What Georgia Landscaping Contractors Need
You mow, you install, you spray, and you haul. Each of those creates a different exposure, and one of them is excluded from the policy most landscapers assume covers it.
Most landscaping contractors in Georgia carry:
- General Liability (GL) for property damage and injury you cause.
- Workers Compensation (WC) for employee injuries.
- Commercial Auto for trucks and towed trailers.
- Inland Marine for mowers, equipment, tools, and plant material.
- Contractors Pollution Liability if you apply any chemical.
That fifth policy is the one most landscapers do not have and most need.
If You Spray, Your General Liability Will Not Cover It
Standard general liability policies exclude pollution. Herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers fall inside that exclusion.
A chemical drift claim that damages high value ornamentals is not a general liability claim. A misapplication that damages a client’s turf is not a general liability claim. Neither is a chemical injury to a person or a pet.
Closing that gap requires a separate contractors pollution liability policy. An endorsement to your general liability will not do it. If you apply chemicals and carry only general liability, you are uninsured for the work that generates the most complaints.
Georgia Licensing for Chemical Application
Georgia regulates pesticide application through the Department of Agriculture. Two licenses apply.
Commercial Pesticide Applicator License. Required for any person who applies pesticides to another person’s property for a fee, or who supervises employees who do. Landscapers typically license under Category 24, Ornamental and Turf Pest Control.
Pesticide Contractor License. Required for the business, at each location. The business must employ at least one full-time certified commercial applicator, and must satisfy the Department’s financial responsibility requirement. This license renews annually.
Georgia also requires you to post a sign on any property after a landscape pesticide application.
Confirm current requirements with the Georgia Department of Agriculture before you rely on this summary. Rules change.
Tree Work Changes Your Class
Underwriters draw a line at the ground.
Pruning and trimming from ground level with a pole saw sits inside a standard landscaping class. Work above that line does not.
Climbing, aerial lift work, felling, and removal move the account into tree service classification. That change raises the workers compensation rate, and some carriers decline the exposure entirely.
The problem is that most landscapers do not describe the work that way. A crew that “takes down a limb now and then” for a good customer has created an exposure the application never disclosed. A claim during that work is where the disclosure gets tested.
Tell your agent exactly what tree work your crews perform and how high they go. If you subcontract removals, keep a certificate from the tree service on file.
How Equipment Coverage Is Actually Structured
Your general liability does not cover your mowers. Your commercial auto does not cover the trailer contents. Coverage for equipment and materials is a separate line, and it is structured differently depending on the size of the operation.
Larger operations schedule higher-value equipment by item on the commercial package, business owners policy, or general liability policy. Zero-turn mowers, skid steers, and chippers appear on that schedule with a stated value. Lower-value tools and materials are then covered by endorsement rather than scheduled individually.
Smaller operations frequently carry neither. A stolen trailer with three mowers on it produces an uninsured loss.
Two exposures drive this. Equipment theft from job sites and overnight trailer theft are both frequent. Plant material and hardscape products you have purchased but not yet installed are also at risk until the customer accepts the work.
We review the equipment schedule on every landscaping account we quote. Bring your current schedule and we will tell you what is missing from it.
Two Claims That Land on Landscapers
Thrown objects. A mower throws a rock through a window, a windshield, or into a person. This is the most frequent general liability claim in the trade. Deductible and limit structure matter more than most landscapers expect.
Underground utility strikes. Irrigation installation and any digging can hit a buried line. Georgia requires notification before excavation. A strike produces both repair cost and business interruption claims from whoever lost service.
Certificate Limits Your Customers Will Demand
Property managers, homeowners associations, and commercial landlords request a certificate of insurance before adding you to a vendor list. Bel
| Coverage | Typical required limit |
|---|---|
| General Liability | $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate |
| Workers Compensation | $500,000 / $500,000 / $500,000 employers liability |
| Commercial Auto | $300,000 combined single limit (CSL) or higher |
Commercial property managers often require additional insured status and a waiver of subrogation. Municipal and school contracts require higher limits and an umbrella policy.
Georgia Workers Compensation for Landscaping Contractors
Georgia law requires workers compensation coverage once a business employs three or more people. The count includes part-time employees.
Two issues affect landscapers specifically.
Seasonal payroll. Crew size in July differs from crew size in January. Your premium is estimated at binding and adjusted at audit. Report payroll accurately during the year to avoid a large audit bill.
Uninsured subcontractors count as your employees. If you use a subcontractor with no workers compensation coverage, your carrier can charge you premium for that subcontractor’s payroll at audit. Collect a certificate before work starts.
What Drives Your Premium
- Payroll. Workers compensation rates apply per $100 of payroll.
- Chemical application. Whether you spray, and what you spray, changes both the program and the price.
- Tree work. See above.
- Equipment values. Scheduled equipment drives the inland marine premium.
- Vehicle and trailer count. Towed trailers require attention on the auto policy.
- Claims history. Your experience modification factor affects which commercial contracts you can win.
Coverages Larger Landscaping Operations Require
Blanket additional insured endorsement. Property management companies each require naming. A blanket endorsement covers every party your written contract requires you to name.
Blanket waiver of subrogation. Commercial vendor agreements commonly require it.
Commercial umbrella. Municipal contracts, school systems, and larger property managers require $2,000,000 to $5,000,000 above primary limits.
Hired and non-owned auto liability. Employees running to a supply house in their own vehicle create exposure your commercial auto policy excludes without this endorsement.
Get a Quote
Call 678-569-0113 or request a quote online.
Have these ready and we can quote in one call:
- Annual payroll and employee count, peak and off-season
- Whether you apply chemicals, and your license category
- What tree work your crews perform, and to what height
- Equipment list with values
- Vehicle and trailer count
- Certificate limits your customers require
We are an independent agency serving Georgia landscaping contractors from Woodstock, Canton, and Warner Robins.