A fixed-location detail shop typically needs general liability with premises coverage, garage keepers coverage for customer vehicles in your care, equipment and contents coverage for tools and shop interior, and workers' compensation once you hire your first employee. Most shops bundle these into a Business Owner's Policy with detailing-specific endorsements, then add commercial auto if you also transport customer vehicles.

Premiums for a small one-to-two-bay detail shop typically land in the low four figures per year, while larger shops with multiple lifts, full ceramic operations, or paint correction can scale higher based on revenue, employee count, and garage keepers limits. The biggest cost drivers are gross receipts, payroll, the value of customer vehicles you handle, and your claims history.

Yes — once a customer hands you their keys, your standard general liability policy will not pay for damage to that vehicle. Garage keepers coverage is the specific endorsement that pays for fire, theft, vandalism, and collision damage while a customer's car is in your care, custody, and control. If you handle high-end vehicles, request limits that reflect your typical client's vehicle value, not the cheapest cars you touch.

Yes, and the differences are significant. Fixed-location shops need premises liability for foot traffic, building or contents coverage, and garage keepers protection scoped to a single address. Mobile detailers need inland marine coverage for tools that travel, on-site liability for work performed in customer driveways, and commercial auto for the work vehicle itself. Buying the wrong policy can leave huge gaps — we underwrite each type separately.

No. A commercial landlord's policy covers the building shell and the landlord's interests only. Your tools, your tenant improvements, your inventory, your customers' vehicles, and your liability exposure are all your responsibility to insure. Most commercial leases also explicitly require the tenant to carry minimum general liability limits, so showing proof of insurance is usually a lease compliance issue too.

In nearly every state, yes — workers' compensation becomes mandatory the moment you hire your first W-2 employee, and a few states require it even with one part-time worker. Detail shop work involves slippery floors, chemicals, lifts, and repetitive motion injuries, so workers' comp is also one of the more frequently used policies in the trade. We can quote it alongside your shop liability so coverage starts on the same date.