Daycare & childcare insurance in Georgia: what the state requires, what to carry and who asks for proof

Daycare & childcare insurance in Georgia

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Daycare & childcare in Georgia usually carry general liability, professional liability (E&O) and commercial property. Georgia itself requires workers' compensation once you have three or more employees, sets minimum auto liability for the vehicles the work puts on the road. The state's rules with their sources, what childcare centers carry, who asks for proof and how to keep it all current are below.

Reviewed by CoverMatch licensed agents, Licensed property & casualty agents · Reviewed Oct 12, 2026 Updated Oct 30, 2026

Georgia rules with sources
Topic	The rule in Georgia	Source
Workers' compensation: when it applies	Any business with three or more regular employees, full- or part-time, must carry workers' compensation; corporate officers count toward the three even when they exempt themselves.	O.C.G.A. § 34-9-2, § 34-9-18, § 34-9-126; Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation — Employers
Exempt employers	Railroad carriers, farm labor and domestic servants are outside the Act, as are businesses with fewer than three regular employees unless they elect coverage; a business whose headcount only briefly crosses three has been held subject to the Act.	O.C.G.A. § 34-9-2(a); State Board of Workers' Compensation — Employer pamphlet
Auto liability minimums	Bodily injury $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident and property damage $25,000; liability is the only coverage Georgia requires, and insurers report coverage electronically to the state's database.	O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11 and § 40-6-10; Georgia Department of Revenue — Insurance requirements

Topic

The rule in Georgia

Source

Workers' compensation: when it applies

Any business with three or more regular employees, full- or part-time, must carry workers' compensation; corporate officers count toward the three even when they exempt themselves.

O.C.G.A. § 34-9-2, § 34-9-18, § 34-9-126; Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation — Employers

Exempt employers

Railroad carriers, farm labor and domestic servants are outside the Act, as are businesses with fewer than three regular employees unless they elect coverage; a business whose headcount only briefly crosses three has been held subject to the Act.

O.C.G.A. § 34-9-2(a); State Board of Workers' Compensation — Employer pamphlet

Auto liability minimums

Bodily injury $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident and property damage $25,000; liability is the only coverage Georgia requires, and insurers report coverage electronically to the state's database.

O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11 and § 40-6-10; Georgia Department of Revenue — Insurance requirements

What Georgia asks of childcare centers

Georgia's rules that reach a childcare center are in the table above, each with its official source: workers' compensation: when it applies, exempt employers, auto liability minimums. Everything else a childcare center carries in Georgia comes from leases, contracts, platforms and clients rather than from statute, which is why the next two sections matter as much as the first.

What childcare centers in Georgia carry

Coverage	Who usually asks	Why it matters
General liability · expected	State licensing, landlord, field-trip venues	Injuries to children, parents and visitors on the premises; the base of the licensing requirement.
Abuse and molestation coverage · expected	State licensing, landlords, insurers of partner organizations	Excluded from standard liability forms; required for any business caring for minors.
Professional liability · expected	Licensing in some states; your own protection	Claims that care, supervision or instruction fell short, as distinct from a slip on the playground.
Property and equipment · expected	Landlord, lender	Classrooms, playground structures, kitchens and supplies; business income while closed after a loss.
Workers' compensation · expected	Your state once you have employees; licensing	Lifting children, slips, and exposure to illness. Required and checked.
Commercial auto for transport	Licensing if you transport children; parents	Vans used for pickups and field trips need commercial auto with the vehicles listed and appropriate limits.
Accident medical for enrolled children	Parents' expectations; some licensing	Pays medical bills for a child's injury regardless of fault, which keeps small incidents from becoming liability claims.

Who will ask a Georgia childcare center for proof

Landlords & commercial leases — general liability with the landlord as additional insured, property coverage on tenant improvements and workers' compensation (what they require)
Cities, counties & permits — general liability, auto and workers' compensation at the limits in the permit or contract (what they require)

Each of them wants a certificate, and most want it again at every renewal. A live certificate link from the wallet shows today's coverage to every holder and tells them when it changes.

Workers' comp the day a Georgia childcare center hires

In Georgia workers' compensation is required once you have three or more employees, so the policy belongs in place before the first shift that crosses the line. CoverMatch quotes workers' compensation from the first employee, and asks every carrier that offers pay-as-you-go to bill through your payroll company, so premium follows each payroll run instead of a large deposit against an estimate.

Bring it, control it, get matched in Georgia

Bring your policies here. Upload what you already have. If the carrier is one we are appointed with in Georgia, one signed letter moves the policy to CoverMatch with no change to carrier, coverage or price; if not, we quote a replacement now or before the renewal. The wallet only holds policies CoverMatch takes care of.

Control them here. Renewal dates, documents, the roster of locations, vehicles and staff, and a live certificate for every landlord, contractor, platform or client in the list above, all in one place and current on their own.

Let us match you. When a childcare center in Georgia needs general liability, professional liability (E&O), commercial property, we compare quotes from the carriers we are appointed with on coverage first and price second, and a licensed agent is one tap away at every step.

Sources

Questions people actually ask

Does Georgia require a childcare center to carry workers' compensation?

Any business with three or more regular employees, full- or part-time, must carry workers' compensation; corporate officers count toward the three even when they exempt themselves. Whether a worker is an employee is decided by Georgia's own test of control and independence, not by the form you file, and workers who fail it are added at audit.

What insurance does a Georgia childcare center need to sign a lease or win a contract?

Usually general liability, professional liability (E&O), commercial property; Landlords & commercial leases typically ask for general liability with the landlord as additional insured, property coverage on tenant improvements and workers' compensation. A live certificate from the wallet answers each request without a new call to the agent, and changes to the policy update it on their own.

What auto coverage does Georgia require for a childcare center's vehicles?

The state minimum limits: Bodily injury $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident and property damage $25,000; liability is the only coverage Georgia requires, and insurers report coverage electronically to the state's database. Business policies are written above those limits because leases, platforms and clients ask for more, and hired and non-owned auto covers staff who use their own cars for the work.

Can CoverMatch take over the policies a Georgia childcare center already has?

When the carrier is one we are appointed with in Georgia, one signed broker-of-record letter moves the policy into the wallet with no change to carrier, coverage or price, and the live certificate and renewal shopping switch on. For any other carrier we quote a replacement now or before the renewal; the wallet only holds policies CoverMatch takes care of.

What limits does state licensing require for a daycare?

Each state sets its own minimums for liability and sometimes for abuse and molestation and auto, and the figures change. Check your state's licensing rules or state page and have the wallet keep the certificate current for the license file.

Is abuse and molestation coverage included in general liability?

Usually excluded or sublimited. A childcare-specific policy includes it with its own limit; a generic small-business policy almost never does. The certificate licensing asks for should show it explicitly.

Do I need coverage for staff driving children in their own cars?

Yes, and most carriers restrict it. Hired and non-owned auto covers the center's liability; some states and carriers require owned, listed vehicles with specific equipment for transporting children.

Daycare & childcare insurance in other states

Other business types in Georgia