Amazing expirience! The agent is very professional and friendly. Definitely recommend!!
Tire shop insurance in Florida
Coverage built around how your business operates. Call or text 813-302-7151.
On this page
Contact us
Phone and WhatsApp
813-302-7151
Email
Rguzman@coveredbyguzman.com
7 months ago
Excellent service and very professional staff. They made the process easy, answered all my questions, and helped me find the right coverage. Highly recommended!
3 months ago
I’ve worked with Ray for years and he’s always reliable and has been able to help my clients in need! I can always count on him to provide the best insurance advice and service
7 months ago
Great service, and always looking out for my commercial insurance. Thank you Ray
3 months ago
Great insurance agent to work with. Ray is the best!
3 months ago
Reviews reflect individual customer opinions and experiences. They do not guarantee specific coverage, pricing, service timing, or claim outcomes.
A tire shop looks simple from the street: pull in, swap tires, pay, leave. Behind the counter, though, the business handles customer vehicles on lifts, heavy wheels, impact wrenches, compressors, balancers, alignment racks, a stack of inventory and a pile of used or scrap tires waiting for pickup. Many Florida shops also run a road-service truck. Each of those pieces creates a different kind of exposure, and a single loose lug nut can turn a routine install into a serious claim after the car is back on I-75.
What insurance does a tire shop need?
Most tire shops review a similar core package, then adjust it to the services they offer:
- Garage liability for injuries and property damage tied to shop operations and completed work.
- Garagekeepers for customer vehicles while they are in the shop's care, custody or control.
- Commercial property for the building (if owned or required by the lease), tire inventory, lifts, machines and tools.
- Business income, which helps replace lost income after a covered property loss shuts the bays.
- Workers' compensation for technicians and counter staff.
- Commercial auto for service trucks, plus hired and non-owned auto when employees run errands in their own cars.
- Optional lines such as crime (cash and employee theft), cyber for card data, and an umbrella for higher liability limits.
The right mix depends on what you sell, what you install and where the work happens. The insurer decides eligibility and price after underwriting.
Liability for installs and wheel-off claims
The biggest liability worry for most tire shops is the completed work claim: the job is done, the customer drives away, and something goes wrong later. Say a wheel comes off on the highway two days after a rotation and the driver of another car is hurt. That claim usually goes to the completed operations part of your garage or general liability policy, subject to its terms and exclusions.
Underwriters want to know exactly which services you do, because each one carries a different risk: new tire sales, used tire sales, mounting and balancing, TPMS service, alignments, wheel and rim repair, lift kits or oversized wheels, and any brake or light mechanical work. If you also do general repair, see our page for auto repair shops.
See also: Garage Liability Insurance
Garagekeepers for customer vehicles on lifts
Garage liability handles injuries and damage to other people’s property from your work, but damage to a customer’s car while it sits in your shop is usually handled separately. That is what garagekeepers is for. A car can slip off a lift, a tech can back a truck into a post, or a car left in the lot overnight can be vandalized or stolen.
Garagekeepers usually comes in three forms:
- Legal liability pays only when the shop is at fault.
- Direct excess pays no matter who is at fault, but after the customer’s own auto insurance.
- Direct primary pays no matter who is at fault, before the customer’s auto policy.
Pick a limit per location and a deductible that fit the number and value of cars you hold at once, including overnight.
See also: Garagekeepers Insurance
Inventory, equipment and used tire storage
Tire inventory can be one of the largest property values a shop has, and it rises and falls with the season and with bulk buys. Lifts, tire changers, balancers, alignment machines, compressors and scan tools add more. When you give us property values, use the highest inventory level you usually carry, not the average.
Used and scrap tires are a separate issue. Stacked tires burn hot, are hard to put out and hold rainwater, which draws mosquitoes in Florida. Florida law defines a “waste tire” as a tire removed from a vehicle that has not been retreaded or regrooved, and a “used tire” as a waste tire with at least 3/32 inch of tread that is still usable. If you contract with a collector to haul more than 25 waste tires a month from one location, you must keep records of the date, quantity, the collector’s registration number and the driver’s name (Florida Statutes s. 403.717). Florida DEP says anyone moving more than 25 waste tires on Florida roads must be a registered waste tire collector, and it keeps a list of registered collectors.
Florida also charges a waste tire fee on retail sales of new tires, paid to the Department of Revenue (Florida Statutes s. 403.718). Storage and handling standards are in the state’s Waste Tire Rule, Chapter 62-711, which DEP has opened for rule development, so check the current version on the Florida DEP waste tire page before you change how you store or haul tires.
Mobile tire service and road trucks
Roadside and mobile tire service moves the shop onto the shoulder of a highway, a fleet yard or a customer's driveway. That adds commercial auto exposure for the truck, inland marine or tools coverage for the compressor, jack and changer on board, and liability for work done away from your premises. A tech working next to live traffic is also a workers' compensation concern.
Be ready to tell the underwriter who drives, what the truck weighs, the radius you travel, whether you tow or carry vehicles, and whether the truck hauls old tires back to the shop. Hauling waste tires may bring in the DEP collector rules above, so check them before you load up. For related operations, see mobile mechanic insurance and trailer coverage.
See also: Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance
Workers’ comp for tire technicians
Tire work is physical. Techs lift heavy wheels all day, work under raised cars, use air tools and stand near cars moving in and out of the bays. Back strains, crushed fingers, eye injuries and heat stress in a Florida summer are common. Florida requires non-construction businesses, which includes tire shops, to carry workers’ comp once they have 4 or more employees (construction businesses at 1 or more), under Florida Statutes s. 440.02. Part-time employees count. Job classes and payroll should match what each person actually does, so a tech who also runs the road truck is described correctly.
