Mobile Mechanic insurance requirements in North Dakota
Operates as a mobile mechanic, working on, storing or moving customer vehicles and equipment. Below: what North Dakota statute requires, what your clients will demand on a certificate of insurance, and a modelled annual cost of $5,100–$25,450.
A mobile mechanic in North Dakota normally needs 3 policies, costing about $10,650 a year.
- 01Workers' Compensation
Required by law.
- 02Commercial Auto Liability
Required by law.
- 03General Liability
Clients will not let you start without it.
2 more coverages may apply depending on your contracts — the full breakdown, limits and reasoning are below. Cost is a modelled range of $5,100–$25,450, not a quote.
What you are actually required to carry
Yes — North Dakota requires workers' compensation at 1 employee, and you are above that threshold.
Statutory threshold on file: 1 employee · monopolistic state fund · North Dakota Secretary of State contractor licensing · statutory citation and enforcement detail below
Workers' Compensation
Required by lawMedical care and lost wages for employees injured on the job.
- Typical limits
- $100,000 – $1M
Triggered by your state's employee threshold. Employers liability (Part B) limits are what contracts actually specify.
- Monopolistic state: coverage must be purchased from North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance. Stop-gap employers liability must be endorsed onto the GL policy.
- North Dakota is a monopolistic fund state — buy the policy from the state fund and add stop-gap employers liability by endorsement to your general liability policy.
Commercial Auto Liability
Required by lawLiability for vehicles owned or used by the business.
- Typical limits
- $1M
Any vehicle titled to the business or used primarily for business needs a commercial auto policy; a personal auto policy will deny a business-use claim. Contracts standardly require a $1M combined single limit.
Compare Next Insurance rates for this lineGeneral Liability
Required by contractThird-party bodily injury and property damage arising from your operations.
- Typical limits
- $1M – $2M
No state requires general liability by statute, but essentially every client contract, lease and job-site agreement demands $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate. Treat it as mandatory in practice.
- Job-site work means you will be asked for additional insured (CG 20 10 / CG 20 37), primary and non-contributory wording, and a waiver of subrogation.
Commercial Umbrella / Excess
Required by contractExtra limit sitting above GL, auto and employers liability.
- Typical limits
- $1M – $5M
General contractors and enterprise clients routinely require $2M–$5M of excess limit above the primary policies before they will let you on site.
Compare CoverWallet rates for this lineTools & Equipment (Inland Marine)
Strongly recommendedYour own tools and portable equipment, on site or in transit.
- Typical limits
- $10,000 – $50,000
General liability covers other people's property, never your own. Portable tools and equipment in vehicles or on site need an inland marine schedule.
Compare Next Insurance rates for this line
The law behind this in North Dakota
N.D.C.C. § 65-04-33
- Who it reaches
- Monopolistic state fund. Coverage must be purchased from WSI; private workers' comp policies are not sold.
- If you go without it
- Operating without required coverage exposes the business to stop-work orders, civil penalties assessed per employee per day, personal liability for the full cost of an injured worker's medical care and lost wages, and loss of the statutory defenses that normally cap an employer's exposure. North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance administers enforcement.
- Vehicle liability minimums
- 25/50/25; commercial contracts typically demand $1M CSL
- North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance — administers and enforces N.D.C.C. § 65-04-33.
- North Dakota Secretary of State contractor licensing — licensing and proof-of-insurance requirements.
Citation last checked 2026-07-30. Re-verified on a 180-day cycle. General information, not legal advice.
What this is likely to cost
Clean history, minimum limits
Typical for your profile
Prior claims, higher limits, added endorsements
- Mobile Mechanic is rated elevated hazard; this drives the general liability base rate more than any other single factor.
- Workers' compensation is the largest line item at your headcount — published benchmarks for automotive & transport run around $2,600 per covered employee before state adjustment.
- Job-site work adds an umbrella requirement, which typically adds $600–$2,500 annually.
- North Dakota prices commercial risk at an index of 70 against a national median of 100, so identical operations cost 30% less here.
