Last updated: September 14, 2026
Compare North Dakota landscaping insurance for Workforce Safety & Insurance exclusive-fund coverage, SOS contractor licensing over $4,000, and pesticide rules before you quote.
Requirements · Coverages · Costs · Quote checklist · FAQs
Get a landscaping insurance quote
Use Simply Business to request a quote for your landscaping operation. Describe the lawn, hardscape, pesticide and vehicle work you do and confirm coverages and availability with the provider.
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North Dakota landscaping insurance requirements to check first
North Dakota is a monopolistic workers’ compensation state. Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) is the sole provider — North Dakota law does not allow private insurers to underwrite workers’ compensation in the state. Employers generally must insure all employees (full-time, part-time, seasonal and occasional) through WSI before work begins. Sole proprietors may be outside the employee mandate for themselves, but hiring help triggers WSI. Do not treat a private WC policy from another state as a substitute for North Dakota employees.
North Dakota does not issue a landscape-specific trade license. When the cost, value or price of a contracting job exceeds $4,000, NDCC ch. 43-07 requires a Secretary of State contractor license (Class A–D by contract amount; Class D fee $100 for jobs up to $100,000). The application must include a certificate of liability insurance naming the North Dakota Secretary of State as certificate holder, plus documentation that WSI coverage is satisfactory. Pure mowing under the $4,000 threshold may not need that SOS license — confirm scope before you bid installation or hardscape.
NDDA commercial pesticide certification
For-hire pesticide, herbicide or commercial fertilizer applications require Commercial Pesticide Applicator certification from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (Category for ornamental and turf is the usual landscape path). Financial-responsibility proof is part of commercial certification — that filing is separate from the SOS contractor liability certificate and from WSI.
Private GL, auto and tools still matter
WSI covers workplace injuries only. Buy general liability, commercial auto and tools/inland marine on the private market. Remember: Insureon’s national WC median reflects private-market policies elsewhere — price North Dakota industrial insurance through WSI for your classification, not that national median.
Which landscaping coverages should you compare?
| What you need to protect | What to compare |
|---|---|
| Customer injury, damaged plants, irrigation and hardscape claims | General liability, including products and completed operations for finished landscape work. |
| Herbicide drift, fertilizer burn and chemical application claims | Ask whether pesticide/herbicide exposures sit on the GL form or need a separate endorsement — and whether your pesticide license has its own financial-responsibility floor. |
| Crew injuries while mowing, planting, digging or loading | Workers’ compensation (state rules differ — see requirements above). |
| Trailers, mowers, blowers and truck tools | Inland marine / tools & equipment at the shop, in transit and on jobs. |
| The pickup, dump truck or trailer on public roads | Commercial auto separate from general liability; hired/non-owned auto if helpers drive personal vehicles. |
| License, pesticide-dealer or municipal bond floors | Surety amount, obligee and whether a liability policy can substitute under statute. |
General liability for landscape work
General liability responds to third-party bodily injury and property-damage claims tied to your operations — for example a slip on a wet walkway after you mowed, or irrigation damage to a neighbor’s foundation. Ask how the form treats products/completed operations after the bed or hardscape is finished, and whether herbicide drift or fertilizer burn needs a pesticide endorsement or sits on the base form.
Commercial auto, trailers and tools
A pickup hauling a trailer is usually a commercial-auto question, not a general-liability question. Confirm hired and non-owned auto if helpers drive personal vehicles to jobs. Tools and equipment (inland marine) cover scheduled mowers and trailers at the shop, in transit and on jobs — separate from the truck’s physical-damage coverage.
What these policies usually do not do
General liability is not workers’ compensation, professional design liability, or a surety bond. A certificate of insurance is proof of a policy in force — it does not by itself add a homeowner or GC as an additional insured. Ask for the endorsement when a contract requires it.
How much does North Dakota landscaping insurance cost?
Insureon’s national landscaping customer medians (page updated February 24, 2026; rechecked September 14, 2026) provide a starting reference: general liability $51/month ($610/year), workers’ compensation $169/month ($2,029/year), tools & equipment $38/month ($450/year), commercial auto $204/month ($2,452/year), license/permit bonds $9/month ($112/year), commercial umbrella $88/month ($1,060/year), and a business owner’s policy $94/month ($1,130/year). These are national Insureon landscaping-customer medians — not North Dakota-specific rates and not Simply Business prices.
Do not add every row together. A business owner’s policy can bundle general liability with property, so those lines may overlap. Workers’ compensation, commercial auto, tools and bonds remain separate questions. Your provider needs payroll, revenue, services (mowing vs hardscape vs pesticide), claims, limits and equipment values to quote the actual crew.
Request an annual total for the same service mix and coverage dates. Ask whether payment plans, certificates, additional-insured endorsements or midyear changes add charges.
Prepare your North Dakota landscaping insurance quote
- Business entity, operating address, start date and years in business.
- Services: mowing/maintenance, design/install, irrigation, hardscape, tree work, pesticide/fertilizer.
- Revenue, payroll, worker roles, owner participation and any 1099 help.
- Vehicles and trailers, drivers, and overnight storage.
- Equipment values (mowers, trailers, tools) and any pesticide inventory.
- Claim history, current policies, license/bond status, and each GC or HOA’s written insurance requirements.
Have providers quote the same activities, limits, deductibles and effective date. Ask for the annual total, payment charges and costs for required endorsements. Get written confirmation of unresolved exclusions before relying on the policy for a new contract.
Get a landscaping insurance quote
Use Simply Business to request a quote for your landscaping operation. Describe the lawn, hardscape, pesticide and vehicle work you do and confirm coverages and availability with the provider.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
Can a North Dakota landscaper buy private workers’ compensation?
No for the statutory mandate. WSI is the exclusive state fund; private WC policies are not a lawful substitute for North Dakota employees. Private general liability, auto and tools remain separate.
When does a North Dakota landscaper need WSI coverage?
Generally before any employee — including part-time, seasonal or occasional help — begins working. Confirm owner/elective-coverage options with WSI if you are a sole proprietor without employees.
Does general liability cover the landscaping truck?
No. Vehicle liability is a commercial auto product. Trailers, hired/non-owned drivers and tools in transit are separate questions from a GL policy.
Does a certificate make a homeowner or GC an additional insured?
No. A certificate is evidence of a policy; it does not create coverage. Ask whether the requested additional-insured wording is in the policy or an endorsement before you send the COI.
When is an SOS contractor license required?
When the cost, value or price of the contracting job exceeds $4,000 under NDCC ch. 43-07. File a liability insurance certificate naming the Secretary of State and show WSI compliance.
Related guides
North Dakota landscaping · Landscaping business insurance
Requirements and source benchmarks checked September 14, 2026. Policy terms and availability depend on the insurer and your business.
Sources
- WSI — Coverage requirements — Exclusive fund; private WC not allowed; 1+ employees
- ND SOS — Contractors — License when job exceeds $4,000; liability COI to SOS
- NDDA — Pesticide Regulatory Compliance Guide — Commercial applicator categories and financial responsibility
- Insureon — landscaping insurance cost — National customer medians, updated Feb 24, 2026
