Snow Plowing vs. Snow Removal: What Insurance do I Need?

Do you know the difference between snow plowing and snow removal?

The answer may seem obvious, but we noticed that in the insurance world, the two terms are actually used interchangeably, and we wanted to know what this actually meant for snow plow/removal insurance coverages.

So we reached out to some of our talented underwriters to find out.

I know what you’re thinking: “What? Berry Insurance didn’t know something about insurance? I thought they were the keeper of all insurance information … I don’t know what to believe in anymore!”

But believe it or not, we, much like you, are always learning. The insurance world is continuously changing, so we always want to be anticipating all the questions that might come up so we can have the answers ready when you ask … like right now! Let’s get into it.

We’ll tell you what we learned about snow plowing vs. snow removal, and what is (and isn’t) actually covered on your policy.

What is snow plow/removal insurance?

First, let’s start with a brief overview. What exactly is snow plow insurance?

In short, snow plow insurance is a general liability policy with an endorsement. This policy will cover you for any bodily injury or property damage caused by your plowing. 

One thing that is important to note – you may already have a general liability policy in place for your contracting operations. Unfortunately, unless it is specifically endorsed to cover your snow plow/removal operations, you would not automatically have coverage.

To learn more about snow plow insurance and its coverages, check out this article: Do I Need Snow Plow Insurance?

Snow plowing vs. snow removal

Now let’s get into the nitty gritty. What is the difference between snow plowing and snow removal? Are they both covered under my snow plow insurance? And if so, do the insurance companies make any distinctions between the two when it comes to coverages?

What is considered snow plowing?

As you can imagine, snow plowing is the act of clearing snow with a plowing vehicle.

In other words, it’s technically a method of “snow removal” but specifically done with a plow.

What is considered snow removal?

Snow removal includes plowing, plus all other methods of snow removal. 

This could include shoveling, snow blowing, sanding/icing, or roof raking.

So, are they both covered under my insurance?

All of the carriers we contacted said they do not make any distinction between snow plowing and snow removal on snow plow policies.

So essentially, both snow plowing and snow removal are covered on an endorsed  general liability insurance, however, depending on the carrier, there may be some exclusions for specific methods of snow removal or equipment.

For example, insurance carriers typically don’t cover plowing for large commercial parking lots. Some might not cover removal done with certain types of equipment.

For this reason, you need to communicate details of where you intend to remove snow, and how you intend to do it with your insurance carrier, so you can know if you’re covered in every area.

But there’s also another reason.

Remember that endorsement we mentioned? It needs to include what type of snow removal you are specifically planning to do. 

Even if a carrier normally covers every type of snow removal you do, if you fail to have a type of location or method listed on your endorsement, you might not be covered if there was an incident in that location or using that method.

And it would not be worth it to have a large out of pocket expense just because you neglected to mention a detail to your agent, so remember: communication is key!

Know you’re covered with the right insurance

So now we all know. Snow plowing and snow removal can both be covered under your general liability policy, but there may be some exceptions.

If you plan on making any changes to your snow removal operations, your policy needs to reflect it in order to be covered.

But wait! Snow plow coverage is just a small part of your general liability policy, and we want you to understand your whole policy so you’re confident you have the right coverages and limits.

Check out this article What is General Liability Insurance? to learn everything you need to know.