The policies a fencing business carries
Fence installers dig, so a cut utility line is the claim to plan for, along with a fence built over the property line. Call 811 before you dig, every time.
| Policy | Average a month |
|---|---|
| General liability | $83 |
| Tools and equipment | $42 |
| Commercial auto | $270 |
| Workers' compensation | $160 |
| Surety or license bond | $9 |
Averages are what Insureon's customers among contractors as a group (it publishes no separate figures for fencing) pay, from Insureon's cost page; most of its customers have fewer than five employees. Across all its small business customers, general liability runs $265 to $3,030 a year.
Claims fence companies plan for
- An auger cuts a buried gas or power line
- A fence goes up on the neighbor's side of the line
- A post hole cracks a sprinkler pipe
- A gate swings into a car
Ask your agent, in these words:
- Would my policy pay if an auger cuts a buried gas or power line?
- Would my policy pay if a fence goes up on the neighbor's side of the line?
- Would my policy pay if a post hole cracks a sprinkler pipe?
- Would my policy pay if a gate swings into a car?
Name the work you sell
A policy covers the work you describe on the application. From the fencing services list, name each of these and ask whether any is excluded: wood privacy fence, installed; vinyl fence, installed; chain link fence, installed; walk gate, installed; post replacement; board and picket replacement; gate adjustment and hardware; tear out and haul away old fence; fence wash; fence staining.
Augers and trailers are the equipment to list. On the tools list, the items to list on the policy are skid steer with auger attachment rental; post driver; air compressor and fence stapler or nailer; concrete mixer; tear-out tools and a dump trailer, and from the starter kit, post hole digger and digging bar; gas auger or a rental; circular saw and miter saw; cordless drill and impact driver; string line, line levels and post levels.
State rules in the license
Fencing work often falls under the general contractor rules. Our general contractor license guide lists the insurance and bond line for each of 48 states from the boards' own pages.
Workers' comp and bonds
The SBA says every business with employees must carry workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance. Insureon's average for contractors as a group is $160 a month, priced per $100 of payroll. A bond protects the state or the customer, not you; Insureon puts its yearly cost at a share of the bond amount:
| Bond amount | Estimated yearly cost |
|---|---|
| $5,000 | $25 to $500 |
| $10,000 | $50 to $1,000 |
| $50,000 | $250 to $5,000 |
Certificates of insurance
HOAs and commercial clients ask for a certificate before installs. Keep a PDF on your phone so you can send it the day they ask.
Sources
- Insureon: Insurance cost for contractors as a group, checked October 9, 2026
- Insureon: General liability insurance cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Insureon: Workers' compensation insurance cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Insureon: Surety bond cost, checked October 9, 2026
- SBA: Get business insurance, checked October 9, 2026
- Koira: General Contractor license requirements by state (each row lists its board sources), checked October 9, 2026
- 811: What is 811, checked October 8, 2026
Last checked October 9, 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and differ by state and city, so confirm with the agency named before you act.