About $132 a month
General liability
Insureon median for snow removal contractors, $1 million/$2 million limits, updated September 2026
Trucking and transportation
Snow plowing insurance
For plow operators, salting crews and landscapers who add snow work in winter: what coverage costs, which contract and state rules apply and what to have ready for a quote.
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What similar businesses pay
- General liability
- About $132 a month
- Commercial auto
- About $299 a month
- Workers’ comp
- About $150 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What snow plowing insurance costs
About $299 a month
Commercial auto
Insureon median for landscaping companies including snow removal, updated September 2026
About $150 a month
Workers’ comp
Insureon median for landscaping companies including snow removal, updated September 2026
About $53 a month
Tools and equipment
Insureon median for landscaping and snow removal businesses, updated September 2026
Insureon’s medians for customers who quote through it come to about $1,580 a year for general liability, $3,590 for commercial auto, $1,802 for workers’ comp and $637 for tools and equipment. Only the general liability figure is specific to snow removal; the others are pooled with landscaping companies. Umbrella adds about $75 a month per $1 million, per Insureon. It also says salting, de-icing and large commercial lots cost more to insure than residential-only driveways, so a one-truck driveway route usually pays well below a crew servicing retail and condo lots.
What moves your price
- Residential driveways versus commercial parking lots, and how many sites you service
- Whether you salt or de-ice, or plow only
- The general liability limits your property managers require
- Number and value of trucks, plows and spreaders
- Payroll, number of employees and use of subcontractors
- Years in business and claims history
Risks
The risks insurers price for
A customer slips in a lot you cleared
A shopper falls on ice hours after your last visit and sues the property owner and you. The Hartford names a customer slipping after you cleared snow as a general liability claim, and owner contracts often push this risk onto the contractor through indemnity clauses.
The blade catches a parked car
Working a crowded lot in the dark, the corner of the plow sideswipes a parked car. The Hartford gives this exact example as a commercial auto claim, because the damage comes from the vehicle and its attached plow.
Something buried under the snow
Fountains, curbs, sprinkler heads and landscaping disappear under snow and get hit by the blade. The Hartford describes a plow driver who struck a stone fountain buried in a client’s driveway and had to pay to replace it.
A fall while clearing a roof
OSHA says falls cause the most worker deaths and injuries in rooftop snow removal, from roof edges, through skylights and from ladders and aerial lifts. Roof collapse and being buried under sliding snow are also on its list.
Snowblowers, shovels and cold
OSHA lists snowblower amputations and eye injuries, overexertion and frostbite or hypothermia among snow removal hazards. The Hartford’s example is a worker who needed stitches after cutting his finger on a plow blade.
Plows stolen or trucks idle in summer
Plows and spreaders sit unused for months. The Hartford describes thieves taking plows off trucks in a warehouse, and Progressive offers seasonal comprehensive in many states to protect the vehicle during the off-season.
Coverage
Coverage to consider
General liability
Pays for injuries and property damage you cause to others, including slip-and-fall claims and damage to lawns, curbs or fixtures. Progressive calls it the most common snow removal coverage.
How general liability works →Commercial auto
Liability and physical damage for your trucks and permanently attached plow equipment, per Progressive, which notes personal auto insurance typically does not cover business use.
How commercial auto works →Seasonal comprehensive
Progressive offers it in many states to protect a plow truck during the off-season, when it is parked rather than driven.
How commercial auto works →Workers’ compensation
Covers crew injuries from shoveling, snowblowers, falls on ice and rooftop work. Insureon notes self-employed contractors often buy it even where it is not required.
How workers’ compensation works →Tools and equipment
Inland marine cover for salt spreaders, snowblowers and other gear wherever it is. Insureon says items worth over $2,500 may need to be scheduled.
Hired and non-owned auto
For leased, rented or employees’ personal vehicles used for your business, which Insureon says fall outside a standard commercial auto policy.
How commercial auto works →Pollution liability
The Hartford describes trucks leaking oil into nearby soil and the cleanup that followed, the kind of loss this cover is built for.
Umbrella
Adds limits above general liability and auto when a contract asks for more than $1 million. Insureon reports about $75 a month per extra $1 million.
