Requirements checked on NPS park pages, state statutes and licensing agencies, BLM and Forest Service documents, marketplace terms and insurer pages on October 11, 2026. Minimums are set park by park and state by state, so confirm with the office that issues your permit.
The Coverage Types, in Plain English
| Coverage | What it does | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | Protects you "against financial loss as the result of bodily injury, property damage, medical expenses" (SBA) | Everyone. This is what permits ask for. |
| Professional liability (E&O) | Covers loss from "malpractice, errors, and negligence" (SBA) | Operators who plan or sell trips others run |
| Commercial auto | Covers vehicles your business owns | Anyone shuttling guests. Parks set their own auto minimums. |
| Hired and non-owned auto | Covers rented or borrowed cars and staff driving their own cars for work | Guides who rent vans or drive their own truck to the trailhead |
| Workers' comp | Covers employees hurt on the job. Required for businesses with employees, with rules that "vary by state" (SBA) | Anyone with staff guides |
| Inland marine | Covers property that moves, like rafts, boats on trailers and group gear | Operators with expensive gear |
| Watercraft liability (P&I) | Liability for "practically all maritime liability risks" of running a vessel (IRMI) | Fishing guides and boat-based trips |
| Participant accident | Pays guests' medical bills "regardless of fault" | Operators who want claims settled without a lawsuit |
| Umbrella or excess | Adds liability limits above your main policy. A typical umbrella starts at $1 million. | Operators whose permit or marketplace asks for higher limits |
| Liquor liability | Covers alcohol-related claims, which general liability excludes | Trips that serve wine or beer |
What Land Managers Require
| Who | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| National parks (CUA) | Set by each park. Rocky Mountain asks $500,000 per occurrence and $1M aggregate for most activities including hiking, and $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate for climbing and guided mountaineering. Denali asks $500,000 for backcountry hiking and $1M for climbing. | Name the United States or the park as additional insured. Passenger vehicles need much higher auto limits ($1.5M for up to 15 passengers at Rocky Mountain). |
| National forests | "An amount the authorized officer finds satisfactory," set forest by forest | The United States as additional insured, and the certificate before the permit is issued |
| BLM | Set by risk. One field office's guidelines list $300,000 per occurrence for low-risk trips like backpacking and $500,000 for whitewater. | Valid only with a current certificate naming the United States |
What States Require
| State | Who it applies to | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | Every outfitter guide, land or water | $500,000 per occurrence (ORS 704.020), with the Marine Board as certificate holder |
| Washington | Fishing guides | $300,000 commercial liability |
| Montana | Outfitters | At least $100,000 per person, $300,000 per occurrence and $10,000 property damage, or more if your land agency asks |
| Colorado | Hunting and fishing outfitters | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, plus a $10,000 surety bond |
| Idaho | Licensed outfitters | Proof of insurance. No dollar minimum in the rule. |
No federal insurance requirement for six-pack (OUPV) fishing guides turned up in our research, but state rules still apply. See how to become a fishing guide for licenses by state.
What Marketplaces Require
- Airbnb Experiences requires hosts to "maintain liability insurance appropriate for their business." Its own $1 million host program only applies above your limits, and it excludes some extreme activities.
- GetYourGuide requires general liability "covering all operations," activity-specific insurance and vehicle insurance. Water activities need insurance for every vessel. No dollar minimum is published.
- Viator made public liability insurance a "mandatory global baseline" in its August 2026 supplier agreement, with minimums set by risk and destination.
- ExplorOFF checks your commercial liability insurance and land-use authorization once, by a person, before you're approved.
Already insured and permitted? ExplorOFF is free to join, with no exclusivity, and takes 15% plus card processing only on a booking we bring you. List your trip.
Where to Buy It
Buy from an insurer or broker with an outfitter program, not a general small-business policy that may exclude guided activities. These programs confirm guide and outfitter coverage on their own pages:
- Outdoor Insurance Group: tour guide and outfitter coverage including watercraft liability, guides as additional insureds, liquor liability, and hired and non-owned auto.
- K&K Insurance: outfitters and guides, including canoeing and kayaking, hunting and fishing, mountaineering and rafting. Premiums begin at $1,500, with a $2,000 minimum for businesses under a year old and $2,500 for mountaineering. It asks for three years of industry experience in management. Policies are written with partner carriers (ours is with Markel).
- Philadelphia Insurance (PHLY): guides and outfitters for hunting, boating, fishing, hiking, biking and photo tours, with watercraft liability.
- AssuredPartners: hunting and guided fishing at $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate. It excludes mountain climbing and whitewater rafting.
Ask every quote for the same things: the per-occurrence and aggregate limits your strictest permit needs, the agency named as additional insured, auto coverage, and a list of excluded activities.
What Worked for Us
Finding a policy was the hardest part of our own Forest Service outfitter-guide permit application in 2026. General small-business insurers either didn't write guided hiking or didn't know what to do with it. What worked was a specialist outfitter program. K&K Insurance Group placed our commercial general liability with Markel Insurance Company, written on an occurrence basis. A few things we learned:
- Ask for an outfitter or guide program by name. A general business policy may exclude guided activities, and you won't find out until a claim.
