About $72 a month
General liability
Insureon median for painters, updated August 2026
Contractors and trades
Painting contractor insurance
For residential and commercial painters, from solo operators to crews with vans and sprayers: what coverage costs, which rules apply and what to have ready for a quote.
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What similar businesses pay
- General liability
- About $72 a month
- Workers’ comp
- About $190 a month
- Commercial auto
- About $295 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What painting contractor insurance costs
About $190 a month
Workers’ comp
Insureon median for painters, updated August 2026
About $295 a month
Commercial auto
Insureon median for painters, updated August 2026
About $42 a month
Tools and equipment
Insureon median for contractors and painters, updated August 2026
Once a painting business has a crew and a van, workers’ comp and commercial auto become the largest bills. Insureon’s medians for painters come to about $862 a year for general liability, $2,279 for workers’ comp and $3,539 for commercial auto; its typical general liability policy carries $1 million per occurrence, $2 million aggregate and a $500 deductible. The Hartford reports its painting customers paid about $68 a month for general liability (April 2025). A solo painter with no employees may need little beyond general liability and tools cover, while a crew doing exterior and commercial work pays more, driven by payroll, vehicles and required limits.
What moves your price
- Payroll and how many painters you employ or subcontract
- What you paint: homes, offices or industrial structures
- Exterior and high work on ladders and scaffolding versus interior work
- How much of your work is in pre-1978 homes where lead rules apply
- The value of your sprayers, ladders, scaffolding and vans
- The limits and additional insured terms your contracts require
- Your claims history and years in business
Risks
The risks insurers price for
A painter falls from a ladder
A crew member slips from an extension ladder painting exterior trim and breaks an ankle. OSHA warns that extension ladder users risk permanent injury or death from falls and electrocutions, and The Hartford and Progressive both use a ladder fall as their workers’ comp example.
Spilled paint ruins a rug or floor
An apprentice knocks over a can and soaks a client’s rug, or a leaking can leaves a puddle a customer slips in. Progressive and The Hartford both cite these as general liability claims for painters.
Overspray on cars and the house next door
Wind carries mist from an airless sprayer onto parked cars, windows or a neighbor’s siding. Cleaning or refinishing someone else’s property is a property damage claim against your general liability.
Lead dust in a pre-1978 home
EPA estimates about three-quarters of U.S. homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint, and scraping or sanding it creates hazardous dust. NAHB warns that many general liability policies carry a pollution exclusion that may or may not explicitly include lead, so a lead claim may not be covered.
The color or finish is not what was agreed
A client says the final color does not match the sample, or that you used the wrong kind of paint, and demands a repaint. Progressive and Insureon describe these as professional liability claims, which can pay for the fix and your legal defense.
A work van backs into a garage
Vans loaded with paint, ladders and sprayers spend the day reversing in tight driveways. Progressive’s example is a painter backing into a customer’s garage door, and it notes that most personal auto policies do not cover work-related incidents.
Coverage
Coverage to consider
General liability
Pays for injuries to clients and the public and damage to their property, such as a stained floor, a broken window or overspray. Insureon’s typical painter policy carries $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate.
How general liability works →Workers’ compensation
Covers medical bills and lost wages for painters hurt on the job, and usually includes employer’s liability. Progressive notes it is required in most states.
How workers’ compensation works →Commercial auto
Covers vans and pickups the business owns. Insureon suggests hired and non-owned auto cover instead if you or your crew drive personal, rented or leased vehicles for work.
How commercial auto works →Tools and equipment
Inland marine cover for sprayers, ladders, scaffolding and drop cloths at the job site, in transit or in storage. Insureon notes items worth more than $2,500 may need to be scheduled separately.
Professional liability
Responds when a client claims your advice or workmanship was wrong, such as a color mix-up or an unsuitable coating. Insureon’s median for painters is about $67 a month.
How professional liability works →Contractors pollution liability
Worth pricing if you work in pre-1978 homes. Ask whether your general liability excludes lead, as NAHB advises, and whether a pollution policy is needed to fill the gap.
Umbrella
Adds limits above your general liability, auto and employer’s liability when a commercial client or property manager asks for more. Insureon’s median for painters is about $79 a month.