- Claims history, years in business and prior coverage continuity move the final number more than limit selection does.
| Coverage | Observed range /yr | Benchmark source |
|---|---|---|
Workers' Compensation | $1,800–$10,050 median $4,200 | Insureon Collected 2025-11-15 |
Commercial Auto Liability | $1,950–$9,750 median $4,000 | Progressive Commercial Collected 2025-11-15 |
General Liability | $700–$2,750 median $1,200 | Progressive Commercial Collected 2025-11-15 |
Commercial Umbrella / Excess | $500–$2,250 median $950 | Insureon Collected 2025-11-15 |
Tools & Equipment (Inland Marine) | $150–$650 median $300 | NEXT Insurance Collected 2025-11-15 |
- Insureon — Small Business Insurance Cost Analysis
Median and modal premiums across Insureon's book of small-business policyholders, reported by coverage line and industry.
- Progressive Commercial — Commercial Auto and BOP Cost Report
Average annual premiums for commercial auto and business owner's policies written through Progressive Commercial.
- NEXT Insurance — Small Business Insurance Cost Guide
Reported average cost for policies sold direct to small businesses, segmented by trade.
- Oregon Dept. of Consumer & Business Services — Workers' Compensation Premium Rate Ranking
Biennial study comparing every state's workers' compensation premium rate level against a common national mix of risk. Indexed here so 100 = national median.
North Dakota cost index 70 (national median = 100). Benchmarks are re-verified on a 180-day cycle.
These are observed market ranges for businesses like yours, adjusted for North Dakota — not a quote. Your own price depends on claims history, payroll and limits.
Take these exact limits to a carrier
These are the providers that actually write mobile mechanic risks in North Dakota. Bring the limits above with you — quoting the wrong limits is the single most common reason a certificate gets rejected.
Advertising disclosure: we earn a commission if you buy a policy through these links. It costs you nothing extra, and it never changes the coverage schedule above — requirements are derived from statute and contract language, not from who pays us.
The certificate you will be asked to produce
North Dakota
| Commercial General Liability | $1M occ / $2M agg |
| Automobile Liability | $1M combined single limit |
| Workers Compensation & Employers Liability | Statutory / $1M E.L. |
| Umbrella / Excess Liability | $5M each occurrence |
Certificate holder is named as additional insured on a primary and non-contributory basis per written contract. Waiver of subrogation applies.
- Producer
Your agent or broker. Whoever issues the certificate — you never write it yourself.
- Insured
Your exact legal entity name. If it does not match the name on the contract, the certificate gets rejected.
- Certificate holder
The party asking for proof. Being listed here gives them notice, nothing more.
- Additional insured
The box that actually matters. This extends your policy to defend them. It requires an endorsement, not a checkbox.
General contractor (subcontract exhibit)"Subcontractor shall name Contractor, Owner and their agents as additional insureds on a primary and non-contributory basis, including ongoing and completed operations, with a waiver of subrogation in favor of all additional insureds."
$1M occurrence / $2M aggregate GL, $1M auto, statutory WC with $1M employers liability, $2M umbrella
Enterprise client (master services agreement)"Supplier shall maintain the coverages set forth herein for the term of this Agreement and for two (2) years thereafter, and shall provide certificates evidencing such coverage upon execution and annually upon renewal."
$1M/$2M GL, $1M professional liability, $1M cyber where data is processed
What an agent will ask you
- 01Number of vehicles you own, lease or hire
- 02Maximum value of a customer vehicle in your care at one time
- 03Radius of operation and interstate filings
- 04Do you employ drivers, and what are their MVR standards?
- 05Annual receipts split between service, parts and sales
A customer's vehicle is damaged while in your care, custody and control, and a related road incident causes third-party injury. Garagekeepers and commercial auto coverage respond where general liability will not.
Take these exact limits to a carrier
These are the providers that actually write mobile mechanic risks in North Dakota. Bring the limits above with you — quoting the wrong limits is the single most common reason a certificate gets rejected.
Advertising disclosure: we earn a commission if you buy a policy through these links. It costs you nothing extra, and it never changes the coverage schedule above — requirements are derived from statute and contract language, not from who pays us.
Your headcount and contracts move this schedule
This page assumes a small crew with job-site work, signed contracts and vehicles. Run the engine to change employees and exposures.
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