Window cleaning coverage, from the ladder to the roofline.
General liability, workers' comp, commercial auto and equipment coverage for residential and commercial window cleaners, high-rise and rope access crews, and solar panel cleaners.
By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed November 2026 · How this page is researched
Height changes everything
Carriers start with one question: how high do you work? A crew cleaning storefronts and homes from the ground and ladders is a very different risk from rope access, boatswain's chairs or lifts on a high-rise, and many carriers limit the height of work they'll cover.
The rest of the picture is the client's property: a cracked pane, a ladder through a skylight, water inside a home, scratched glass or a damaged solar panel. I match your crew's work to carriers whose guidelines fit it, then set limits to meet your contracts and building managers' requirements.
- General liabilityInjuries and damage to clients' property from your work.
- Workers' compRequired in California for employers, and priced by the work your crew does.
- Commercial autoVans and trucks that carry your crew, ladders and water systems.
- Tools and equipmentLadders, water-fed poles, purification systems and rope gear.
What underwriters will ask
Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.
- Work: residential, commercial, solar, gutters or pressure washing.
- Height: maximum stories, and whether you use ropes, chairs or lifts.
- Crew: number of employees, subcontractors and annual payroll.
- Revenue: annual gross receipts, split by type of work.
- Vehicles and equipment: vans, trucks and equipment values.
- History: current policies and loss runs.
California's ladder limit: 40 feet
California writes its own window cleaning rules. They sit in Title 8, General Industry Safety Orders, Article 5, Window Cleaning, and Cal/OSHA enforces them. Section 3287 covers ladders, and it is stricter than many crews expect.
- Ladders come second. They may be used only where the windows cannot otherwise be cleaned safely and practicably with approved anchors and window cleaning belts.
- The 40-foot line. A ladder may not be used to clean a window that requires a fully extended extension ladder longer than 40 feet.
- Someone at the foot. Whenever a cleaner is on a ladder over 18 feet of working length, a second person stands at the foot, faces it and holds it with both hands.
- Daily checks. Each ladder is inspected daily, and one that develops a defect is withdrawn from service and tagged or marked "Danger, Do Not Use." Improvised repairs are not allowed.
- Metal near wires. Portable metal ladders may not be used near electrical circuits where they could contact them, and they must carry a caution sign.
- No hooks, no top three rungs. Ladders with hooks hung on or over a parapet are not permitted, and nobody stands on or works from the top 3 rungs unless structural members give a firm handhold or a personal fall protection system is in use.
Why I bring this up: when I tell an underwriter your crew is "ladder only," the next question is how tall the jobs get. A route of two-story homes and a route that needs fully extended ladders are different risks. Write down the tallest ladder you actually set and who footed it. That answer goes on your workers' comp and general liability applications. It also tells us whether the equipment schedule should list the ladders you own.
What the building owner owes you in writing
Rope and anchor work relies on the building's anchors, not yours. California and federal rules both put paperwork duties on the owner, and on the employer to collect it before anyone clips in.
California
- Written assurance first. Under section 3282(p), the owner gives the employer written assurance, before use, that the building's safety devices and equipment meet the orders. Employers may not let workers use them before receiving copies of that assurance and, where required, an OPOS.
- Inspections every 12 months. Devices covered by the assurance, and window cleaning anchors and fittings under section 3283, are inspected at least every 12 months. Only anchors and fittings approved by the Division may be used, and an installed anchor is used for nothing but window cleaner's belt terminals.
- An OPOS on taller buildings. Owners of buildings 36 feet or more in height need an Operating Procedures Outline Sheet in listed cases: no established window cleaning system, procedures changed by building modifications, or extreme features needing complex rigging. It is developed by someone with building maintenance equipment knowledge, such as Scaffold Inspection Testing certification under section 3296.
Federal rule, and other states
Federal OSHA's rope descent rule, 29 CFR 1910.27(b), requires the owner, before any rope descent system is used, to inform the employer in writing that each anchorage was identified, tested, certified and maintained to support at least 5,000 pounds in any direction per attached employee. That rests on an annual inspection by a qualified person and certification as necessary and at least every 10 years. The employer keeps the information for the duration of the job. These anchorage requirements had to be in place by November 20, 2017. Rope descent systems are not used above 300 feet above grade unless the employer shows other access is not feasible or is more hazardous, and descents over 130 feet need stabilization. OSHA lists 22 State Plans covering private-sector workers, California among them, so the rule that applies varies by state.
A practical habit: make "send the anchor paperwork" a line in every building contract and keep a copy in the job file.
Window cleaning insurance, answered
Does it matter how high we work?
Yes. Carriers rate and accept window cleaners by height, and many won't cover work above a certain number of stories. High-rise and rope access work usually goes to carriers that specialize in it, so tell me the tallest building you clean.
Does general liability cover a window we break?
Damage you cause to a client's property is the main reason window cleaners carry general liability, but policies limit coverage for damage to the specific part of the property you're working on. I'll walk through how your policy handles it before you buy.
Is workers' comp required for a small window cleaning crew?
Yes. California requires employers to carry workers' compensation, even with one employee. Ladder and height work is one of the bigger cost drivers, so payroll should be reported by the kind of work each person does.
Can solar panel cleaning be added?
Usually, but tell the carrier. Solar cleaning puts your crew on roofs and around equipment you don't own, and some window cleaning policies are written only for glass.
Do I need commercial auto for my work van?
If the van is owned by the business or used mainly for work, a personal auto policy may not respond to a claim. Commercial auto covers the vehicle; the ladders and gear it carries are insured separately.
How often do window cleaning belts have to be inspected in California?
Title 8 section 3284 requires window cleaner's belts to be visually inspected before each use and inspected by the employer at least twice a year. Each belt is numbered or marked, with a record of its purchase date, terminal strap renewals and inspection dates.
Do you offer window cleaning insurance outside California?
Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. Sam Alishahi is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, DC and places policies there directly. The shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see insurance requirements by state.
Official sources
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, §3282, General Requirements for All Window Cleaning Operations
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, §3283, Anchors and Fittings
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, §3284, Window Cleaner's Belts, Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Personal Fall Restraint Systems and Positioning Devices
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, §3285, Suspended Scaffolds
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, §3286, Manual Boatswain's Chairs and Controlled Descent Apparatus (CDA)
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, §3287, Ladders
- 29 CFR 1910.27, Scaffolds and rope descent systems (Cornell LII)
- OSHA, State Plans
Tell me about your crew. I'll shop it.
The work you do, how high you go and your payroll are enough to start.
Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.
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