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Environmental liability in Germany: two claimants, two policies

When oil, solvents or contaminated firefighting water escape from a business, two parties come forward. A neighbour claims damages for a polluted well, and the authority orders the clean up of soil and water. German insurers cover these with two different products, environmental liability (Umwelthaftpflicht) and environmental damage insurance (Umweltschadensversicherung, USV), and many companies only hold one of them.

The question almost everyone asks first

Is environmental liability insurance compulsory in Germany?

No. For particularly hazardous installations in Annex 2, § 19 of the Environmental Liability Act (UmweltHG) provides for financial security, for example through liability insurance. Voluntary is not harmless; operators of Annex 1 installations and those responsible for water pollution under § 89 WHG are liable without fault. Anyone who causes environmental damage through an Annex 1 activity of the Environmental Damage Act (USchadG) must remedy it without fault too; for other occupational activities this applies to protected species and habitats in case of intent or negligence.

Civil claims and public law duties are covered separately

Environmental liability insurance works like any liability policy. It pays when a third party claims compensation for harm caused by an environmental impact from your business, and it defends you against unfounded claims. The model wording is built around liability under the Civil Code, the Environmental Liability Act and the Water Resources Act. Typical cases are contaminated wells, damaged crops on neighbouring land or health effects from emissions.

The Environmental Damage Act has no injured neighbour. It obliges the person responsible to prevent and remedy damage to soil, water, protected species and natural habitats, even on their own premises and even where nobody owns the resource. Liability insurance generally does not cover this public law duty. That is what environmental damage insurance, known as USV, is for.

Risk modules: only what is declared is covered

German environmental liability cover is assembled from modules. Each installation or activity is listed: facilities holding substances hazardous to water, installations under Annex 1 or 2 of the Environmental Liability Act, other installations requiring a permit, waste water systems, and the planning, installation or servicing of such systems for clients. A tank that has not been declared may well not be insured.

For contractors the recourse module matters most. It applies when you work on a client's installation and cause an escape there, for instance while filling or repairing a heating oil tank. Environmental damage insurance follows a similar logic, and the model wording includes a catch all module for other installations and activities.

Strict liability: fault is not the question

Operators of installations listed in Annex 1 of the Environmental Liability Act are liable for damage caused by their environmental impacts even if they did everything right. The cap is EUR 85 million, separately for bodily injury and for property damage from a single impact. Liability for water pollution under § 89 WHG is also strict and has no such cap.

Clean up duties under the Environmental Damage Act do not require fault for certain occupational activities either. A permit does not rule out responsibility under the Act, as the Federal Administrative Court held in 2017. A policy that pays for experts, dealings with the authority and remediation keeps that dispute away from your balance sheet.

What is covered

  • Third party bodily injury and property damage caused by environmental impacts through soil, air or water
  • Defence against unfounded claims
  • Water pollution from facilities with hazardous substances, if the module is agreed
  • Operator liability for declared installations under Annex 1 or 2 UmweltHG
  • Escapes while working on clients' installations (recourse module)
  • Remediation of soil, water, protected species and habitats under the USchadG through environmental damage insurance
  • Emergency costs to avert imminent damage, depending on the policy

What is not covered

  • Intentional environmental damage and deliberate breaches of environmental rules
  • Installations and activities not listed in the policy, unless a catch all module applies
  • Contamination caused before the policy started
  • Damage from normal, intended operation, where the policy wording excludes it
  • Claims under US or Canadian law, unless specifically agreed

Who needs it

  • Businesses with heating oil, diesel or chemical tanks, separators or hazardous goods stores
  • Operators of installations requiring a permit, for example under the Federal Immission Control Act
  • Garages, filling stations, electroplating, paint shops and waste management companies
  • Contractors working on clients' heating, tank or waste water systems
  • Farms storing fertiliser, slurry or pesticides
  • Construction firms refuelling machinery on site

Who does not need it

  • Pure office and consulting businesses without storage, tanks or work on installations, if the business liability policy includes small quantities

Wheel of misfortune

Spin the wheel of bad luck

Six things that really happen. The wheel picks yours and shows who pays.

