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Maryland’s center regulations — all seventy-six pages of COMAR 13A.16 — never require liability insurance, whatever the secondary sources claim. What Maryland does guarantee is the other policy: workers’ comp from the first employee, with Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance obligated to write coverage for any Maryland employer the private market turns away.
One policy, priced for a Maryland daycare
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What Maryland Actually Requires
| Coverage | Maryland requirement |
|---|---|
| Liability insurance | No licensing mandate — COMAR 13A.16 contains no liability-insurance requirement for centers |
| Workers’ compensation | Required at 1+ employees — with Chesapeake Employers’ as the guaranteed market, coverage is always purchasable |
| What fills the gap | The DC-metro COI culture: property managers and subsidy agreements demand facility coverage the licence never asks for |
Check the Claim Against the Regulation
Guides routinely tell Maryland operators the state “mandates” daycare liability insurance. The center regulations don’t — we read them. What reads like a mandate in practice is the market around Baltimore and the Washington suburbs, where property managers want $1M certificates with additional-insured wording before a lease signs, and subsidy paperwork asks its own questions.
The employment coverage is the state’s real requirement, and Maryland removes the last excuse for skipping it: if no private carrier will write your workers’ comp, Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance must.
The Coverages Every Daycare Carries Regardless
- General liability with abuse & molestation coverage. The playground injury and the allegation are different claims; a daycare policy without A&M cover is missing the exposure the business is actually judged on.
- Commercial auto if you transport children — a personal policy excludes business use.
- Workers’ compensation once you employ staff (required in Maryland from the first employee, with a guaranteed-market insurer).
- Property and contents for the build-out, equipment and food stock.
Parents ask if you’re insured. So do licensors.
A certificate of insurance answers both in one page. Quotes are free and don’t require a phone call.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is liability insurance required for a Maryland daycare?
No — COMAR 13A.16, the child care center regulations, contains no liability-insurance requirement, despite what many guides claim. Leases and subsidy agreements are what make coverage a practical necessity in Maryland’s market.
When does a Maryland daycare need workers’ comp?
From the first employee — and coverage is always available, because Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance, Maryland’s guaranteed-market insurer, must write a policy when private carriers decline.
Comparing states? See daycare insurance requirements in every state, or the full guide to starting a daycare in Maryland.
Sources
| Source | What it confirms |
|---|---|
| COMAR 13A.16 (centers) | The full center regulations; no insurance mandate present |
| Maryland WCC | First-employee WC rule; guaranteed market |
