Last updated: September 14, 2026
Compare Maine landscaping insurance for the one-employee workers’ comp trigger, Board of Pesticides Control custom-applicator insurance floors, and client certificates 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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Maine landscaping insurance requirements to check first
Maine’s 39-A M.R.S. §401 makes nearly every private employer subject to the Workers’ Compensation Act and requires securing compensation for all employees — effectively from the first employee. Domestic-servant and certain agricultural/aquacultural exemptions with substitute employers’ liability policies do not fit typical for-hire landscaping. Sole proprietors without employees need not cover themselves; corporate owners of ≥20% voting stock may waive coverage with Board-approved forms. The Bureau of Insurance employer guide summarizes these paths.
Maine does not issue a statewide landscaping contractor license for ordinary lawn care. Chemical applications for hire run through the Board of Pesticides Control (BPC) commercial applicator / company licensing stack.
BPC custom-applicator insurance vs ordinary GL contracts
Under CMR 01-026 Chapter 31 §6, commercial applicators who spray for hire (custom applicators) must keep liability insurance in force whenever they apply pesticides. Ground (and aircraft) minimums are public liability $100,000 each person / $300,000 each occurrence and property damage $100,000 each occurrence. Companies file BPC’s Affidavit of Insurance Coverage; sole proprietors with no other employees and firms treating only property they own or lease have stated exceptions. That pesticide custom-applicator floor is not a statewide GL mandate for mowing-only crews. HOAs and municipalities can still demand higher limits by contract.
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 Maine 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 Maine-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 Maine 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
When does a Maine landscaper need workers’ compensation?
Generally from the first employee under 39-A M.R.S. §401. Agricultural substitute-liability exemptions do not fit typical landscape crews. Eligible corporate owners may waive coverage with Board approval.
Does Maine require general liability for every landscaper?
No statewide GL floor for ordinary landscaping was identified. Custom pesticide applicators must meet BPC Chapter 31 minimums ($100k/$300k public liability + $100k property damage). Contracts may still require a COI.
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.
Related guides
Maine landscaping · Landscaping business insurance
Requirements and source benchmarks checked September 14, 2026. Policy terms and availability depend on the insurer and your business.
Sources
- 39-A M.R.S. §401 — Liability of employer — Private employer WC duty
- Maine BPC — Commercial applicators — Custom applicator licensing + insurance affidavit
- CMR 01-026 Ch. 31 §6 — Licensing/Insurance — $100k/$300k/$100k custom applicator floors
- Insureon — landscaping insurance cost — National customer medians, updated Feb 24, 2026