See all six cases
  1. Heating oil spills at a client's home, often five figures, more if groundwater. Budget policy: pays in part, Strong policy: pays. This is what the recourse module is for. Without it the contractor pays for excavation and disposal.
  2. Firefighting water reaches a stream, five to six figures. Budget policy: pays in part, Strong policy: pays. The authority orders remediation of the stream under the USchadG. Without environmental damage insurance the business pays.
  3. Neighbour's well smells of solvent, a few thousand euros to six figures. Budget policy: pays, Strong policy: pays. Claims by the neighbour are the core case for environmental liability, provided the store is listed.
  4. Oil separator leaked for years, six figures with excavation. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: pays in part. Slow leaks need gradual pollution cover, and remediation of your own soil needs the extended USV.
  5. Old contamination found on purchase, can exceed the value of the land. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: does not pay. No policy covers damage caused before it started. Only a soil survey before purchase protects you.
  6. Hydraulic hose bursts on site, usually four to five figures. Budget policy: pays, Strong policy: pays. Oil on someone else's ground is covered by the environmental module. Registered vehicles fall under motor liability.

What it costs

Premiums depend less on company size than on installations: which substances, what quantities, above or below ground, how close to groundwater. A small contractor with a recourse module and a chemicals trader with a tank farm are far apart even at the same turnover.

What drives the premium

  • Type and number of installations, substances and quantities stored
  • Location, for example in a water protection zone
  • Limits, separately for liability and environmental damage insurance
  • Modules included and deductible
  • Work on clients' installations
  • Condition and inspection of installations, claims history

There are no reliable published benchmarks for this line, so we do not quote sample premiums. Your premium is fixed only in the quote we obtain with your list of installations.

The policy levels on the market

01

Environmental extension of business liability

Small quantities of usual operating materials, sometimes a small tank up to a limit. Little or no cover for clean up under the USchadG. Suitable for businesses without their own installations.

02

Modular environmental liability plus USV

Every installation listed, recourse module for client work, environmental damage insurance with its own limit, including your own site. Suitable for most businesses with tanks or stores.

03

Standalone environmental policy

Separate from business liability, with high limits, a catch all module and a clear boundary between policies. For manufacturing, waste management and UmweltHG installations.

How to recognise a good policy

CriterionMinimum standardStrong policyWhy it matters
Environmental damage insurance included for damage beyond your own premises also covers soil and water on your own or rented site The authority orders remediation regardless of who owns the land.
Declared installations all tanks and installations listed with substances and quantities plus provisional cover for new installations and a catch all module What is not in the policy may well not be insured.
Recourse module included if you work on others' installations at the full limit, including planning and maintenance A contractor filling or repairing a client's tank is liable for any escape.
Limit of indemnity same as the business liability limit separate limits for liability and USV without low sublimits Groundwater remediation takes years and costs accordingly.
Gradual pollution included included without a special sublimit Much environmental damage comes from slow leaks, not sudden accidents.
Run off cover for damage caused during the policy period several years after expiry or closure of the business Soil contamination often surfaces only on sale or demolition.

Insurers on the German market

Environmental liability and environmental damage insurance are written by the large German commercial insurers, mostly as an extension of business liability and for industry as a separate policy. The list describes the German market; it says nothing about which insurers we work with.

InsurerBackground
Allianzenvironmental liability and environmental damage cover for commercial clients
HDI Globalindustrial insurer of the Talanx group for larger companies
ZurichGerman entity of the Zurich group, small business and industry
R+Vinsurer of the German cooperative banks, including agriculture
VHVfocus on construction and trades, also sold through brokers
Haftpflichtkasseliability specialist offering environmental damage insurance as its own product
Mannheimerspecialist insurer for selected trades, sold through brokers

Compare the wordings of all tariffs Environmental liability 34 tariffs from 18 providers, as of 24 October 2026

From the BaFin register

127

127 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance.

