Last updated: September 14, 2026
Compare Oregon landscaping insurance for Landscape Contractors Board liability and bond floors, workers’ compensation for subject workers, trucks and tools 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.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Oregon landscaping insurance requirements to check first
Oregon licenses landscape contracting through the Landscape Contractors Board (LCB) — separate from the Construction Contractors Board. A landscape contracting business must be owned by or employ a licensed Landscape Construction Professional and keep insurance and bond filings current or the license can be suspended.
To hold or renew an LCB business license you must file a certificate of liability insurance of at least $500,000 with the LCB listed as certificate holder, plus a surety bond. Effective January 1, 2026, the bond is $20,000 for standard landscape contracting businesses and $15,000 for probationary-phase holders (SB 864). The bond is not general liability insurance; commercial bids often demand $1 million liability even though the statutory floor is $500,000.
Workers’ compensation for subject workers
Every licensed landscape contracting business that employs one or more subject workers must provide workers’ compensation through Oregon’s system (private carriers or SAIF). Exempt owner-only setups still file employment verification with the LCB; once you hire, coverage is expected. Buying the LCB liability policy does not replace workers’ compensation.
| Item | Amount / rule |
|---|---|
| LCB liability insurance | $500,000 minimum; LCB as certificate holder |
| Surety bond (standard, from Jan 1 2026) | $20,000 |
| Surety bond (probationary) | $15,000 |
| Workers’ compensation | Required with 1+ subject workers |
Commercial pesticide application for hire is a separate Oregon Department of Agriculture licensing path. Ask whether pollution exclusions on the GL form bar herbicide and fertilizer claims, and confirm tools/inland-marine and commercial auto for trailers and mowers.
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 Oregon 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 Oregon-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 Oregon 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
What insurance does an Oregon landscape contracting business need for the LCB?
At least $500,000 liability with the LCB as certificate holder, plus a $20,000 surety bond ($15,000 if probationary) effective January 1, 2026, and workers’ compensation when you have subject workers.
Is the LCB surety bond the same as general liability?
No. The bond answers certain consumer claims against the bond; the $500,000 liability policy is a separate license condition.
Does general liability cover the landscaping truck?
No. Vehicle liability is commercial auto. Trailers, hired/non-owned drivers and tools in transit are separate from GL.
Does a certificate make a property manager an additional insured?
Not by itself. Confirm the endorsement wording is on the policy before you rely on the certificate.
Related guides
Oregon landscaping · Landscaping business insurance
Requirements and source benchmarks checked September 14, 2026. Policy terms and availability depend on the insurer and your business.
Sources
- Oregon LCB — Insurance, Bond, and Coverage Requirements — $500k GL; $20k/$15k bond from Jan 1 2026; WC if employees
- Oregon LCB — Apply for a Landscape Contractor License — Business license prerequisites including insurance and bond
- Oregon SOS License Directory — Landscape Contracting Business — Bond and $500,000 insurance summary
- Insureon — landscaping insurance cost — National customer medians, updated Feb 24, 2026
