Solutions Specialty Insurance Brokers

Parking Lot & Valet Insurance for Parking Operators

Customized insurance programs for parking and valet operations designed around customer vehicles, liability, property, employees and business interruption risks.

  • ✔Several “A” AM Best rated carriers
  • ✔Discounts for preferred established businesses
  • ✔New ventures and multi-location operations welcome
  • ✔Loss control services available

Get a Free Parking & Valet QuoteCall (323) 771-0777

Licensed in CA, AZ & NV15+ Years of Experience“A” Rated CarriersFree, No-Obligation Quotes

When a customer hands over their keys, your valet operation takes on responsibility for that vehicle. A bailee relationship is created, meaning your business has care, custody and control of the customer’s car and may be held responsible for any resulting damage or injury.

How quickly a routine shift can turn into a claim

  • ✔A valet attendant forgets to close a vehicle’s door, and another car being parked strikes it, causing severe damage.
  • ✔A customer slips and falls on an oil spill in a lot controlled by the parking operator.
  • ✔An attendant leaves the keys inside a customer’s vehicle parked near the entrance, and it is stolen during business hours.
  • ✔An attendant unfamiliar with a new model vehicle presses the gas pedal abruptly, the car speeds out of control and pedestrians are injured.

These are just some of the typical risks parking operators face. Vehicle damage and injuries in a fast-paced environment can affect the success of any parking operation if they are not properly covered.

Who needs parking lot insurance? Any business that parks, stores or controls customer vehicles needs parking business insurance. That includes valet companies, self-park lot and garage operators, mixed self-park and valet facilities, and operators serving special events.

Parking & Valet Insurance Coverage

Parking lot insurance is not a single policy. It is a program of coverages matched to how your operation handles vehicles, customers, property and staff. A complete program can include:

  • ✔Commercial General Liability with limits up to $2,000,000 per occurrence
  • ✔Garage Liability for auto-related exposures
  • ✔Garagekeepers coverage for damage to your customers’ vehicles
  • ✔Building, Contents, Equipment & Tools
  • ✔Business Income coverage for the actual loss of business income due to suspension of operations
  • ✔Workers’ compensation for injuries your employees sustain at work
  • ✔Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) for claims of discrimination, wrongful termination and other allegations brought by current or former employees
  • ✔Parking Lot and Parking Occupancy Tax Collection Surety Bonds

Valet Parking Insurance

Valet operations carry the highest vehicle exposure in the industry because attendants physically drive, park and retrieve customer cars. Valet parking insurance combines Garagekeepers insurance for customer vehicle coverage with Garage Liability and General Liability to address collisions, theft, key control errors and injuries caused while attendants are behind the wheel.

Self-Parking Insurance

In self-park lots and garages, customers drive and park their own vehicles, but the operator still controls the premises. Self-parking insurance focuses on parking lot liability insurance for slip and fall claims, pedestrian injuries and premises conditions, along with property coverage for booths, gates, pay stations and equipment.

Mixed & Special-Event Parking

Many facilities run both self-park and valet service, and some add valet service at venues, hotels or private functions. Mixed operations need a single program that covers both exposures without gaps. Valet with special events is an eligible class, subject to approval of the event.

Eligible classes:

  • ✔Valet parking operations
  • ✔Self-parking operations
  • ✔Mixed self and valet parking operations
  • ✔Valet with special events (subject to approval of the event)

Garage Liability & Garagekeepers Coverage

These two coverages are often confused, but they protect against different losses. Most valet operators need both.

Garage Liability

Garage liability insurance covers auto-related liability arising from your parking operations. It responds when your business is held legally responsible for bodily injury or property damage to third parties, such as an attendant striking a pedestrian or another vehicle while moving a customer’s car.

Garagekeepers Coverage

Garagekeepers insurance covers physical damage to customer vehicles while they are in your care, custody and control. Depending on the coverage selected, it can respond to collisions during parking, theft from your lot, vandalism and similar losses. General Liability policies typically exclude property in your care, custody or control, which is why Garagekeepers is essential for any operation that takes customer keys.

General Liability for Parking Operations

Commercial General Liability protects your business against third-party bodily injury and property damage claims arising from your premises and operations, with limits available up to $2,000,000 per occurrence.

Customer Slip & Fall Claims

Oil spills, potholes, wet surfaces, uneven pavement and poor lighting create constant slip and fall exposure. Parking lot liability insurance helps cover medical costs, legal defense and settlements when a customer is injured on a lot or in a garage you control.

Vehicle & Pedestrian Risks

Parking facilities combine moving vehicles and foot traffic in tight spaces. General Liability, working alongside Garage Liability, helps protect your business when pedestrians are struck, when vehicles collide in drive aisles or when customers are injured by gates, barriers or equipment.

Protecting your employees: Parking work is physical and fast-paced. Workers’ compensation covers medical expenses and lost wages for employees injured on the job, and EPLI protects your business against employment-related claims such as discrimination and wrongful termination.