(Allgemeine Haftpflicht)

Show all 127 names from the register
  • ADAC Versicherung AG
  • ADLER Versicherung AG
  • AGILA Haustierversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Allcura Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Allianz Direct Versicherungs-AG
  • Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE
  • Allianz Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Alte Leipziger Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Ambra Versicherung AG
  • AMMERLÄNDER VERSICHERUNG Versicherungsverein a.G. (VVaG)
  • andsafe Aktiengesellschaft
  • ARAG Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • AXA Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • BA die Bayerische Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • Badischer Gemeinde-Versicherungs-Verband
  • Baloise Sachversicherung Aktiengesellschaft Deutschland
  • Barmenia Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • BavariaDirekt Versicherung AG
  • Bayerische Hausbesitzer-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft a.G.
  • Bayerischer Versicherungsverband Versicherungsaktiengesellschaft
  • BD24 Berlin Direkt Versicherung AG
  • BGV-Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Concordia Versicherungs-Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Continentale Sachversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Cosmos Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • DA Deutsche Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • DARAG Deutschland AG
  • Debeka Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft Sitz Koblenz am Rhein
  • Delvag Versicherungs-AG
  • DEVK Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • DEVK Deutsche Eisenbahn Versicherung Sach- und HUK-Versicherungsverein a.G. Betriebliche…
  • DFV Deutsche Familienversicherung AG
  • Dialog Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Die Haftpflichtkasse VVaG
  • DOCURA VVaG
  • ERGO Direkt Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • ERGO Reiseversicherung AG
  • ERGO Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Euro-Aviation Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • EUROPA Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Fahrlehrerversicherung Verein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Feuersozietät Berlin Brandenburg Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • GARANTA Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Gemeinnützige Haftpflichtversicherungsanstalt Kassel
  • Generali Deutschland Versicherung AG
  • Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Gothaer Versicherungsbank VVaG
  • Great Lakes Insurance SE
  • GRUNDEIGENTÜMER-VERSICHERUNG Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • GVO Gegenseitigkeit Versicherung Oldenburg VVaG
  • GVV Direktversicherung AG
  • GVV-Kommunalversicherung, Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Haftpflichtgemeinschaft Deutscher Nahverkehrs- und Versorgungsunternehmen Allgemein (HDNA) VVaG
  • Hamburger Feuerkasse Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • HanseMerkur Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • HanseMerkur Reiseversicherung AG
  • HDI Global SE
  • HDI Global Specialty SE
  • HDI Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • HDI Versicherung AG
  • Helvetia Schweizerische Versicherungsgesellschaft AG Direktion für Deutschland
  • Helvetia Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • HUK-COBURG Haftpflicht-Unterstützungs-Kasse kraftfahrender Beamter Deutschlands a.G. in Coburg
  • HUK-COBURG-Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • HUK24 AG
  • Hübener Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • IDEAL Versicherung AG
  • INTER Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • Interlloyd Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • InterRisk Versicherungs-AG Vienna Insurance Group.
  • ISSELHORSTER Versicherung V.a.G.
  • Itzehoer Versicherung/Brandgilde von 1691 Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Janitos Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • KRAVAG-LOGISTIC Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Landschaftliche Brandkasse Hannover
  • LBN Versicherungsverein a.G. (VVaG)
  • Lifestyle Protection AG
  • Lippische Landesbrandversicherung AG
  • Lucura Versicherungs AG
  • LVM Landwirtschaftlicher Versicherungsverein Münster a.G.
  • Mannheimer Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Markel Insurance SE
  • Mecklenburgische Versicherungs-Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • MVK Versicherung VVaG
  • MÜNCHENER VEREIN Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG
  • Neodigital Versicherung AG
  • Newline Europe Versicherung AG
  • nexible Versicherung AG
  • NV-Versicherungen VVaG
  • NÜRNBERGER Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • NÜRNBERGER BEAMTEN ALLGEMEINE VERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
  • OKV - Ostdeutsche Kommunalversicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Ostangler Brandgilde, Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit (VVaG)
  • Pallas Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Provinzial Nord Brandkasse Aktiengesellschaft
  • Provinzial Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • PVAG Polizeiversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • R+V Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • RheinLand Versicherungs Aktiengesellschaft
  • Rhion Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • S DirektVersicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • SAARLAND Feuerversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • SHB Allgemeine Versicherung VVaG
  • SIGNAL IDUNA Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Stuttgarter Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • SV SparkassenVersicherung Gebäudeversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • TRIAS Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Uelzener Allgemeine Versicherungs-Gesellschaft a.G.
  • Union Reiseversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • uniVersa Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • Versicherer im Raum der Kirchen Sachversicherung AG
  • Versicherungskammer Bayern Versicherungsanstalt des öffentlichen Rechts
  • Versicherungsverband Deutscher Eisenbahnen-Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Verti Versicherung AG
  • VHV Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • VHV Vereinigte Hannoversche Versicherung a.G.
  • VOLKSWOHL-BUND SACHVERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
  • VPV Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG
  • Waldenburger Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • WGV-Versicherung AG
  • WWK Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Württembergische Gemeinde-Versicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Württembergische Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Würzburger Versicherungs-AG
  • Zurich Insurance Europe AG
  • Öffentliche Feuerversicherung Sachsen-Anhalt

Source: BaFin company database, 18 September 2026; EU insurers without a German office excluded.

