Dry Inflatable Slide Insurance

Who needs dry slide insurance

Dry inflatable slides are a distinct underwriting class from bounce houses. The slope, the slide surface, and the run-out lane each generate their own claim patterns. Operators who run dry slides without scheduling them on the policy explicitly often find a denial when an injury report comes in days after the event. We add dry slides as a covered class so claims are not denied for unscheduled equipment, and we ask about slide height — anything over 20 feet shifts to a separate underwriting class.

What makes dry slide underwrite differently

• Head-first entry causing neck and shoulder injuries — the dominant injury pattern on slides
• Run-out length and footing matter — most slip-and-fall claims happen at the bottom, not on the slide itself
• Anchoring on a tall slide differs from a bounce house: stake placement, count, and depth are dictated by the manufacturer
• Wind exposure on a vertical structure is higher than a horizontal bounce footprint
• Climb-up steps and ladders are an injury vector during ascent

What this coverage includes

• Bodily injury — third-party medical and legal costs from injuries during use, setup, or takedown.
• Property damage — damage your operations cause to a venue or third-party property.
• Products and completed operations — claims arising after you finish the event and leave.
• Inland marine (optional) — coverage for the dry slide units themselves while in transit, at the warehouse, or set up.
• Commercial umbrella (optional) — extra layer above primary GL.

What it does NOT cover

• Employee injuries — workers compensation
• Delivery vehicles — commercial auto
• Damage to your warehouse — commercial property
• Mistakes in advice or planning — professional liability / E&O
• Intentional acts or assault
• Equipment you did not schedule on the policy

Annual coverage vs. one-day events

We write annual commercial general liability — not one-day event coverage. Annual coverage gives you continuous protection between events, simpler certificate workflows, and better long-term rates than buying one-day policies repeatedly. Most operators with more than four events per year save money on annual coverage.

Common venue requirements

• Certificate of insurance with $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate (typical)
• Venue named as additional insured on the COI
• Waiver of subrogation
• 30-day notice of cancellation
• Some county parks and school districts require named additional insured plus a primary and non-contributory endorsement

What affects your premium

• Annual revenue
• Inventory size (number and class of units owned)
• Claims history (loss runs)
• Years in business
• State of operation
• Employee count and use of subcontractors
• Event types served (private parties versus public events versus school districts)

Frequently asked questions