# Insurance for winter clearing, snow clearing and gritting services in Germany

> A winter clearing service sells safety on pavements, car parks and driveways. If someone still falls, the first thing their lawyer asks for is your clearing log. A single broken hip can cost more than a small snow clearing business earns in several winters. This page explains what cover you need in Germany, where the traps are and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-winter-clearing-service.php  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## Who pays if someone falls on an area I was supposed to clear?

Your public liability, provided winter clearing is expressly covered. The insurer checks whether you breached your duty, pays justified claims and defends unjustified ones. Your clearing log with time, weather and grit used is often decisive. Without it, proving you did your job is hard.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No compulsory insurance for winter clearing itself; snow ploughs, tractors and vans on public roads need motor liability (section 1 PflVG, the compulsory insurance act)
- **Liability:** Anyone who negligently injures another person's body, health or property must pay compensation (section 823 BGB, the German Civil Code); an ungritted pavement is the classic case
- **Biggest risk:** Pedestrians falling on areas you have agreed to clear
- **Basic cover from:** about €300 a year of public liability for a small clearing service, a guide figure from our quoting work
- **Often forgotten:** Damage caused by the plough to kerbs, paving, gates and parked cars; it has to be included in the policy

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **A fall on ice:** A pensioner slips outside a supermarket at seven in the morning and breaks a hip. Treatment, rehab and damages for pain add up fast.
- **Too late, too little:** With freezing rain one pass is not enough. If your contract requires regritting and you do not, you are liable for the fall at lunchtime.
- **Damage from the plough:** The plough blade rips out paving stones or hits a parked car.
- **Salt damage:** Road salt attacks concrete, underground car parks and plants. Owners demand the cost of repairs.
- **Broken machinery:** The snow blower swallows a stone, the spreader motor fails at minus twelve.
- **Working at night:** Drivers start at three in the morning in the dark and on ice. Falls and road accidents are common.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 3, Theft 3, Cyber 1, Downtime 3, Health 4

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for injury and property damage from clearing and gritting and from damage caused by equipment, if winter clearing is named in the policy. Without proof of cover, property managers rarely award contracts. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Car insurance** (Strongly advised): Ploughs, tractors and pick ups on public roads need motor liability. Comprehensive cover protects the expensive vehicles themselves. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): For snow blowers, spreaders, sweepers and attachments that are easily damaged in use. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Accident insurance** (Strongly advised): Adds around the clock cover to the Berufsgenossenschaft (statutory accident insurer), for you as owner and for casual staff. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-accident-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): For disputes with clients over work and invoices and for proceedings after a fall. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Business contents** (Depends on the business): Replaces salt, tools and equipment in your store after burglary, fire or storm. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend on the number and size of sites, private or public clients, vehicles and staff. Supermarket car parks with heavy footfall push the price up.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Clearing service with one vehicle and around 30 sites, €5 million limit | about €300 to €700 a year |
| Business liability | Winter service for retail car parks with eight staff | about €1,200 to €3,500 a year |
| Car insurance | Compact tractor with plough and spreader, liability and partial cover | about €250 to €600 a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Snow blower, spreader and sweeper worth €40,000 | about €500 to €1,100 a year |
| Accident insurance | Owner, €100,000 disability sum | about €150 to €350 a year |

For comparison: One serious fall in a customer car park can cost as much as ten years of public liability.

_All premiums are guide figures from our quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax, October 2026. Your premium depends on sites, clients and claims history._

- [Compulsory Insurance Act section 1: motor liability](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflvg/__1.html)
- [BGB section 823: liability for damages](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__823.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Small clearing service** (sole traders with one vehicle and residential sites): Business liability, Car insurance, Accident insurance. Together: about €700 to €1,600 a year
- **Winter service business** (three to ten vehicles, commercial sites and car parks): Business liability, Car insurance, Machinery breakdown, Business legal expenses, Accident insurance. Together: about €4,000 to €12,000 a year
- **All year round** (businesses with winter clearing in winter and grounds or caretaking work in summer): Business liability, Car insurance, Machinery breakdown, Business contents, Business legal expenses. Together: individual, usually from about €5,000 a year

## The worst day in winter clearing

Six things that really happen to winter clearing services, all on one January day with freezing rain. Tap through and see who pays.

- 04:30: The plough blade catches an edge and rips out twenty paving stones. (€2,400, Paid by: Business liability)
- 05:45: On a driveway the tractor slides into a parked car. (€3,800, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 07:10: A woman falls outside the entrance of a residential block and breaks her wrist. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 09:30: The snow blower sucks in a stone and the gearbox is wrecked. (€2,900, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 13:00: A casual driver slips getting down from the tractor and injures a knee. (€4,500, Paid by: Accident insurance)
- 17:20: A client cuts your invoice over allegedly missed call outs, and you need a lawyer. (€1,800, Paid by: Business legal expenses)

**Damage so far:** €24,400

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have winter clearing and damage caused by equipment written expressly into your public liability.
- Keep a clearing log with time, weather, area and grit used, ideally with photos or GPS.
- Set out areas, times and frequency of call outs in writing in every contract.
- Choose a high limit; injuries with lasting effects are expensive.
- Insure attachments separately if needed; motor comprehensive does not always include them.
- Register casual and seasonal staff with the Berufsgenossenschaft.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We read the small print on winter clearing:** Not every policy covers clearing duties taken over by contract and damage from equipment. As a broker we compare exactly these points.
- **Explained in English:** German policy wording can be hard going. We explain the clauses that matter in plain English.
- **Family run since 1989:** Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Is insurance compulsory for winter clearing in Germany?

Not for winter clearing itself. Ploughs and tractors on public roads need motor liability, and clients almost always ask for proof of public liability.

### What does public liability for a clearing service cost?

In our quoting work about €300 to €700 a year for a small business with one vehicle. Retail car parks and more staff cost considerably more.

### Am I liable for falls in the afternoon?

If your contract requires regritting during lasting ice, yes. That is why times and frequency belong in every contract.

### Is damage to paving from the plough covered?

Only if your public liability includes damage caused by equipment while working. Not every policy does.

### How do I protect myself against false claims?

With a complete clearing log. Time, weather, area and grit used are often the decisive evidence.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-winter-clearing-service.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.