Insurance for pet stores.

General liability, property, animal bailee coverage, and workers’ comp for pet supply stores, including grooming, live animal sales, and adoption events.

What pet stores usually carry

General liability, $1M / $2M
Property and inventory
Animal bailee coverage
Products liability
Business income
Workers’ comp

Watch for these in a pet store policy

Pets in your careGrooming or boarding puts customers’ pets in your care, which general liability excludes. Animal bailee coverage pays when one is hurt or lost.
Live animals for saleFish, birds, and reptiles you sell are usually covered only as stock inside the building, and only for named causes like fire. Illness is not covered.
Bites on the sales floorDogs at adoption events and customers’ pets in the aisles do bite. Some policies exclude injuries caused by animals, so check before you host.
Food and treatsRecalled food and contaminated treats bring products claims to the store that sold them, and general liability does not pay to pull them.
Diseases from animalsSalmonella from reptiles and other illnesses passed from animals to people are real claims, and some policies now exclude communicable disease.

What landlords and rescue partners ask pet stores for

Additional insuredRescues holding adoption days in your store may ask to be named for the day.
Landlord requirementsAdditional insured status and a waiver of subrogation, like most retail leases.
Specific limitsShopping centers often require $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate.

Questions pet stores ask

Straight answers.

The questions we hear most, answered plainly.

How is pet store insurance priced?

Mostly on sales and property values. Grooming, boarding, and live animal sales each add their own exposure, and a supply-only store rates lowest.

Is aquarium stock covered in a power outage?

Often not. Animals for sale are usually covered only for named causes like fire, and an outage that starts at the utility is typically excluded. Ask before you rely on it.

Should rescue partners carry their own insurance?

Yes. A rescue running an adoption day in your store should name you on its general liability, and your agreement should say who answers if a dog bites.