[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":129},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-\u002Fguides\u002Fcontracts\u002Fwhat-insurance-does-a-mobile-party-business-need":3,"guide-siblings-\u002Fguides\u002Fcontracts\u002Fwhat-insurance-does-a-mobile-party-business-need":119},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"description":94,"disclaimer":95,"draft":96,"extension":97,"faq":98,"lastReviewed":111,"meta":112,"navigation":113,"path":114,"publishedAt":111,"seo":115,"sitemap":116,"stem":117,"__hash__":118},"guides\u002Fguides\u002Fcontracts\u002Fwhat-insurance-does-a-mobile-party-business-need.md","What insurance does a mobile party business need?","Rally",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":86},"minimark",[10,14,19,26,32,38,44,48,51,55,71,79,83],[11,12,13],"p",{},"General liability first, with one million dollars per occurrence as the common floor, because venues, schools, and towns will ask for a certificate of insurance before they ask you anything else. Add commercial auto if a truck or trailer is involved, workers' comp when you have employees, and equipment coverage once the gear is worth real money. Insurance in this business is both protection and a sales document.",[15,16,18],"h2",{"id":17},"the-policies-in-the-order-youll-need-them","The policies, in the order you'll need them",[11,20,21,25],{},[22,23,24],"strong",{},"General liability."," The foundation. Covers third-party injury and property damage claims arising from your operations: the guest who slips, the sprinkler head the trailer crushed. One million per occurrence and two million aggregate is the standard ask on venue and school paperwork, so buying less means declining that whole market. Expect a few hundred to somewhat over a thousand dollars a year depending on state, revenue, and activity type, and make sure the policy actually covers your activity by naming it to the underwriter: foam, inflatables, and amusements each sit differently with carriers, and a policy that excludes your core activity is a receipt, not coverage.",[11,27,28,31],{},[22,29,30],{},"Commercial auto."," The moment a vehicle or trailer works for the business, your personal auto policy has a business-use problem, and carriers deny exactly this. Commercial auto covers the truck, the towing, and the crew driving it. If crew ever drive their own cars for the business, ask your agent about hired and non-owned coverage too.",[11,33,34,37],{},[22,35,36],{},"Workers' comp."," Required in most states once you have employees, in some states from the very first one. This is physical work around water, power, and vehicles, and comp is the policy protecting both the crew member and the business the day someone gets hurt working.",[11,39,40,43],{},[22,41,42],{},"Equipment and inland marine."," Covers the gear, including in transit and at job sites, where standard property policies get vague. Once cannons, generators, and trailers total tens of thousands, theft of a loaded trailer stops being an annoyance and starts being a season-ender.",[15,45,47],{"id":46},"the-certificate-game","The certificate game",[11,49,50],{},"The certificate of insurance, the COI, is a one-page proof your insurer issues. Schools and towns will request one naming them as additional insured, and how fast you can produce it is quietly part of your sales process: the operator who sends the COI within the hour books the field day. Ask your agent how additional-insured requests work before the first one arrives, and keep a current COI in the truck and in your files.",[15,52,54],{"id":53},"buying-it-right","Buying it right",[56,57,58,62,65,68],"ol",{},[59,60,61],"li",{},"Use an agent who knows events and amusements, not just small business generally. Carriers in this niche exist, and the right agent knows them.",[59,63,64],{},"Describe the operation completely: foam, water, generators, towing, staff, guest ages. Surprises disclosed at claim time are how coverage evaporates.",[59,66,67],{},"Reprice every year or two. Premiums drift, your revenue changes, and a growing operation often qualifies for better structures.",[59,69,70],{},"Read the exclusions page yourself. It's one page, and it's the page that matters.",[72,73,76],"rally-aside",{"label":74,"to":75},"See documents in Rally","\u002Ffeatures",[11,77,78],{},"Rally keeps documents attached where you'll need them, and booking requirements can include the paperwork a venue demands, so the school that needs a COI on file has one before the date locks.",[15,80,82],{"id":81},"the-line-to-remember","The line to remember",[11,84,85],{},"You're not buying insurance for the average Saturday, you're buying it for the worst one, and pricing the premium against that day makes every policy on this page look cheap.",{"title":87,"searchDepth":88,"depth":88,"links":89},"",2,[90,91,92,93],{"id":17,"depth":88,"text":18},{"id":46,"depth":88,"text":47},{"id":53,"depth":88,"text":54},{"id":81,"depth":88,"text":82},"General liability first, one million per occurrence as the common floor, because venues and schools ask for a certificate before they ask anything else. Commercial auto if a truck or trailer is involved.","insurance",false,"md",[99,102,105,108],{"q":100,"a":101},"How much does foam party insurance cost?","General liability for a small operation commonly runs in the high hundreds to low thousands per year, varying with state, revenue, and how the carrier classes the activity. It's a real line in the pricing worksheet, and divided across a season of parties it's a few dollars per booking.",{"q":103,"a":104},"Can I operate without insurance while starting out?","You can, in the sense that nothing stops you until something does. One incident can outweigh every dollar the business will ever make, venues and schools are closed to you without a COI, and clients increasingly ask. It belongs in the startup budget, not the someday list.",{"q":106,"a":107},"What does additional insured mean and why do venues ask?","It extends certain protections of your policy to the venue for claims arising from your work there. It's routine, usually free or cheap to add per certificate, and asking your agent to set up a smooth process is worth doing before school season.",{"q":109,"a":110},"Does general liability cover my equipment?","No, it covers claims against you by others. Your own gear needs its own coverage, which is what the equipment and inland marine policies are for.","2026-07-13",{},true,"\u002Fguides\u002Fcontracts\u002Fwhat-insurance-does-a-mobile-party-business-need",{"title":5,"description":94},{"loc":114},"guides\u002Fcontracts\u002Fwhat-insurance-does-a-mobile-party-business-need","deu4g3xPsIVF5KxrZBHxcgt68bhMvx-hSkPVidKGss0",[120,123,126],{"path":121,"title":122},"\u002Fguides\u002Fcontracts\u002Fcan-i-use-a-contract-template-i-found-online","Can I use a contract template I found online?",{"path":124,"title":125},"\u002Fguides\u002Fcontracts\u002Fdo-i-need-a-liability-waiver-for-a-foam-party","Do I need a liability waiver for a foam party?",{"path":127,"title":128},"\u002Fguides\u002Fcontracts\u002Fwhat-happens-if-a-kid-gets-hurt-at-my-event","What happens if a kid gets hurt at my event?",1783921368599]