How umbrella / excess works →Rules
Requirements and filings
No federal license covers plowing, but contracts and a growing number of state laws decide who pays when someone slips. Read every contract and check your state before you sign.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois Snow Removal Service Liability Limitation Act | Snow and ice removal contracts in Illinois signed on or after August 25, 2016 | 815 ILCS 675 voids clauses requiring the contractor to indemnify, defend or hold harmless the property owner for the owner’s own acts or omissions. It does not apply to insurance policies. |
| Colorado Snow Removal Service Liability Limitation Act | Snow and deicing contracts in Colorado, except public roads, public utilities and airports | C.R.S. 13-21-129, effective August 8, 2018, voids similar indemnity, defense and hold harmless clauses. |
| Connecticut snow removal contracts | Plowing, shoveling and de-icing contracts in Connecticut, except municipal or state roads and property | Conn. Gen. Stat. 21a-433 voids some indemnity and hold harmless clauses when the contract bars you from treating a specific storm or risk. Applies to contracts from July 1, 2019. |
| New Hampshire Green SnowPro | Commercial salt applicators in New Hampshire who certify voluntarily | Certified applicators under RSA 489-C, and owners who hire them, get limited liability protection for snow and ice conditions under RSA 508:22. Requires a course, exam, annual renewal and annual salt reports, per NHDES. |
| OSHA rooftop snow removal | Employers whose workers clear snow from roofs and decks | OSHA requires employers to plan ahead and use proper protective measures, including fall protection, for rooftop snow removal. |
| Commercial auto on business trucks | Trucks owned by a snow removal company | Insureon notes most states require commercial auto for business-owned vehicles; limits must meet your state’s minimums. |
| Contract certificates | Work for property managers, retailers and condo associations | Clients commonly require proof of general liability, set their own limits and ask to be named as additional insureds. Check certificate terms before you bid. |
Compare snow plowing insurance options.
One application, quotes from several insurers, reviewed by a licensed agent. Start with your email and finish later if you need to.
Pay less
How to lower the cost
- Log every storm: arrival times, sites visited, salt rates and weather. NHDES asks certified applicators to keep these records, and they help defend slip-and-fall claims.
- In New Hampshire, earn Green SnowPro salt applicator certification for limited liability protection under RSA 508:22.
- Strike or negotiate indemnity clauses that make you answer for the owner’s negligence; in Illinois, Colorado and Connecticut some are void by law.
- Ask about seasonal comprehensive for plow trucks parked over the summer, which Progressive offers in many states.
- Bundle general liability and property in a business owner’s policy if you own or rent a shop; Insureon says it is often the most cost-effective option for small snow contractors.
- Compare quotes before the season starts; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- List of sites: residential driveways or commercial lots, with approximate square footage
- Services offered: plowing, shoveling, salting, de-icing or rooftop removal
- Truck schedule with VINs, values and any lienholder
- Plow, spreader and snowblower makes and values, and which are permanently attached
- Driver list with license numbers and dates of birth
- Payroll, employee count and any subcontractors you use
- Annual revenue and years in business
- Sample client contracts with required limits and additional insured terms
- Loss runs from current and prior insurers
Common questions
Snow plowing insurance: questions
Does my personal auto policy cover plowing for pay?
Usually not. Progressive notes personal auto insurance typically does not cover business use, and its commercial auto policy covers work trucks and permanently attached plow equipment.
Who is liable if someone slips on a lot I plowed?
It depends on the facts, your contract and state law. Your general liability policy responds to claims against you, and Illinois, Colorado and Connecticut void certain clauses that make the contractor pay for the owner’s own negligence.
What liability limit do property managers usually want?
The typical Insureon snow removal policy carries $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Larger commercial contracts may ask for more, which an umbrella can add for about $75 a month per $1 million, per Insureon.
Can I stop paying for my plow truck in the summer?
Progressive offers seasonal comprehensive in many states to protect the vehicle during the off-season. Ask what liability you still need if the truck does landscaping or other work.
Is workers’ comp required for a one-person plowing business?
It depends on your state and whether you have employees. Insureon reports a median of about $150 a month for landscaping and snow removal businesses and notes many self-employed contractors buy it anyway.
Does insurance cover a stolen salt spreader or snowblower?
Tools and equipment coverage can, at a median of about $53 a month per Insureon, which says items over $2,500 may need to be scheduled. A plow permanently attached to the truck falls under commercial auto physical damage, per Progressive.
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Sources (8)
- Insureon: snow plowing and ice removal insurance cost (updated September 2026)
- Progressive Commercial: snow plow insurance
- The Hartford: snow plow insurance (updated October 2025)
- OSHA: falls and other hazards to workers removing snow from rooftops (OSHA 3513)
- Kovitz Shifrin Nesbit: Illinois Snow Removal Service Liability Limitation Act (2016)
- National Law Review (Wilson Elser): Colorado Snow Removal Service Liability Limitation Act (2018)
- Justia: Connecticut General Statutes 21a-433, snow removal and ice control contracts
- NHDES: Commercial Green SnowPro certification
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated October 2026.