Landscaping and snow plowing insurance
In the Capital Region, landscaping and snow are the same business — and snow is where the claims come from. The single most important question on a landscaper's policy is whether snow and ice removal is covered, because many quotes quietly exclude it.
The core package
- General liability — with snow and ice removal included, and pesticide applicator cover if you spray. Property damage to clients' irrigation, utilities and hardscape is the everyday claim; slip-and-fall is the expensive one.
- Commercial auto — trucks, plows and trailers; hired and non-owned auto for crew members' vehicles.
- Equipment floater (inland marine) — everything on the trailer and in the shop.
- Workers' compensation + DBL/PFL — required with any crew; rates are meaningful, so classification matters.
- Umbrella — commercial snow contracts increasingly require $2–5 million; residential work benefits from it too.
Snow, specifically
| Question | What to check |
|---|---|
| Is snow removal covered at all? | Look for a snow/ice removal exclusion or a sub-limit on the GL policy |
| Commercial lots or residential driveways? | Commercial parking lots are the higher-risk class and priced accordingly |
| Do you salt/de-ice? | Affects both price and the contract's standard of care |
| What does the contract say? | Hold-harmless and indemnity clauses can put the owner's slip-and-fall liability on you — your policy must match |
| Are you keeping logs? | Time-stamped plow and salt logs are your defense in a claim; carriers ask |
Tree removal is a different class
Felling, climbing and crane work fall under tree-service classifications with much higher GL and workers' comp rates, and many landscaping policies exclude work above a certain height. If you do any tree work, say so at quote time — an undisclosed tree job is an uncovered one.
What carriers look at
- Revenue split: mowing/maintenance, design/install, hardscape, tree work, snow (commercial vs residential), pesticide application.
- Vehicles, plows and trailers; equipment values.
- Crew size and seasonal payroll by task.
- Snow contracts and their indemnity wording.
- DEC certification, years in business, claims.
What I need to quote
- The revenue split above — it drives everything.
- Vehicle and trailer schedule with drivers.
- Equipment list with values.
- Payroll by task, and how many seasonal workers.
- Sample snow contract, if you have commercial accounts.
- Current policies and claims history.
Request a quote — I'll make sure snow is in, not out, and show you the contract wording your policy will and won't support.
- Pesticide applicator certification (NYS DEC)
- Is workers' compensation coverage required? (NY Workers' Compensation Board)
- Espinal v. Melville Snow Contractors, NY Court of Appeals, June 4, 2002 (opinion text, Cornell LII) — when a snow removal contractor owes a duty to someone who falls; checked October 15, 2026
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 snow plowing or landscaping business in Clifton Park, Albany or Saratoga need?
Four policies: general liability that includes snow and ice removal in writing, commercial auto that knows the truck carries a plow, an equipment floater for the mowers, blowers and plows, and workers' compensation with DBL/PFL as soon as you have a crew. Add an umbrella if your commercial snow contracts ask for higher limits. The part that goes wrong is the first one: many landscaping GL policies exclude or cap snow work, and that is where the slip-and-fall claims come from. Send me your snow contracts with the quote request and I check the policy against them.
Why do carriers exclude snow plowing?
Slip-and-fall claims. When someone falls on ice in a lot you plowed, you get sued alongside the property owner — and commercial snow contracts usually make you indemnify the owner. Claims are frequent and expensive, so many general liability policies exclude snow and ice removal entirely or cap it. You need a policy that includes it explicitly, and you should never sign a snow contract without reading its indemnity clause.
Does my truck policy or my general liability policy cover snow plowing?
Usually both, for different parts of the job. Commercial auto answers for accidents involving the truck while you drive and plow with it, so the carrier needs to know the truck carries a plow and that you plow for hire; a personal auto policy isn't built for that use. The fall in the lot hours after you've left is a general liability claim, and that is where many policies exclude snow and ice removal unless an endorsement adds it back. I check both policies against the same list of plowing accounts.
Can a snow contract make me responsible for a fall on the property?
Yes, in two ways. New York's Court of Appeals held in Espinal v. Melville Snow Contractors (2002) that a snow contractor generally owes no duty to a person who falls on the property unless it made the condition worse, the person relied on its continued work, or its contract entirely displaced the owner's duty to maintain the premises, and a comprehensive, exclusive snow contract can do exactly that. Separately, a hold-harmless clause can make you pay the owner's defense and damages because you promised to, even where the law alone wouldn't. Your general liability answers for that promise only if it treats the snow contract as an insured contract and doesn't exclude snow work, so send me the contract before you sign it.
Do I need commercial auto for my truck and trailer?
Yes. A pickup with a plow and a trailer of mowers is a commercial vehicle in every carrier's eyes, and a personal policy will not respond. Trailers need to be scheduled; the equipment on the trailer needs an inland marine floater, not auto cover.
How is my equipment covered?
Mowers, blowers, trimmers, plows and skid steers are covered by an inland marine (contractors' equipment) floater, which follows the equipment to job sites, in transit and in storage. Your property policy only covers things at your premises.
I apply fertilizer and pesticides. Is that covered?
Only if your GL includes pesticide/herbicide applicator coverage — standard forms exclude it. New York also requires DEC certification to apply pesticides commercially; carriers will ask for it.
Do I need workers' comp for seasonal crews?
Yes — seasonal, part-time and day labor are all employees under New York law. Landscaping is a higher-rate class; accurate payroll by task (mowing vs tree work vs hardscape) can materially lower the premium.
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.