See also: Workers’ Compensation Insurance for Florida Businesses
Florida risks: hurricanes, flood and theft
Hurricane season puts inventory and equipment at risk from wind, roof leaks and storm surge, and a standard commercial property policy usually excludes flood. If the shop sits in a low area, ask about separate flood coverage and how windstorm deductibles work on your policy. Tire and rim theft is another real Florida exposure, both from the building after hours and from customer vehicles left overnight. Cameras, lighting, fencing and a locked tire cage can help with underwriting and with loss prevention.
What underwriters ask and what to gather
Having these ready can speed up a quote and reduce back-and-forth:
- Services performed, with a rough percentage of sales for each (new, used, alignment, wheel repair, mechanical).
- Annual sales and payroll, split by job duty.
- Number of bays and lifts, and how many customer vehicles are on site at one time, including overnight.
- Inventory and equipment values, including seasonal peaks.
- Service truck details: year, make, VIN, drivers and driving records.
- How waste tires are stored and who hauls them (collector registration number).
- Five years of loss history and current policy declarations.
- Any contracts or leases that require specific limits or a certificate of insurance.
See also: Certificates of Insurance and Contract Requirements
How to lower risk in a tire shop
- Use a torque wrench for final tightening and log the torque spec on every ticket.
- Put a "re-torque after 50 to 100 miles" reminder on the invoice and have the customer sign.
- Train techs on lift points and keep lift inspection records.
- Keep a key control system and a check-in and check-out process with photos of each vehicle.
- Store used tires in a covered area, away from ignition sources, and schedule regular pickups with a registered collector.
- Keep cameras on the bays, lot and tire storage area.
What tire shops pay in Florida
A one-location tire shop usually starts with garage liability and garagekeepers, then adds property and workers’ comp. These annual ranges come from real quotes our agency has run for Florida businesses:
- Garage liability: $900 to $9,500 a year ($75 to $800/mo)
- General liability, auto repair shops and dealers: $600 to $7,000 a year
- Commercial property: $700 to $11,000 a year ($55 to $920/mo)
- Workers’ comp, all business types: $800 to $7,500 a year ($65 to $630/mo)
- Road service pickup, Florida minimum limits (one-pickup policy): $1,000 to $9,000 a year ($80 to $750/mo)
Your real price depends on your vehicles, drivers, limits and claims history, plus your services and inventory values. Commercial property and business owner’s policies in Florida usually carry a separate hurricane deductible that is not reflected in these prices. We don’t have a separate published range for garagekeepers; it is priced by the number and value of cars you hold. See the full Florida commercial insurance price guide.
Frequently asked questions
What insurance do I need to run a tire shop?
Most tire shops carry garage liability, garagekeepers, property for inventory and equipment, workers’ comp, and commercial auto if they run a service truck. Business income, crime, cyber and an umbrella can be added depending on the shop.
How much does tire shop insurance cost in Florida?
In our quotes for Florida businesses, garage liability has run $900 to $9,500 a year and commercial property $700 to $11,000 a year, before any hurricane deductible. Garagekeepers, workers’ comp and a service truck are added on top. See the price guide for the full ranges.
Does my insurance cover a wheel that comes off after service?
Usually that is a completed operations claim under your garage or general liability policy, subject to its terms and exclusions. Report it to the carrier right away and keep the work order, torque log and any photos.
Do used tire shops need different insurance?
Often, yes. Tell the carrier you sell used tires, because some carriers rate them differently for tread, age and prior damage. Used and waste tires also bring Florida DEP handling rules into play.
Do I need garagekeepers if I only change tires?
Yes, if customer cars are on your lifts or in your lot. Liability policies usually exclude damage to property in your care, so without garagekeepers the car you are working on may not be covered.
Does Florida require a permit to store used tires?
Large piles need special rules. Under Florida Statutes s. 403.717, a site with 1,500 or more waste tires is a “waste tire site,” and the law limits who may keep one. Storage and handling standards are in Chapter 62-711, so check current Florida DEP guidance for your shop.
Do I need to use a registered waste tire hauler?
Florida DEP states that anyone moving more than 25 waste tires on Florida roadways must be registered as a waste tire collector, and it publishes a database of registered collectors. If you contract with a collector for more than 25 waste tires a month from one location, s. 403.717 requires you to keep pickup records.
Does my shop policy cover my roadside service truck?
Usually not. A truck owned by the business needs a commercial auto policy, and the tools on it may need separate equipment coverage. We quote both.
How can I lower my tire shop insurance cost?
Clean loss history, torque logs, lift inspections, key control, cameras and good waste-tire housekeeping can all help underwriting. Choosing deductibles you can afford and describing your services accurately also matter.
About the Author
Raymundo Guzman
I’m Raymundo Guzman, an independent insurance agent and the owner of Covered by Guzman. I help business owners across Tampa Bay and central Florida find commercial auto, general liability, workers’ compensation, and related business coverage that matches how they actually operate, comparing options across the carriers available to me rather than selling one company’s product.
Independent Insurance Agent · License #W512374 | NPN #18906048 · 813-302-7151
Get a Quote
Let's talk
Get a quote built around your operation
Tell us what you do, the vehicles and equipment involved and the limits your contracts require. Call or text 813-302-7151.