- Get "occurrence," not "claims-made." An occurrence policy covers an incident that happened during the policy year even if the claim comes later.
- The proof is an ACORD 25 certificate. That's the standard one-page form agencies and marketplaces ask for. Your agent issues it.
- Name the agency on it. The Forest Service wants the United States listed as additional insured, with the forest's supervisor's office as certificate holder. Ask your agent for one certificate per agency.
- Ask for a cancellation notice endorsement. Ours notifies the certificate holder 30 days before any cancellation, which agencies like to see.
What the Forest Service Application Asks For
The temporary outfitting and guiding permit form (FS-2700-3f) asks for more than insurance, so gather it all before you start:
- Your business details and structure (an LLC attaches a certificate of good standing).
- Service days requested, number of trips and party size.
- Dates, routes, start and end points, and a map of each route.
- Services offered, client base, facilities you'll use (trailheads, parking), and whether you use motorized equipment or livestock.
- Your advertising: website or brochure.
- A rate sheet showing what clients pay and what it covers.
- A list of guides with their CPR, first aid and WFR cards, and driver's licenses if you drive clients.
- An operating plan covering safety, evacuation and resource protection.
- The insurance certificate, naming the United States as additional insured.
- Your assumption of risk form, if you use one, and any permits held in the past three years.
Do Waivers Replace Insurance?
No. Every land manager and state above requires insurance whether you use waivers or not. Waivers are a second layer, and how well they hold up depends on the state. A 2020 law firm review found that "in most states, courts will enforce liability waivers," but that Virginia and Louisiana refuse to enforce waivers of personal injury claims, and most states won't enforce them for gross negligence. Montana was on that list too, though its Recreation Responsibility Act now allows releases for recreational activities, and some states won't enforce a parent's waiver for a child. Have a lawyer in your state write yours.
A Checklist Before You Buy
- List every permit and license you hold and write down the highest limit any of them asks for.
- Note who must be named as additional insured on each.
- List your activities. Climbing, whitewater and boats often need a specialist program.
- Add auto: owned vehicles, rentals, and guides driving their own cars.
- Get three quotes from outfitter programs, with exclusions in writing.
- Keep the certificate handy. Permits, marketplaces and partners all ask for it.
Insurance is one step in how to start a tour company. Once you're covered, compare your sales options in where to list your tours.
Sell Your Trips on ExplorOFF
ExplorOFF is a marketplace built for multi-day outdoor trips: hiking, backpacking, paddling and fishing in US and Canadian national parks and wild places. Travelers find your trip inside a day-by-day itinerary for the route they're already planning, so they arrive ready to book. It's free to join, there's no exclusivity, and you keep your own site and booking system. You set the price and group size. We take 15% plus standard card processing, and only on a booking we brought you. A person checks your commercial liability insurance and land-use authorization (such as an NPS CUA) once, and approval takes up to 24 hours. List your trip on ExplorOFF.
Tour Operator Insurance: What Guides and Outfitters Need (2026) FAQs
Commercial general liability at minimum, set to the limit your permits require. Most outdoor operators also need commercial or hired and non-owned auto, workers' comp once they hire, and watercraft liability if they run boats.
Each park sets its own. Rocky Mountain asks $500,000 per occurrence for most activities including hiking and $1,000,000 for climbing and guided mountaineering. Denali asks $500,000 for backcountry hiking. The policy must name the United States or the park as additional insured.
It depends on activities, limits and experience. K&K Insurance says its outfitter general liability premiums begin at $1,500 a year, with a $2,000 minimum for businesses under a year old and $2,500 for mountaineering.
In most states with guide licenses, yes. Washington requires $300,000 for fishing guides, Oregon $500,000 for every outfitter guide, and Colorado $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for fishing outfitters. Boat-based guides should also carry watercraft liability (P&I).
No. Permits and state licenses require insurance regardless. Waivers are enforced in most states, but Virginia and Louisiana refuse to enforce personal injury waivers, and most states won't enforce them for gross negligence.
From a specialist outfitter and guide program rather than a general small-business insurer. We got ours through K&K Insurance Group, written with Markel Insurance Company on an occurrence basis. Outdoor Insurance Group and Philadelphia Insurance also run guide programs.
Form FS-2700-3f asks for business details, service days and party size, routes with maps, a rate sheet, a guide list with CPR, first aid and WFR cards, an operating plan, an insurance certificate naming the United States as additional insured, and any risk form you use.
Specialist programs include Outdoor Insurance Group, K&K Insurance, Philadelphia Insurance (PHLY) and AssuredPartners. Check each one's excluded activities, since some exclude climbing or whitewater.
Yes. Airbnb requires hosts to carry liability insurance appropriate for their business. Its $1 million host program only applies above your own limits.
