You run a corn maze. Or a haunted house. Or a pumpkin patch. You operate two, maybe three months per year.
September through October, tops.
Your insurance agent sold you a 12-month policy. You're paying for coverage you don't need for 9 or 10
months of the year.
This is fixable. You don't need to pay for year-round participant injury coverage when you're only open
60 days.
How Most Seasonal Policies Are Structured
Most carriers write seasonal operations on a standard annual policy. They charge you for 12 months of
coverage even though you only operate 8 to 10 weekends.
Why? Because it's simpler for them. One premium, one renewal date, easy to administer. You pay more, they
do less work.
Some carriers will pro-rate the premium based on your operating season. You tell them you're only open
September 15 through November 1, they adjust the participant injury premium to reflect 6 weeks of exposure
instead of 52 weeks.
That's the policy you want. But most agents don't ask for it because they don't know it exists.
What Coverage You Actually Need Year-Round
Property insurance. Your barn, equipment, tractors, hayrides,
props. Those need coverage 365 days a year. Fire and theft don't take a break when you're closed.
General liability for premises. If someone trespasses on your
property in January and gets hurt, you could still be liable. Keep year-round GL coverage for your
physical location.
Commercial auto if you own vehicles. Your trucks and trailers
need coverage even in the off-season.
What You Don't Need Year-Round
Participant injury coverage. If you're not operating, you don't
have participants. No participants, no participant injuries. You can suspend this coverage during your
closed months.
Event liability. If you host corporate events, school groups, or
private parties, that exposure only exists when you're open. Carriers can pro-rate this based on your
operating calendar.
Higher GL limits for public operations. Your off-season GL can
be basic premises coverage. When you're open to the public, you beef up the limits. Some carriers let you
toggle between "open" and "closed" coverage levels.
The Numbers
I wrote a policy last year for a corn maze and pumpkin patch in Pennsylvania. They're open mid-September
through early November. About 7 weeks.
Standard 12-month policy quote: $6,800 per year. That included year-round participant injury and event
liability coverage.
Seasonal-adjusted policy: $4,200 per year. Same carrier, same coverage limits. The difference was we
structured participant injury and event liability to only apply during their operating season. They kept
year-round property and premises GL.
They saved $2,600. That's real money for a seasonal business.
How to Ask for Seasonal Coverage
Tell your agent your exact operating dates. Not "fall" or "October-ish." Give them specific start and end
dates. September 10 through November 5. 8 weekends. Whatever it is.
Ask them to quote coverage with seasonal adjustments. Some carriers call it "seasonal rating" or "limited
operations endorsement." The terminology varies but the concept is the same.
Keep year-round coverage for property, premises GL, and any vehicles or equipment. Only suspend participant
injury and event-related exposures during your closed months.
Get it in writing. Your policy should clearly state what's covered year-round and what's only active during
operating season. Ambiguous language creates claim problems.
Extending Your Season?
If you decide to stay open longer, call your carrier before you open. Adding two extra weeks mid-season is
easy. Explaining why you had participants on-site during uncovered months after someone gets hurt is hard.
Most carriers let you adjust your operating season with a quick endorsement. It'll cost more, but it's
pro-rated. Two extra weeks might add $200 to $400 to your annual premium.
The Bottom Line
Seasonal businesses shouldn't pay for coverage they don't need. If your operation is truly seasonal, push
your agent to structure the policy correctly.
If they say "it doesn't work that way" or "all policies are annual," they're wrong or lazy. Find an agent
who knows how to write seasonal recreation coverage.
Running a seasonal operation?
We specialize in seasonal coverage for corn mazes, haunted attractions, pumpkin patches, and fall festivals.