Property & Business Income Coverage

Building, Equipment & Tools

Property coverage protects the physical assets your operation depends on, including:

  • ✔Buildings and attendant booths
  • ✔Contents and office equipment
  • ✔Gates, barriers and signage
  • ✔Pay stations, ticketing and parking technology
  • ✔Tools and operating equipment

Business Income Coverage

If a covered loss forces you to suspend operations, Business Income coverage helps replace the actual loss of business income during the shutdown so you can keep meeting your obligations while you recover.

Parking Lot & Parking Tax Surety Bonds

Cities, counties and property owners may require parking operators to post a bond before operating a lot or collecting parking occupancy taxes. We provide Parking Lot Surety Bonds and Parking Occupancy Tax Collection Surety Bonds to help you meet these requirements.

New Parking Ventures

New ventures are welcome. Start-up parking and valet businesses can secure both the insurance program and the parking lot surety bond needed to win contracts and begin operating.

Multi-Location Operations

Multi-location operations are welcome. Whether you manage several lots, garages or valet stands, we can structure coverage and bonding to support your growth under one coordinated program.

Why Work With a Specialty Parking Insurance Broker?

Parking and valet risks are specialized, and a generic business policy often leaves gaps, particularly around customer vehicles. As an independent broker, Solutions Specialty Insurance Brokers is not owned by any single insurance company. We represent several “A” AM Best rated carriers and compare options to find the right fit for your operation.

Customized Insurance Programs

We evaluate your specific exposures, including operation type, vehicle volume, locations and staffing, and recommend coverage that fits. Clients benefit from:

  • ✔Programs tailored to valet, self-park, mixed and special-event operations
  • ✔Discounts for preferred established businesses
  • ✔Loss control services that help reduce claims and long-term parking insurance cost
  • ✔Support for new ventures and multi-location growth

If you are a valet or self-parking operator and need a professional evaluation of your insurance exposures, contact us, fill out our free quote request form or call 323-771-0777. We will review your situation and recommend the right insurance solutions from our “A” AM Best rated carriers.

Get a Free Parking & Valet Insurance Quote

Frequently Asked Questions

What is parking lot insurance?

Parking lot insurance is a package of commercial coverages that protects parking and valet operators against liability claims, damage to customer vehicles, property losses and employee injuries. A typical program combines General Liability, Garage Liability, Garagekeepers, property and workers’ compensation coverage.

What insurance does a parking lot business need?

Most parking lot businesses need Commercial General Liability, Garage Liability, property coverage for buildings and equipment, Business Income coverage and workers’ compensation. If the business takes customer keys, Garagekeepers coverage is also essential. Some locations may also require a parking lot or parking tax collection surety bond.

What insurance does a valet parking business need?

Valet businesses need Garagekeepers coverage for customer vehicles, Garage Liability for auto-related liability, General Liability for premises injuries, workers’ compensation for attendants and, in many cases, EPLI. Valet coverage for special events is subject to approval of the event.

What is Garagekeepers insurance?

Garagekeepers insurance covers physical damage to customer vehicles while they are in your business’s care, custody and control. Depending on the coverage selected, it can respond to losses such as collisions during parking, theft and vandalism.

Does Garagekeepers insurance cover customer vehicles?

Yes. Garagekeepers is designed specifically to cover customer vehicles in your care, custody and control. General Liability policies typically exclude this type of property damage, which is why any operator that takes customer keys needs Garagekeepers coverage.

Does parking lot insurance cover slip and fall claims?

Yes. Commercial General Liability, part of a parking lot insurance program, covers slip and fall claims from customers injured on premises you control, including medical costs, legal defense and settlements, subject to policy terms and limits.

Can new parking businesses get insurance?

Yes. New ventures are welcome. We work with start-up parking and valet businesses to build a complete insurance program and provide any required parking lot or parking tax collection surety bonds.

How much does parking lot insurance cost?

Parking insurance cost depends on your operation type (valet, self-park or mixed), number of locations, vehicle volume, coverage limits, payroll, claims history and years in business. Preferred established businesses may qualify for discounts. Request a free quote for pricing based on your specific operation.

Get Your Parking & Valet Insurance Quote

Solutions Specialty builds comprehensive programs through several “A” AM Best rated carriers so your operation is protected against the risks unique to the parking industry. If you are a valet or self-parking operator and need a professional evaluation of your insurance exposures, contact us, fill out our free quote request form or call 323-771-0777.

Get a Free Parking & Valet QuoteCall (323) 771-0777

Maywood: 4445 Slauson Ave, Maywood, CA 90270  |  Corona (by appointment): 4160 Temescal Canyon Rd Ste 401, Corona, CA 92883
Mon–Fri 9:30am–5:30pm  |  Sat 10:00am–3:00pm  |  Sun closed