each quote treats flood.
Is there anyone locally who helps new businesses with the Town's rules?
The county's hazard plan describes the all-volunteer Lloyd Economic Development Committee, formed to help new and existing businesses through the state, county and town rules for opening. Permits themselves go through the Building and Zoning Enforcement Department at Town Hall, 12 Church Street. Your insurance should be in place before you sign a lease or start work, so the certificates are ready when the Town or your landlord asks.
Do you meet Highland owners in person?
No. My office is in Clifton Park, and I work with Highland businesses by phone, email and video. Once the policies are in force, I get you the certificates, and audits and claims come through me.
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. Highland is outside them, so I work with Highland 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.