The Foundation
Coverage every RV park needs — no exceptions
RV parks carry a unique risk profile that most commercial property policies weren't built for. You have guests living on-site in their own vehicles, shared infrastructure you're responsible for, and a mix of transient and long-term occupants that creates liability exposure that's broader than a hotel and more complex than an apartment complex. These policies are your floor, not your ceiling.
The bedrock of every park's insurance program. CGL covers bodily injury and property damage claims from third parties — guests who slip and fall, vehicles damaged by a falling tree, injuries in the pool or playground. Without this, a single lawsuit could end your ownership.
Minimum recommended limits for most parks: $1M per occurrence, $2M aggregate. Parks with pools, playgrounds, or high guest volume should carry $2M/$4M at minimum. The premium difference between $1M and $2M limits is usually modest — don't underinsure to save a few hundred dollars a year.
Covers physical damage to park-owned structures: the office, bathhouses, laundry facilities, maintenance buildings, fencing, signage, and site hookup pedestals. Fire, wind, vandalism, and certain water damage events are typically included. Flood and earthquake require separate riders or policies.
One common mistake: insuring structures at purchase price rather than replacement cost. Construction costs have risen significantly — make sure your coverage limit reflects what it would actually cost to rebuild today, not what you paid for the park three years ago.
Covers park-owned vehicles used in operations — golf carts, utility vehicles, maintenance trucks, and any other equipment driven by staff. A personal auto policy won't cover a golf cart used commercially. If your staff drives it for park business, it needs to be on a commercial auto policy.
Required by law in most states the moment you have an employee — even a part-time seasonal worker. Covers medical expenses and lost wages if an employee is injured on the job. The maintenance and landscaping work involved in running a park carries real physical risk. One serious injury without workers comp can bankrupt a small park operation.
Sits above your CGL and auto policies and kicks in when a claim exceeds your underlying limits. A $2M CGL policy sounds like a lot until a guest drowns in your pool and their family's attorney asks for $5M. For parks with any significant amenity — pool, playground, sports courts, lake access — an umbrella policy is not optional in practice.
A $1M umbrella on top of a $2M CGL typically costs $1,000 to $2,500 annually. That's an extraordinarily cheap way to protect against catastrophic claims.
Covers lost revenue if a covered event forces you to close or reduces your operations — fire in the bathhouse, a storm that destroys your electrical infrastructure, a flood that closes access roads. Your mortgage payment doesn't stop because the park is closed for three months while repairs happen. Business interruption fills that gap.
Most policies cover 12 months of lost income. Make sure the coverage limit reflects peak-season revenue, not an annual average — losing the summer is worse than losing the winter for most parks.
The Coverage Gaps
What most parks are missing
These coverages come up most often in post-claim conversations — the ones that start with "I didn't know I needed that." They're not exotic. They're just easy to overlook when you're buying a generic commercial policy from a broker who doesn't specialize in hospitality.
Standard CGL policies have exclusions for damage to guests' personal property — their RV, their belongings, their tow vehicle. Innkeeper's liability fills this gap. If a tree falls on a guest's $150,000 motorhome and you don't have this coverage, you're looking at a personal injury lawsuit that your CGL won't fully cover.
This coverage is often added as a rider to your CGL policy for a relatively small additional premium. Ask your broker specifically about it.
If you take credit card payments, store guest information, or use an online reservation system — which is virtually every park operating today — you have cyber exposure. A data breach that exposes guest payment information carries regulatory notification costs, credit monitoring obligations, and potential liability that a standard commercial policy won't touch.
Cyber policies for small parks typically cost $800 to $2,500 annually and cover breach notification costs, regulatory defense, and data recovery. The cost has come down significantly in recent years.
Covers claims from employees alleging wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, or wage violations. Small employers are not immune from these claims — in fact, they're often targeted because they're less likely to have documented HR processes. If you have more than two employees, EPLI is worth the premium.
Standard commercial property policies explicitly exclude flood damage. If your park is in or near a flood zone — near a river, lake, coastal area, or low-lying terrain — you need a separate flood policy through the NFIP or a private flood carrier. Your lender will likely require it if you're in a designated flood zone.
Even parks outside FEMA flood zones have seen flood claims. If your park has ever taken on water, carry the coverage.
Required if your park sells alcohol — at a camp store, a clubhouse bar, or during events. Standard CGL policies exclude liquor liability in most cases. If you serve or sell alcohol in any form and don't have this coverage, you're personally exposed to claims related to alcohol-related incidents on or leaving your property.