What insurance does a painter need?
There's no one-size answer. The right mix depends on how you work, who you work for, and what your contracts ask for. These are the coverages a painter typically looks at first:
General liability
Covers overspray, drips, and accidental damage to a client's property, plus third-party injuries, with the $1,000,000 per-occurrence limit GCs and property managers typically request.
Business property
Sprayers, ladders, and scaffolding are expensive to replace, and this is designed to help cover your equipment against theft and damage.
Workers' compensation
Falls from ladders and scaffolding are a real risk in this trade, and workers comp is built to cover a crew member's injury once you have employees.
Coverage always depends on your specific situation. The fastest way to see what fits is to get a quote and review your options.
Taking on small repairs alongside paint jobs? See our guide to handyman insurance.
What does it protect against?
The risks that matter aren't abstract. They're the everyday accidents of the work. A few scenarios that turn into real claims:
Overspray drifts onto a parked car
Spraying an exterior on a windy day, paint drifts onto a neighbor's car or a client's driveway. Overspray damage is one of the most common claims a painter files, and general liability is designed to help cover the cleanup or repaint.
A drop cloth fails and paint soaks the carpet
A drop cloth shifts mid-job and a spilled can of paint gets into carpet or hardwood underneath. Property damage inside a client's home from a painting job is a routine general liability claim.
A ladder scratches siding or cracks a window
An extension ladder slips against a wall and gouges the siding, or a dropped scraper cracks a window pane. Accidental damage to the surface you're working on is exactly the kind of claim this coverage is built to help cover.
Oily rags catch fire in a client's garage
Oil-based paint rags left in a pile can combust on their own hours after the crew has left for the day. A fire that starts from job materials left behind is a serious property damage claim.
Certificates of insurance
Painters get asked for a certificate of insurance mostly through general contractors and property managers. GCs collect one from every sub before a paint crew is cleared for a new-construction site, and property managers want proof before a crew works inside an occupied building. Homeowners increasingly ask too, especially for larger exterior jobs. Olli's general liability policies include instant certificates, so proof is ready the moment your policy is.
New to certificates? Start with our guide to the certificate of insurance: what's on one, who asks for it, and how to provide yours.