Last updated: September 14, 2026
North Dakota centers, preschool and school-age must carry liability insurance—no dollar floor. Family/group rules tie liability to transport; employees use WSI.
Get a daycare insurance quote
Start your daycare insurance quote with Simply Business. Answer a few questions about your business and let their team help you find coverage.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
North Dakota daycare liability: carry mandate for centers—no dollar floor
Child care centers must ensure liability insurance is carried against bodily injury and property damage under N.D. Admin. Code ch. 75-03-10 (operator duties). Preschool and school-age programs have the same carry mandate in 75-03-11 and 75-03-11.1. None of those chapters publish a dollar floor.
Family and group child care (chs. 75-03-08 and 75-03-09) do not mirror the center-style facility carry duty. Liability insurance appears in their transport standards instead. Do not treat every “facility-based” label as if family/group homes share the center mandate.
HB 1298 (2023) proposed a $300,000 per-occurrence floor and a certificate naming the department—it failed in the House (44–49) and is not law. Do not quote $300,000 as a North Dakota daycare mandate.
How much liability coverage should you buy?
For centers, preschool and school-age programs, the carry rule is a legal duty without a published dollar amount—so the limit you buy is a risk and contract decision. Family and group operators comparing facility coverage should still review lease and subsidy exhibits even when the childcare chapter only ties liability insurance to transport.
Send the provider any lease, school agreement or other contract requiring higher limits. Ask for comparable options at lower and higher limits, with the same covered activities and deductible, so you can see the cost difference.
Review the per-occurrence limit and any aggregate or separate abuse-related limit. Ask how defense costs affect available protection. If considering an umbrella, have the agent identify the underlying policies it requires and the childcare exposures it excludes; do not assume it fills every gap in the base policy.
Coverage to compare for a North Dakota daycare or preschool
| Operation or exposure | Coverage question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Children and visitors at your premises | Which liability coverage applies to injuries and property damage, and which activities are excluded? |
| Supervision, instruction and care | Is professional liability included or separate? How does the proposal treat abuse or molestation allegations? |
| Staff and volunteers | Who is insured, and what employee injury or employer-liability coverage is needed? |
| Furniture, supplies and play equipment | Who owns the property, what values are insured and which losses or locations are excluded? |
| School pickup and off-site activities | What vehicle and business coverage is needed for the drivers, trips and activities described? |
General liability, professional liability and abuse or molestation coverage answer different questions. Have the provider explain how the proposal handles a premises injury, a supervision allegation and a claim involving a staff member. Confirm that the services you offer are described and that the relevant people and locations are insured.
For a home, ask the residential insurer how business childcare affects its coverage and compare the proposed endorsement with a separate childcare policy. For a center or preschool, distinguish landlord-owned property from your furnishings, supplies and improvements. Ask which causes of loss and interruptions are covered before adding property or business-income protection.
How much does North Dakota daycare insurance cost?
There is no single premium for every daycare. As a broad reference, Insureon’s national human-and-social-services customer medians are $91/month for general liability, $135 for a business owner’s policy and $99 for professional liability, checked September 14, 2026. That sample is broader than daycare; these are not state daycare averages or Simply Business prices.
Use those figures only to understand separate budget categories. A business owner’s policy can bundle liability and property, so do not add every figure as though it were a required package. Request a childcare-specific proposal using your program type, child count and ages, payroll, transportation, claims history and required limits.
Compare the total annual premium, deductible, included activities and any separate abuse-coverage limit. Ask about installment charges, endorsements and the cost of changes during the year. Two prices are comparable only after the provider explains the differences in protection.
Request quotes using your actual license category—center, preschool, school-age, family or group—and disclose transport early. Comparing these details consistently is more useful than assigning every North Dakota program the same estimated premium.
Workers’ compensation: North Dakota WSI (monopolistic)
North Dakota is a monopolistic workers’ compensation state. Employers insure employees—including part-time, seasonal and occasional workers—through Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) before work begins. Private workers’ compensation policies are not valid substitutes.
Limited exemptions exist for certain owners, officers, spouses and other categories described by WSI. Daycare employers with employees generally must buy WSI. Keep WSI separate from the facility liability carry rule.
Transport: liability insurance when you provide rides
When a provider or center transports children, North Dakota childcare standards require informing parents about vehicle insurance and protecting children with supervision, safety precautions and liability insurance. Family and group chapters place that duty in their transport sections (including 75-03-08-15 and 75-03-09-15). No daycare-specific dollar floor is stated.
North Dakota motor vehicle liability policy baselines are commonly 25/50/25 (NDCC §39-16.1-11). A premises liability certificate does not establish vehicle coverage—confirm commercial auto or hired/non-owned needs before school pickup.
Keep coverage and licensing evidence aligned through the year
Calendar renewals with Human Services licensing paperwork. Centers, preschool and school-age programs should keep proof that liability insurance remains in force while children are in care.
Update the agent before adding transport, capacity or locations, and keep WSI coverage current whenever employees are working.
Prepare your North Dakota daycare insurance quote
- Legal operator name, address, permit or certificate type and requested coverage date.
- Licensed capacity, actual enrollment, ages served, hours and all locations.
- Staff, volunteers, payroll and screening/supervision procedures.
- Transportation, field trips, water activities and other services offered.
- Existing policy, claim history and insurance requirements from leases or contracts.
Ask each provider to identify the named insured, covered activities, limits, deductibles, exclusions and endorsements. Confirm whether defense costs reduce any relevant limit and how claims must be reported. If a quote cannot cover an activity, resolve that gap rather than assuming a certificate will make the proposal acceptable.
Get a daycare insurance quote
Start your daycare insurance quote with Simply Business. Answer a few questions about your business and let their team help you find coverage.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Data for North Dakota
Free research and planning tools for starting a daycare in North Dakota. Most of the data pages compare every state, so look for North Dakota in the table or map.
- New-employer unemployment tax by state: what a new employer in North Dakota can expect to pay per worker in year one.
- Unemployment tax changes for small employers: recent state rule changes to budget for before you hire.
- Childcare subsidy waitlists and funding: subsidy waitlists and provider payment delays in selected states.
- Daycare break-even calculator: how many enrolled children you need to cover costs and pay yourself.
- Insurance requirements for contracts: what limits, certificates and endorsements commercial and public buyers ask for.
Frequently asked questions
Does North Dakota require daycare liability insurance?
Centers, preschool and school-age programs must ensure liability insurance is carried (75-03-10 / 75-03-11 / 75-03-11.1) with no published dollar floor. Family and group chapters focus liability insurance on transport rather than a standalone facility carry duty.
Is there a $300,000 North Dakota daycare insurance minimum?
No. HB 1298 (2023) proposed $300,000 per occurrence and failed in the House 44–49. It is not enacted law.
What insurance is required when transporting children in North Dakota?
If you provide transportation, childcare standards require liability insurance and parent notice about vehicle insurance, without a daycare-specific dollar floor. State MV baselines are commonly 25/50/25.
When must a North Dakota daycare buy workers’ compensation?
Insure employees through monopolistic WSI before work begins. Private WC policies are not valid in North Dakota; confirm any owner/officer exemptions with WSI.
Related guides
Daycare Insurance · North Dakota / Daycare
Requirements and source benchmarks checked September 14, 2026. Policy terms and availability depend on the insurer and your business.
