Insurance for landscape construction, design-build and hardscape contractors

Four things hardscape contractor insurance has to get right

Tree and shrub care on an install crew

Pruning, shrub care and small-tree work are often placed on a landscaping policy without trouble. Setting a balled-and-burlapped tree with a skid steer, shaping foundation shrubs, or raising a low canopy from the ground usually fits the landscaping class.

Climbing, removals, bucket and aerial work, and crane jobs are a different risk. They're usually rated as a separate tree-service class, and many landscaper policies limit them or leave them out. For comp in California, for example, pruning that needs a ladder, lift or climber is rated under the tree code, and so is the ground crew on that job. One online landscaping policy excludes stump grinding and tree removal entirely.

If a client asks you to drop a dead ash or climb a maple over the house, ask us before you take that job.

What general contractors, developers and homeowners will ask for

Install clients ask for more than maintenance clients do. A general contractor or developer usually wants to be added as an additional insured for both ongoing and completed work, because your patio or wall outlasts the project. On a large commercial or public new build, check whether the project has a wrap-up insurance program and whether your policy's wrap-up exclusion applies if you enroll.

Read the builder's risk terms too. The GC's policy may not cover your pavers, stone or plants before they're installed, or may leave landscaping out. That's the gap an installation floater is meant to close.

Homeowners and their states set rules too. In Virginia, retaining walls, grading and sprinkler installs over $1,000 need a contractor license with a landscape or irrigation specialty, and a $30,000 patio-and-wall job moves you from Class C to Class B. Our landscaping license guide covers the rest of our states.

Scaling an install company without coverage gaps

Each of these moves changes what an underwriter needs to know:

• Your first owned or rented machine. Schedule loaders and excavators by value, and make sure rented units are covered under your equipment policy before the rental counter asks.
• A dump truck. Heavier trucks are rated differently, and one rated at 10,001 pounds or more and used across state lines generally needs a USDOT number.
• A sprinkler crew. Underground sprinkler installation is usually rated under a plumbing code for comp, and some states license irrigation separately.
• A dedicated hardscape crew. Walls, patios and outdoor kitchens may be rated under a masonry or concrete code when one crew does them full time.
• Your first public bid. Sureties underwrite your capital, capacity and character, so get your financials in order before bid season.

In some states, install work also counts as construction for comp. Florida and Tennessee treat the landscape installation class as a construction class, which brings comp in with your first employee.

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