Legal basis and sources

Products and add-ons

Environmental extension of business liability

Covers usual operating materials in small quantities. Cheap and often already in place, rarely with adequate clean up cover.

Modular environmental liability

Lists each installation separately, from waste water systems to installations under the Environmental Liability Act.

Environmental damage insurance (USV)

Covers remediation duties owed to the authority under the Environmental Damage Act. Check whether your own site is included.

Recourse cover for contractors

For firms working on clients' installations, such as heating engineers, tank cleaners and plumbers.

Myth or truth

True or false?

Five things people say about this insurance. Guess first, then see the answer.

Environmental liability insurance also pays for clean up ordered by the authority.

This is false.

False, it covers third party claims. The public law duty to remedy under the Environmental Damage Act needs environmental damage insurance.

If I was not at fault, I do not have to pay for environmental damage.

This is false.

False, operators of Annex 1 installations and those responsible for water pollution under § 89 WHG are liable without fault.

A tank that is not listed in the policy may not be insured.

This is true.

True, environmental liability covers declared installations. New ones must be reported, otherwise only a provisional or catch all module can help.

The Environmental Damage Act protects nature even where nobody owns it.

This is true.

True, it protects soil, water, protected species and habitats as such. No injured owner is required.

Liability under the Environmental Liability Act has an upper limit.

This is true.

True, EUR 85 million each for bodily injury and property damage from one environmental impact. Liability under the Civil Code and the WHG has no such cap.

Common mistakes

  • Commissioning a new tank or store without telling the insurer
  • Assuming liability cover also pays for clean up ordered by the authority
  • Buying environmental damage insurance without cover for your own site
  • Working on clients' installations without the recourse module
  • Moving into a water protection zone without updating the policy
  • Cancelling the environmental policy on closure although damage may surface later

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

What is the difference between Umwelthaftpflicht and Umweltschadensversicherung?

Environmental liability pays compensation to third parties,

for example a neighbour whose well is polluted.

Environmental damage insurance covers the public law duty to remedy soil,

water and protected nature under the Environmental Damage Act.

One incident can trigger both.

Does my German business liability policy cover environmental damage?

For usual operating materials in small quantities, often yes.

Tanks, separators, hazardous stores and permitted installations must be listed explicitly.

Clean up under the USchadG is covered only thinly, or not at all,

in many business liability extensions.

What does the Environmental Liability Act say?

Operators of installations in Annex 1 are liable without fault for damage caused by environmental

impacts, capped at EUR 85 million each for bodily injury and property damage.

For particularly hazardous installations in Annex 2, § 19 provides for financial security.

Who orders remediation under the Environmental Damage Act?

The competent environmental authority.

It can order prevention and remediation and recover the costs from the person responsible.

No injured third party is needed, because the Act protects nature itself.

Is contamination from before I took over the site covered?

No.

Policies cover environmental impacts caused during the policy period.

If you take over a site, have its condition documented first so that later findings can be

attributed to a period.

I install heating systems. Do I need environmental cover?

Yes, with the recourse module.

If heating oil escapes while you fill or repair a client's system, your firm is liable.

Many trade liability policies offer the module, but not always by default.

Do I need to read German policy wording?

The binding wording is German and the modules are technical.

We explain what each module covers in English and check it against your actual installations

before you sign.

Why use a broker in Germany?

Because cover depends on the list of installations,

and the boundary with business liability easily leaves gaps.

We record your installations and activities in full,

review liability and USV together and support you if the authority gets in touch.

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request quotes for Environmental liability

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge.

You can write in English.

1Who is it for?
2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

3Details

Environmental liability insurance in Germany (Umwelthaftpflicht)

For example car repair shop with oil separator, heating installation, paint shop,

agricultural trade

For example tank sizes, location in a water protection zone, separators, work on construction sites

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

Free of charge and without obligation. A person will get back to you.

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