Snow removal insurance protects your business from the claims that come with winter work. The biggest one is simple: someone slips on a lot you cleared, and they come after you.
Most snow contractors have some insurance. The trouble is that the policy often does not match the work. New contractors sometimes buy the wrong type of policy. Experienced contractors grow their business, but their policy stays the same.
This blog covers the basics. Download the full guide below for the complete coverage breakdown, all eight gaps, and a renewal checklist you can use this season.
Get the Snow Removal Insurance Guide
What Does Snow Removal Insurance Cover?
Snow removal insurance covers the main risks of winter work through a set of policies, not one. Each policy has its own job:
- Liability covers claims from the public.
- Auto covers your trucks.
- Equipment coverage protects your machines.
- Workers’ compensation covers your crew.
If one piece is missing, a claim can slip through the gap.
Here is what a typical program includes:
- Commercial general liability (CGL): pays for injury and property damage claims caused by your work, including slip-and-fall claims
- Completed operations: the part of your CGL that covers claims after you leave a site, which matters because many falls happen hours later
- Commercial auto: covers every plow truck, salt truck, and service vehicle
- Non-owned and hired auto: covers crews using their own or rented vehicles
- Contractor’s equipment: covers loaders, skid steers, blowers, and spreaders
- Umbrella liability: adds extra limits when a contract asks for more
- Workers’ compensation: covers injuries to your own workers
One thing surprises many contractors. Your liability policy will not pay for your trucks, your equipment, or your crew. Each one needs its own coverage.
Many clients ask for at least $2 million in liability coverage. Hospitals, shopping centres, and campuses often ask for $5 million to $10 million.
Not sure which of these you have? Download the guide below and check your program line by line.
What Do New Snow Removal Contractors Need?
New snow removal contractors need four basics before their first site:
- a policy written for snow work
- commercial auto for every plow truck
- completed operations coverage
- workers’ compensation before they hire
Most first-season problems come from missing one of these. The work itself rarely loses you money. A claim your policy was never set up to cover can.
Watch for these common mistakes:
Buying the wrong policy. A landscaping policy may exclude snow and ice work or limit slip-and-fall claims. Your policy should name plowing, salting, and sidewalk clearing.
Using a personally insured truck. A personal auto policy is not built for paid plowing, so a claim may be denied. Tell your insurer the truck has a plow blade.
Picking limits based on price. Read the insurance section of every contract before you quote. Your limits should match what your clients ask for.
Skipping your logs. When a claim shows up months later, your logbooks are your best defence. Start them on day one.
Try to apply in late summer or early fall, so the underwriter has time to review your file. If winter is already close, start now. Coverage can still be set up or updated during the season.
What Do Experienced Snow Removal Contractors Often Miss?
Experienced snow removal contractors often miss the ways their own business has changed. Each year brings new sites, new subcontractors, and bigger contracts. The policy, though, often still describes the business from a few years ago. These gaps stay quiet until a claim tests them.
Here are the gaps that come up most:
- Subcontractors your insurer does not know about. If one of them is behind a claim, your coverage may not respond as expected.
- New sites the policy does not describe. Hospitals, plazas, and sidewalk routes added since last year may not appear on your policy.
- Contract promises your policy does not cover. A promise to keep a site “free of snow and ice at all times” is a performance guarantee, and your CGL does not cover it.
- Additional insured wording that does not match. A certificate only summarizes your coverage. The endorsement is what gives your client rights.
- One limit shared across all your sites. A few bad claims in one winter can use it up.
- Old restrictions. Higher deductibles and exclusions from the hard insurance years often never come off.
This list shows six of the eight gaps. Download the guide below with all eight gaps, with a fix for each one.
What Should You Check Before You Renew?
Before you renew, check three things:
- your policy still describes your business
- it matches your contracts
- it has dropped any restrictions you no longer need
Most renewals carry last year’s policy forward with a new price. Nothing changes unless you ask. Starting early gives you time to fix the wording as well as the price.
The usual window to start a renewal is 60 to 90 days before your policy expires. Renewing in November or December? You are already inside that window, so start this week.
Try the Three-Document Check
Put three documents side by side: your declarations page, your largest contract, and your subcontractor list. All three should describe the same business. You have found a gap if:
- your contract mentions sidewalks your policy never names, or
- your subcontractor list has crews your insurer has never heard of.
A few questions to bring to your renewal:
- Does my policy describe every service I offer this winter?
- Is every subcontractor disclosed and insured?
- Do my limits and endorsements match each contract?
- Can any old exclusions or sublimits come off?
Download the guide below for all ten renewal questions, and bring them to your next renewal conversation.
Do Snow Removal Insurance Rules Change by Province?
Yes. Each province sets its own rules for workers’ compensation, auto insurance, and how injury claims are reported. If you work in more than one province, your coverage should follow the rules where each site is located. Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta show how much these rules can differ.
Ontario: A person hurt by snow or ice must generally give written notice within 60 days, and that notice can go to the snow contractor. Report each notice to your insurer the same day.
British Columbia: ICBC Basic auto insurance is compulsory, and each truck must be insured for paid plowing. You must register with WorkSafeBC if you hire workers.
Alberta: Clients often ask for a WCB clearance letter before work starts and before they pay you.
Is Your Snow Removal Insurance Ready for This Winter?
Your snow removal insurance is ready when it matches the work you are doing this season. That means every site, truck, subcontractor, and contract promise is accounted for. Slip-and-fall risk will always be part of snow work. When a claim comes in, your insurance decides who pays.
Everything in this blog, plus the full checklist, is in one place. The guide shows you what to buy, what you might be missing, and what to check at renewal.
If you would rather talk it through, Doug Dombroski can review your policy against the work you have lined up this winter, before the next storm. Book a time that suits you, or email him at doug@getcertain.ca.