How umbrella / excess works →Rules
Requirements and filings
No federal law requires painters to carry insurance, but federal lead rules cover most work on older homes, and states and customers set the rest.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| EPA lead-safe firm certification | Any firm, including sole proprietors, paid to disturb paint in housing or child-occupied facilities built before 1978 | Required under the RRP Rule, 40 CFR 745 Subpart E. EPA’s fee is $300 and certification lasts five years; apply to renew at least 90 days before it expires. |
| Certified renovator on every job | RRP-covered renovations | A certified renovator must be assigned to each job and other workers trained by one, per EPA. Renovator certification lasts five years with hands-on refresher training, three with online. |
| Pre-renovation education and records | RRP-covered renovations | Give the owner EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet and get a signed receipt before work starts. NAHB notes records must be kept at least three years. |
| Minor repair threshold | Small jobs in pre-1978 housing | EPA excludes work disturbing 6 square feet or less per room inside or 20 square feet or less outside. Window replacement and demolition are always covered. |
| State-run lead programs | Painters in authorized states | Some states, including Massachusetts, North Carolina and Wisconsin, run their own RRP programs, per EPA. Work in several states may need both EPA and state certification. |
| California C-33 license | Painting and decorating contractors in California | Requires a license bond and proof of workers’ comp or an exemption, per the O*NET listing of Contractors State License Board requirements. |
| Ladder safety | Employers whose crews use ladders | OSHA construction standards, Subpart X, require a competent person to inspect extension ladders before use; OSHA says to keep ladders at least 10 feet from power lines. |
| Contract certificates | Work for general contractors, property managers and commercial clients | Progressive notes contracts often require general liability and a certificate of insurance before you start. Check required limits and additional insured terms before you bid. |
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Pay less
How to lower the cost
- Keep a certificate of insurance on file for every subcontractor; Insureon lists subcontractors as a factor in general liability cost.
- Run a ladder program: inspect ladders before use, tag defective ones and keep them 10 feet from power lines, as OSHA advises.
- Get lead-safe certified and document every pre-1978 job so you can show an underwriter you follow the RRP Rule.
- Schedule high-value sprayers and scaffolding instead of paying to insure everything at one blanket limit.
- Use hired and non-owned auto cover if your crew drives personal vehicles, rather than buying a full fleet policy you do not need.
- Compare quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- Annual revenue and payroll, split between field painters and office staff
- Mix of residential and commercial work, interior and exterior
- Maximum working height and whether you use scaffolding or lifts
- Share of work in pre-1978 homes and your EPA or state RRP firm certificate
- Subcontractor list with their certificates of insurance
- Vehicle list with VINs and driver license numbers
- Equipment schedule with values for sprayers, ladders and scaffolding
- Loss runs from your current and prior insurers
- The limits and additional insured terms your clients require
Common questions
Painting contractor insurance: questions
Do I need lead certification to paint an old house?
Usually yes. EPA requires any firm paid to disturb paint in a home built before 1978 to be lead-safe certified, including sole proprietors, unless the job is minor repair or the paint is documented as lead-free.
Does general liability cover lead paint claims?
Not reliably. NAHB says many general liability policies contain a pollution exclusion that may or may not explicitly include lead, so ask your insurer before you take pre-1978 work.
Does painter insurance cover my sprayers and ladders?
Not under general liability. Tools and equipment cover pays for lost, stolen or damaged gear on site, in transit or in storage; Insureon’s median for painters is about $42 a month.
Do I need commercial auto if I drive my own truck to jobs?
Progressive notes most personal auto policies do not cover work-related incidents. Insureon suggests commercial auto for company-owned vehicles and hired and non-owned auto cover if you use personal vehicles for work.
Who pays if a client hates the color?
A disputed color or finish is a professional liability claim, not a general liability one. Progressive says professional liability can pay for a repaint and your legal fees if the client sues.
How much does insurance cost a one-person painting business?
Insureon’s median for painters’ general liability is about $72 a month, and The Hartford reports about $68. Without employees or a company van, you may not need workers’ comp or commercial auto, depending on your state.
Is workers’ comp required for painters?
Progressive notes workers’ comp is required in most states, and rules on owners and small crews vary. California requires a C-33 painting contractor to show proof of workers’ comp or an exemption to hold a license.
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Sources (10)
- Insureon: painter insurance costs (updated August 3, 2026)
- The Hartford: painters insurance (updated April 10, 2025)
- Progressive Commercial: painters insurance
- EPA: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, contractors (updated March 2026)
- EPA: RRP firm certification and fees (updated May 2026)
- EPA: Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program (updated June 2026)
- EPA: Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program rules
- NAHB: questions and answers about the lead paint rule
- OSHA: Reducing falls in construction, safe use of extension ladders (fact sheet)
- O*NET: California CSLB painting and decorating contractor (C-33) license
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated November 2026.