What municipalities require of landscaping contractors: parks, grounds and right-of-way contracts and how to prove you meet them

What a city or county requires of a landscaping contractor

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A municipal landscaping, grounds or snow contract typically requires general liability of $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate with the city and its officials as additional insureds on a primary and non-contributory basis, pesticide applicator coverage where chemicals are applied, waivers of subrogation on every policy, commercial auto of $1M combined single limit covering trucks and trailers, statutory workers' compensation with $1M employers' liability, an umbrella of $1M to $5M, and no snow-and-ice exclusion for winter work.

Reviewed by Michael LaBarbera, Licensed property & casualty agent, Provident Financial Group · Reviewed Oct 11, 2026 Updated Oct 14, 2026

Typical requirements and how to check them
Requirement	What they usually ask for	How to check what you have
Commercial general liability	$1M each occurrence / $2M aggregate with the entity, its officials, employees and volunteers as additional insureds for ongoing and completed operations, primary and non-contributory, and no exclusion for tree work, snow and ice, or the heights involved	Dec page limits, an additional insured form that covers individuals, and the exclusions page; tree work above a stated height and snow removal are commonly excluded unless declared.
Pesticide and herbicide applicator coverage	Coverage for property damage and bodily injury from the application of fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, with the state applicator licence on file	A pesticide/herbicide applicator endorsement on the general liability policy, which removes the pollution exclusion for applications; the licence certificate with the contract.
Waiver of subrogation	In favour of the municipality on general liability, auto, workers' compensation and umbrella	Waiver endorsement on each policy.
Commercial auto	$1M combined single limit on any auto, with trailers, plows and spreaders scheduled, and hired and non-owned	Auto dec page symbol and limit; plow and spreader equipment is often scheduled on an inland marine floater and the trailers on the auto policy.
Workers' compensation and employers' liability	Statutory for the project state plus employers' liability of $1M / $1M / $1M, with a waiver and the landscaping and tree-trimming class codes	Information page with the project state, Part Two limits, waiver endorsement and classification lines; tree work carries its own class.
Umbrella or excess liability	$1M to $5M following form, higher for tree removal near power lines and for snow contracts on roads	Umbrella dec page and underlying schedule.
Snow and ice work	A general liability policy with no snow and ice exclusion, contractual liability for the hold-harmless in the snow contract, and documentation of each service visit	The exclusions page and a snow removal endorsement where the carrier requires one; service logs kept as the defence to slip-and-fall claims.
Performance bonds and equipment	A performance bond on multi-year grounds contracts above the municipality's threshold; equipment coverage for mowers, aerial lifts and chippers	Bond form from the surety naming the municipality as obligee; a contractors' equipment floater with the machines scheduled.

Requirement

What they usually ask for

How to check what you have

Commercial general liability

$1M each occurrence / $2M aggregate with the entity, its officials, employees and volunteers as additional insureds for ongoing and completed operations, primary and non-contributory, and no exclusion for tree work, snow and ice, or the heights involved

Dec page limits, an additional insured form that covers individuals, and the exclusions page; tree work above a stated height and snow removal are commonly excluded unless declared.

Pesticide and herbicide applicator coverage

Coverage for property damage and bodily injury from the application of fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, with the state applicator licence on file

A pesticide/herbicide applicator endorsement on the general liability policy, which removes the pollution exclusion for applications; the licence certificate with the contract.

Waiver of subrogation

In favour of the municipality on general liability, auto, workers' compensation and umbrella

Waiver endorsement on each policy.

Commercial auto

$1M combined single limit on any auto, with trailers, plows and spreaders scheduled, and hired and non-owned

Auto dec page symbol and limit; plow and spreader equipment is often scheduled on an inland marine floater and the trailers on the auto policy.

Workers' compensation and employers' liability

Statutory for the project state plus employers' liability of $1M / $1M / $1M, with a waiver and the landscaping and tree-trimming class codes

Information page with the project state, Part Two limits, waiver endorsement and classification lines; tree work carries its own class.

Umbrella or excess liability

$1M to $5M following form, higher for tree removal near power lines and for snow contracts on roads

Umbrella dec page and underlying schedule.

Snow and ice work

A general liability policy with no snow and ice exclusion, contractual liability for the hold-harmless in the snow contract, and documentation of each service visit

The exclusions page and a snow removal endorsement where the carrier requires one; service logs kept as the defence to slip-and-fall claims.

Performance bonds and equipment

A performance bond on multi-year grounds contracts above the municipality's threshold; equipment coverage for mowers, aerial lifts and chippers

Bond form from the surety naming the municipality as obligee; a contractors' equipment floater with the machines scheduled.

What the public entity is protecting

Parks, grounds and snow contracts put a contractor's crews and chemicals on public land used by residents every day. The exhibit protects the entity and its people from injury claims, chemical damage, tree failures and winter slip-and-falls, and on larger contracts adds a bond so the work continues if the contractor fails.

The lines a municipal landscaping contract names

General liability with the entity and its individuals added, read for tree-height, snow and chemical exclusions. The applicator endorsement for any chemical work, with the licence. Waivers on every policy. Auto covering plow trucks and trailers, with equipment on a floater. Workers' compensation with landscaping and tree classes in the project state. An umbrella scaled to tree and road exposure. Snow conditions where the contract runs through winter, and bonds on multi-year grounds work.

How to check your policies against the specification

Read the general liability exclusions for tree height, snow and ice, and pesticides. Match limits and confirm the additional insured form covers individuals. Confirm the applicator endorsement and licence. Check the waiver on each policy. Match auto with trailers scheduled, workers' compensation with the right classes, and the umbrella schedule. Confirm the equipment floater and bond capacity where the contract requires them.

Keep the certificate current

Municipal grounds contracts run for years and the agency checks certificates at every renewal. A live certificate link stays current as policies renew and carries the endorsements as attachments, with the official PDF, so the contract file shows the current status without a yearly re-filing.

Questions people actually ask

Why does a parks contract exclude or price tree work separately?

Because tree removal near structures and power lines is the most severe landscaping exposure, and many general liability policies exclude work above a stated height unless declared. The municipality wants to see the policy covers the height and the proximity in its parks.

Our general liability has a pesticide exclusion but we only spread fertiliser. Is that a gap?

Fertiliser, herbicide and pesticide applications all fall under the same exclusion on most forms. The applicator endorsement, paired with the state applicator licence, is what the municipality expects to see when any chemical is applied.

What does the city want for snow removal that a summer grounds contract does not?

A policy without a snow and ice exclusion, contractual liability for the hold-harmless, higher auto limits for plows on public roads, and service logs. Slip-and-fall claims from plowed lots and sidewalks are the reason.

Do our mowers and lifts go on the auto policy?

Trailers and plow trucks go on the auto policy; mowers, aerial lifts and chippers go on a contractors' equipment floater. The city's exhibit asks for both so a stolen or damaged machine does not stop the contract.